Science

Science

Researchers Warn Against 'Autonomous Weapons' Arms Race

7:01pm July 28, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Already, researcher Stuart Russell says, sentry robots in South Korea "can spot and track a human being for a distance of 2 miles — and can very accurately kill that person."

Queue Listen Now

Crews Scramble To Contain 3,000-Acre Fire In Glacier National Park

6:31pm July 28, 2015

by Corin Cates-Carney

The more than 3,000-acre fire in Glacier National Park in Montana is forcing evacuations and road closures. The fire comes at peak tourist season for park area businesses.

Queue Listen Now

In a photo released by Scaled Composites, Michael Alsbury, who was killed while co-piloting the test flight of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014, is shown.

Co-Pilot Killed In SpaceShipTwo Crash Was Experienced And Steady

4:10pm July 28, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Mike Alsbury, 39, died when Virgin Galactic's prototype reusable space plane apparently broke apart in midair over the Mojave Desert during a test flight on Friday.

SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mojave Desert in California on Oct. 31. The co-pilot was killed.

Human Error Caused Virgin Galactic Crash, Investigators Say

4:02pm July 28, 2015

by Lucy Perkins

SpaceShipTwo broke apart during an October test flight because the co-pilot unlocked a section of the spaceship's tail too early, the National Transportation and Safety Board announced.

Gary Broomell and his daughter, Debbie, pose behind a sign on their ranch in San Diego County. Their family has been growing citrus for generations, but lately, it's been hard staying in the black growing oranges, so they started a vineyard a few years ag

Squeezed By Drought, California Farmers Switch To Less Thirsty Crops

7:41am July 28, 2015

by Lesley McClurg

Water scarcity is leading farmers away from planting staples and towards planting higher-value, lower-water specialty crops. Think wine grapes and pomegranates instead of citrus and avocados.

Queue Listen Now

Science

Research: Let Your Fingers Stroll Down Yellow Pages' Listings

7:41am July 28, 2015

by Shankar Vedantam

Researchers examined the quality of plumbers in the Chicago area who choose names that are designed to show up first alphabetically in the Yellow Pages. The first company isn't necessarily the best.

Queue Listen Now

California Health Insurance Exchange Keeps Rate Hikes Low — Again

8:04pm July 27, 2015

Monthly premiums for health insurance plans in the Covered California marketplace will increase by an average of 4 percent for 2016. The price for some plans will drop.

Well-Off Baby Boomers Know How To Binge Drink, Too

5:35pm July 27, 2015

by Ina Yang

Think binge drinking, and college students downing cheap beer from red cups come into mind. But healthy affluent adults over 50 are more likely to drink dangerously than their peers.

Christy O'Donnell, who has advanced lung cancer, is one of several California patients suing for the right to get a doctor's help with prescription medicine to end their own lives if and when they feel that's necessary.

California Judge Throws Out Lawsuit On Medically Assisted Suicide

5:35pm July 27, 2015

by April Dembosky

The superior court judge says questions raised in the case should be decided by legislatures or voters, not the court. The terminally ill plaintiffs say they'll appeal his decision.

Almond orchards across California are dealing with trees showing signs of stress from the drought, such as smaller nuts and salt-burned leaves.

Salt Is Slowly Crippling California's Almond Industry

4:48pm July 27, 2015

by Ezra David Romero

California's ongoing drought has forced many almond growers to use groundwater on the thirsty crop. The problem: That water is high in salt, and it's killing almond trees.