Science, Tech & Environment
PRI's The World
February 06, 2017
Qian Xuesen studied at MIT and then joined the Manhattan Project, the top secret US atomic bomb program. Later, during the McCarthy era, Qian was kicked out of the country after being implicated as a communist sympathizer. Back in China, he went on to become the “father of Chinese rocketry.”
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Politics
Quietly, Congress extends a ban on CDC research on gun violence
The Takeaway
July 02, 2015
Updated
Not long after the shooting in Charleston, a US House of Representatives committee rejected a measure that would have allowed the CDC to conduct research into gun violence, leaving intact a ban pushed by the NRA back in the 1990s. That leads to odd gun violence reports that are not about guns.
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Science, Tech & Environment
New research on plant intelligence may forever change how you think about plants
Science Friday
January 10, 2014
Plants have senses that put humans to shame. Not only do they hear (yes, it's true) and smell, they can also sense the presence of water, and even an object in their space. Now new research suggests that plants can actually learn and remember.
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Health & Medicine
How seriously should we take the fluoride controversy?
Living on Earth
December 05, 2015
Since shortly after World War II, fluoride has been added to water in the US to help strengthen children’s teeth. Today it comes out of the taps in about two-thirds of America’s households. Yet it remains a highly controversial subject.
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Development & Education
One of the six US immigrant Nobel winners is 'totally speechless' over the push to limit immigration
PRI's The World
October 11, 2016
Sir J. Fraser Stoddart won a Nobel Prize in chemistry this year. Like the five others who won in the US, he is an immigrant.
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Science, Tech & Environment
Welcome to the 'Double El Niño' — and more extreme weather
Living on Earth
March 22, 2015
Updated
A second helping of El Niño could help usher in the next phase of global warming. When it comes, the consequences could be devastating.
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Science, Tech & Environment
Why the term GMO is 'scientifically meaningless'
Innovation Hub
November 03, 2014
Genetically modified crops are a big part of both our food supply and our debates about health and safety. But some scientists and observers argue those debates are getting the science of GMOs wrong, and grouping together crops that don't belong in the same argument.
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Science, Tech & Environment
The monarchs were missing this summer ... and we and weather were to blame
PRI's The World
September 30, 2013
Monarch butterflies, one of North America's most recognizable and well-loved insects, have nearly disappeared from much of their range this year.
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Health & Medicine
No matter where in the world you are, opting out of childhood vaccines can be a catastrophic choice
PRI's The World
September 10, 2014
The new NOVA special, "Vaccines: Calling the Shots," explores the lingering global resistance to vaccination campaigns. Case studies from around the world explain just how bad the impact can be when groups opt out of childhood shots.
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Lifestyle & Belief
A former critic of genetically modified crops changes his tune and sings the praises of GMOs
The Takeaway
September 03, 2014
Genetically modified organisms are controversial — but one former critic has changed his mind about them.
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Lifestyle & Belief
Science suggests MSG really isn't bad for your health after all
Science Friday
October 03, 2014
For decades, people have been focused on MSG as a source of health problems and allergic reactions, based on scant but seemingly compelling evidence, No research, though, pokes giant holes in those previous studies and suggests MSG is no worse than any other food additive.