Science

Apples were beginning to ripen Aug. 26 on trees at Carter Hill Orchard in Concord, N.H.

Science

Startup's New Sprays Promise Longer-Lasting Fruit, Fewer Pesticides

8:08am October 17, 2014

by Nathan Siegel

Apeel Sciences hopes its products, which use natural methods to fend off pests and oxidization, can markedly reduce the amount of produce wasted because of spoilage.

Corn farmer Jerry McCulley sprays the weedkiller glyphosate across his cornfield in Auburn, Ill., in 2010. An increasing number of weeds have now evolved resistance to the chemical.

New GMOs Get A Regulatory Green Light, With A Hint Of Yellow

7:01pm October 15, 2014

by Dan Charles

Farmers will be able to plant types of corn and soybeans that can tolerate doses of two weedkillers. It may be one of the most significant developments the world of weedkilling in more than a decade.

SXSW Eco attendees at the welcome dinner at Springdale Farms in East Austin on Oct. 6.

SXSW Eco, Hub Of Environmental And Foodie Fervor

1:24pm October 15, 2014

by Eliza Barclay

Like its parent music, film and interactive festival, this conference is all about networking, which means parties. The young crowd takes full advantage of Austin's food trucks and bars.

Study Finds Human Stem Cells May Help To Treat Patients

6:37am October 15, 2014

by Rob Stein

For the first time, scientists are reporting that human embryonic stem cells may be helping treat patients — in one instance, the cells seem to been enabling some blind people to see better.

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This photo released by Vandenberg Air Force Base on Monday shows the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, the Air Force's unmanned, reusable space plane, after it landed at Vandenberg from a previous orbital mission.

Secret U.S. Space Plane To Land After 22 Months In Orbit

8:59pm October 14, 2014

by Scott Neuman

There are many theories about what exactly the unmanned X-37B is doing as it circles the Earth on long-duration missions.

Long After Fracking Stops, The Noise Lives On

7:52pm October 14, 2014

by Marie Cusick

Most of the noise created by natural gas development is temporary. After drilling and fracking, the workers and equipment are gone. But compressor stations can stay noisy for years — even decades.

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Luci Cook doesn't want her tattoos to die with her. She's asking her friends and family which ones they' want to receive in the event that she dies before they do.

Science
Arts

Extra-Permanent Ink: Preserving Your Tattoos After Death

2:10pm October 14, 2014

by Martha Bebinger

Got a killer tat? There's no reason for it to die with you. Thanks to a Dutch tattoo artist, if you sign the right forms and pay the right price, a lab can preserve your body art after you die.

Science

In Hawaii, NASA To Launch 'Fake Mission To Fake Space'

4:58pm October 13, 2014

Starting Wednesday, six "astronauts" will live in a geodesic dome on a remote volcanic outcrop in an eight-month simulation of a Mars mission. Robert Siegel talks to commander Martha Lenio.

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And so continues Code Switch's battle with illustrating studies about the subtle biases that inflict our email outboxes.

What's In A Name? It Could Matter If You're Writing To Your Lawmaker

9:42am October 13, 2014

by Shankar Vedantam

To test subtle biases, researchers sent state legislators identical emails about voting requirements. Some emails came from a man with a "Latino" name, and others from an "Anglo" name.

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The slide on the right has been treated with a coating that repels blood.

Slippery When Coated: Helping Medical Devices Prevent Blood Clots

8:13am October 13, 2014

by Joe Palca

When blood flows over an artificial surface, whether it's an implanted pacemaker or tubing for a dialysis machine, there's an increased risk that a dangerous clot will form.