Science

The SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule nears the International Space Station on Friday, as astronauts prepare to snag it with a robotic arm.

Espresso In Orbit: SpaceX Craft Brings Coffee Machine To Space Station

2:07pm April 17, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The coffee on the International Space Station is about to get much better. The SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule linked up with the station Friday morning, bringing a long-awaited ISSpresso machine.

Colored brain scan of a 17-year-old boy with mad cow disease. The bright yellow spots are a sign that the thalamus is damaged by diseased proteins.

'Mad Cow' Disease In Texas Man Has Mysterious Origin

11:49am April 17, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

It's only the fourth case of the deadly disease in the U.S. And it has doctors on an international hunt. How did a disease linked to contaminated beef in the U.K. more than a decade ago get to Texas?

Nicotine exposure at a young age "may cause lasting harm to brain development," warns Dr. Tom Frieden, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Use Of E-Cigarettes Triples Among U.S. Teens

8:13pm April 16, 2015

by Rob Stein

Even as the use of traditional cigarettes and most other tobacco products dipped or stayed the same from 2013 to 2014, the use of e-cigarettes climbed among students in high school and middle school.

Science

New Discovery Of World's Oldest Stone Tools

10:35am April 16, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Researchers in Kenya uncover tools dated to 3.3 million years ago, long before the first humans, as we know them, walked the Earth.

Some doctors aren't up to date on how to assess autism symptoms in very young children.

Some Doctors Still Dismiss Parents' Concerns About Autism

8:54am April 16, 2015

by Poncie Rutsch

Most children don't get diagnosed with autism until they start school, a study finds, though the signs may be visible much earlier. Earlier diagnosis means more time to get therapy.

Joshua Haggmark, Santa Barbara's water resources manager, is in charge of getting the city's desalination plant back online.

Will Turning Seawater Into Drinking Water Help Drought-Hit California?

5:42am April 16, 2015

by NPR Staff

During its last major drought, Santa Barbara built a desalination plant. It was never used. Now it's being reopened, but critics say desalination is costly, energy-intensive and may harm marine life.

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Sequencing the genes of a cancer cell turns up lots of genetic mutations — but some of them are harmless. The goal is to figure out which mutations are the troublemakers.

Personalizing Cancer Treatment With Genetic Tests Can Be Tricky

6:52pm April 15, 2015

by Richard Harris

Genetic profiling of cancer cells can help guide treatment, but such profiles can be ambiguous. Results would be more accurate if all labs tested normal cells from each patient, too.

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U.S. Predicted To Be Net Energy Exporter In Next Decade; First Time Since 1950s

6:13pm April 15, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Citing a boom in natural gas and shifts in demand, the Energy Information Administration says the U.S. could stop being a net energy importer "sometime between 2020 and 2030."

Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.

Science

The Space Station Gets A Coffee Bar

2:14pm April 15, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

Italy is sending a high-tech espresso machine to the International Space Station. And NASA is worried it might be too popular.

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Anne Koller closes her eyes as an oncology nurse attaches a line for chemotherapy to a port in her chest. Koller typically spends three to six hours getting each treatment.

Big Bills A Hidden Side Effect Of Cancer Treatment

2:13pm April 15, 2015

by Sarah Jane Tribble

Cancer treatment is increasingly expensive, even for patients who have insurance. Some doctors advocate discussing the costs of cancer treatment as they would hair loss, pain or other side effects.

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