Science

Obama Administration To Allow Drilling Off Southeastern Atlantic Coast

11:28pm January 27, 2015

by Jeff Brady

The Obama administration announced on Tuesday that it will allow oil companies to drill off the southeastern Atlantic Coast. The move will also restrict access along parts of Alaska's coast.

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Cattle in holding pens at the Simplot feedlot located next to a slaughterhouse in Burbank, Washington on Dec. 26, 2013. Merck & Co Inc is testing lower dosages of its controversial cattle growth drug Zilmax drug in an effort to resume its sales to the $44

Beef Packers Block Plan To Revive Growth-Promoting Drug

2:08pm January 27, 2015

by Dan Charles

Beef processors continue to block efforts to bring back Zilmax, a drug that makes cattle put on weight faster. Is it because they're concerned about animal welfare, or beef exports?

Science

Another Day, Another 'Close Call' Between Earth And An Asteroid

12:14pm January 27, 2015

A rare large asteroid zipped very close to Earth Monday morning. NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Paul Chodas, head of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Near-Earth Object program, about the "close call."

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Science

On The Ant Highway, There's Never A Backup

12:14pm January 27, 2015

by Joe Palca

A team of Indian physicists has made a mathematical model that purports to explain why ants don't have traffic jams. NPR's Joe Palca explains as part of his series, Joe's Big Idea.

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Critics Worry Nuclear Reactor Deal With India Has A Dark Side

11:27am January 27, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

The administration says the reactors are good for the climate, good for American industry and for strengthening ties with India. But some worry the deal also has a dark side.

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Leaks in a barrier between blood vessels and brain cells could contribute to the development of Alzheimer's.

Leaky Blood Vessels In The Brain May Lead To Alzheimer's

9:00am January 27, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

As vessels become more porous, researchers say, they allow toxins in the bloodstream to reach, and damage, delicate brain cells and raise the risk for dementia.

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The city of Des Moines, Iowa, sits on the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. The city's water works says it will sue three neighboring counties for high nitrate levels in these waterways.

Iowa's Largest City Sues Over Farm Fertilizer Runoff In Rivers

7:09pm January 26, 2015

by Dan Charles

Fertilizer runoff has provoked a confrontation between Des Moines and the farms that surround it. The city's water utility wants to sue neighboring counties for nitrates in the Raccoon River.

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A Blind Woman Gains New Freedom, Click By Click By Click

5:20pm January 26, 2015

by Lulu Miller

Blind since birth, Julee-anne Bell learned to get by better on her own with echolocation, a method explored in this week's Invisibilia. But along the way, she found that independence came with costs.

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A deflated football would have been easier for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) to grip in Sunday's rain.

Scientists Say The NFL's 'Deflate-Gate' Isn't All Hot Air

2:21pm January 26, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

Two scientists say the New England Patriots could have gained some advantage from deflating a ball in Sunday's game. But was it worth the risk?

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High school athlete Graham Hill, number 50, suffered a concussion in 2013 while playing football at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas.

High Schools Seek A Safer Path Back From Concussion

10:53am January 26, 2015

by Lauren Silverman

Returning immediately to demanding physical or mental activities after a concussion can be bad for the brain, neuroscientists agree. But what about after symptoms resolve? How much rest is best?

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