Science

Researchers found that passport screeners have an error rate of about 15 percent when they're evaluating whether faces match passport photos.

Security Agents Often Miss When Passports Don't Match Faces

6:26pm November 06, 2014

by Anne Miller

The people checking travelers' passports aren't great at catching fake or stolen documents. One solution might be to screen the screeners and only hire those with a talent for recognizing faces.

In 49 U.S. states, spotting the squished disc in this spinal MRI is still much easier than learning the price of the MRI in advance.

How Much Is That MRI, Really? Massachusetts Shines A Light

5:45pm November 06, 2014

by Martha Bebinger

A state law now requires insurers to reveal prices of their medical tests, and the variation is amazing, bargain hunters say. An MRI of the back is $614 at one place, $1,800 at another.

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Saah Exco was found alone on a beach in Liberia's West Point slum, naked and abandoned and likely an Ebola victim.Research suggests the story of one needy individual motivates charitable donors more than statistics about millions of sufferers.

Why Your Brain Wants To Help One Child In Need — But Not Millions

4:14pm November 06, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

Donations to fight Ebola are lower than expected. One psychologist thinks the reason may be the impact of hopelessness. A really big problem makes people less likely to give.

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Students taking part in Columbia University's Ebola design challenge demonstrated for judges how to use a special chamber for decontaminating small items.

From Blue Bleach To Hazmat Hacks, Students Take On Ebola Challenges

12:24pm November 06, 2014

by Linda Poon

College students excel at thinking creatively under pressure. Now they're designing tools to confront the challenges of Ebola, including friendlier-looking protective gear and diagnostic aids.

The Smithsonian's Jon Blundell scans the fossilized foot bone — the metatarsal — of the Wankel T. rex to help create a digital 3-D image of the long-dead dinosaur.

America's T. Rex Gets A Makeover

11:15am November 06, 2014

by Christopher Joyce

Discovered in Montana in 1988, the Wankel T. Rex is a prize find — a nearly complete skeleton, now bound for display at the Smithsonian, in Washington, D.C. But first, those old bones need some work.

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Republican Sweep Highlights Climate Change Politics In Alaska

11:15am November 06, 2014

by Martin Kaste

GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is set to head the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. It can be easier for her oil-reliant state to adapt to the changing climate rather than address its causes.

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Edgar Meadows has been growing Bloody Butcher corn, an heirloom variety, for generations. The name Bloody Butcher refers to the flecks of red mixed onto the white kernels, like a butcher's apron, Meadows says.

On The Trail To Preserve Appalachia's Bounty Of Heirloom Crops

1:00pm November 05, 2014

by Roxy Todd

With some 1,500 heirloom fruits and vegetables under cultivation, Appalachia is the most diverse foodshed in the U.S., Canada and northern Mexico. Among them is a beloved corn called Bloody Butcher.

Caltech biochemical engineer Frances Arnold was awarded a National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Obama in 2013.

Is 'Leaning In' The Only Formula For Women's Success In Science?

11:26am November 05, 2014

by Kelly McEvers

A science superstar at Caltech advises young women to not wait for encouragement to succeed. Just go do it, she says. But her admiring students say that approach doesn't work for everybody.

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Researchers Tap Web Chatter To Figure Out Who's Sick

9:03am November 05, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

With the help of online data, doctors and public health officials are tracking the spread of illnesses and predicting where they might strike next. The analyses also provide clues for prevention.

Let's Clear This Up — In New York City, There's Only 1 Rat For Every 4 People

6:32pm November 04, 2014

Audie Cornish speaks with Jonathan Auerbach, a PhD student in statistics at Columbia University who endeavored to get a better estimate of the New York City rat population.

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