Science

Vegetation like the kind growing here at Michigan State University's Kellogg Biological Station could one day be used to feed small biofuel refineries spread throughout the Midwest.

Could Some Midwest Land Support New Biofuel Refineries?

7:16am January 18, 2013

by Richard Harris

Land that isn't in good enough condition to grow crops could be used to produce substantial amounts of liquid biofuels, a new study claims. But there are many concerns about the study, and about the future of advanced biofuels in the U.S. and abroad.

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Florida's Python Problem: Snakes Reshape The Everglades

4:01pm January 14, 2013

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission launched its first ever "Python Challenge." More than 800 hunters have registered for the month-long competition aimed at harvesting Burmese pythons. University of Florida professor Frank Mazzotti talks about the threat they present to the ecosystem of the Everglades.

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A 'Beautiful Vision' In Science Forgotten

1:48pm January 14, 2013

by NPR Staff

Dorothy Wrinch was the first woman to ever receive a doctorate in science from Oxford University, and she was the first person to design a protein structure. But her name is largely unknown. I Died for Beauty, a biography of Wrinch by Marjorie Senechal, tells her story.

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A giant squid stars in this still image taken from the footage Edie Widder shot. It's the first-ever video of these giant squids, and it'll debut in a Discovery Channel documentary airing in late January.

The Kraken Is Real: Scientist Films First Footage Of A Giant Squid

7:25pm January 13, 2013

by NPR Staff

For thousands of years, sailors have told stories of giant squids. In myth and cinema, the kraken was the most terrible of sea monsters. Now, it's been captured — on a soon-to-be-seen video.

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From Corn Belt To Main Street: The Drought's Far-Reaching Grasp

7:37pm January 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

Record heat and relatively dry winters have created a historic drought in the U.S., but the ripple effects extend beyond the farmland and ranches. Low crop yields are driving up food prices, and dry conditions are causing forest fires and water main breaks. The costs are high, and it's still unclear if we'll see the end of it in 2013.

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The butter sculpture will be dumped into this pit of rotting fruit and vegetables on the Reinford family's farm. Then, all that food will get ground up and put into the farm's methane digester.

This Butter Sculpture Could Power A Farm For 3 Days

9:49pm January 11, 2013

by Scott Detrow

The biggest attraction at the annual Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa., is always a giant, 1,000-pound sculpture crafted from butter. Once this year's show wraps up, all that beautiful butter will go right into a manure pit to become methane gas.

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Georgia Power's coal-fired steam-turbine electric generating Plant Bowen in Euharlee, Ga., seen in 2009. The utility is planning on shuttering 15 coal- and oil-fired generating units at its facilities.

Coal Loses Crown As King Of Power Generation

6:31pm January 11, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

A Georgia utility's announcement that it will shutter coal-powered generators in the coming years is part of a national trend of shifting to natural gas. One key factor is low gas prices, fueled by a boom in shale gas production.

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Science

Simulating The Red Planet, On The Pale Blue Dot

1:03pm January 11, 2013

What's it like to live--and cook--on Mars? To find out, researchers are simulating Mars missions in Russia, and on the slopes of a Hawaiian volcano. Kim Binsted talks about her study to whip up tastier space food. Porcini mushroom risotto, anyone? And sleep expert Charles Czeisler talks about how humans adapt to the 24.65-hour Martian day.

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How E-Waste Is Becoming a Big, Global Problem

1:03pm January 11, 2013

According to the EPA, more than 2.5 million tons of electronic waste, or e-waste, is produced each year in the U.S. Derek Markham, a contributing writer for Treehugger.com, discusses the global impacts, and why you should think twice before discarding your old cell phone.

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Getting A Handle On Why Fingers Wrinkle

1:03pm January 11, 2013

Why do your fingers get pruney after a long water bath? Only a handful of researchers (ever) have looked into the finger-wrinkling experience. Reporting in the journal Biology Letters, researchers make the case for finger wrinkles as treads — wet wrinkled fingers seem to grip better than wet smooth ones.

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