Science

Sleep's Link To Learning And Memory Traced To Brain Chemistry

5:23pm November 20, 2014

by Jon Hamilton

During sleep, the brain locks in existing memories and can even form new ones. Scientists say they are starting to understand how that happens. A midnight snack may interfere.

Pistachios, a possible energy source for a Turkish city.

Turkey Looks For Energy In An Abundant Resource: Pistachio Shells

1:13pm November 20, 2014

by Laura Secorun Palet

Converting the shells into biogas could provide most of the heat for a planned city of 200,000, engineers say. There's precedent in Australia, where macadamia nut shells are generating power.

California sheep rancher Dan Macon had to sell almost half of his herd because the drought left him without enough feed.

With Drought The New Normal, Calif. Farmers Find They Have To Change

11:37am November 20, 2014

by Kirk Siegler

Three years of severe drought in California is forcing farmers and ranchers to make some tough choices. In some cases, they're rethinking everything about their business and finding new opportunities.

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Carbon dioxide is represented by the red on this map.

WATCH: How Carbon Dioxide Travels Around The Globe

1:10pm November 19, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

A NASA computer model visualizes in detail where carbon dioxide is released, how it moves across the globe and how it's affected by the seasons.

Are Modafinil's Brain-Boosting Benefits Hype Or Science?

9:08am November 19, 2014

by Maanvi Singh

Modafinil has been approved for treatment of narcolepsy, but it's often used to improve mental performance. The question is, does it work? A new study says probably not.

A tangle of protein (green) in this scanning electron micrograph of a brain cell of an Alzheimer's patient lies within the cytoplasm (blue) of the cell. The tangle consists of clumps of a toxic form of tau.

Toxic Tau Of Alzheimer's May Offer A Path To Treatment

9:08am November 19, 2014

by Jon Hamilton

Faulty forms of the brain protein tau trigger tangles inside and outside brain cells of Alzheimer's patients. Scientists say figuring out how to stop bad tau's spread from cell to cell might be key.

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Bloodmobiles To Collect Plasma From West Africa's Ebola Survivors

9:02am November 19, 2014

by Richard Harris

Researchers gear up tests in West Africa to see whether blood from Ebola survivors can help people who are sick with the disease. This is part of a broader effort to test therapies in West Africa.

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The rendering industry likes to call itself the world's oldest recycling system. Nearly 100 percent of processed pigs will eventually get used — as meat and in uses as varied as medicine and pet food.

Everything But The Squeal: How The Hog Industry Cuts Food Waste

10:34am November 18, 2014

by Peggy Lowe

Large-scale hog operations get a bad environmental rap. But when it comes to processing the animals, the industry is a model of efficiency, making use of every last bit in sometimes surprising ways.

Science

Invasive Surgery May Motivate Patients To Adopt Healthier Behaviors

8:24am November 18, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

One challenge in evaluating the effectiveness of different medical procedures, is that patients behave differently after different procedures. Is this true for patients getting heart surgery?

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The Rosetta spacecraft, which orbits the comet, captured this series of images of the Philae lander bounding off the surface. The precise spot the lander came to a stop remains unknown.

Science

Comet Lander's Big Bounce Caught On Camera

7:41pm November 17, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

An orbiting spacecraft caught the Philae lander bounding on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The lander sent home some scientific data before its batteries ran out.