Highlights from Recent Science Podcasts

Highlights from Recent Science Podcasts

I recently posted a list of some of my favorite science podcasts. Today I want to mention a few recent episodes that I think are worth listening to. First, on March 8th, the BBC 4 podcast In Our…
How long is a child a child?

How long is a child a child?

With an innovative combination of a novel application of synchrotron imaging, high-resolution microtomography, and developmental analysis, the team reconstructed tooth growth and determined the age…
Jet engines help solve the mysteries of the voice

Jet engines help solve the mysteries of the voice

Although scientists know about basic voice production—the two "vocal folds" in the larynx vibrate and pulsate airflow from the lungs—the larynx is one of the body's least understood organs. Sound…
Does sniffing the air help our sense of smell?

Does sniffing the air help our sense of smell?

Unlike most of our sensory systems that detect only one type of stimuli, our sense of smell works double duty, detecting both chemical and mechanical stimuli to improve how we smell, according to…
Nanotechnology Regulation And Oversight

Nanotechnology Regulation And Oversight

With hundreds of nanotechnology-enabled products already on the market and many more in the commercial pipeline, a new report by a former senior Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official urges…
Don't Read This

Don't Read This

They used to say the streets were evil. Then they thought the internet was evil. But the streets were never evil to begin with.   
Whip Spiders Have a Sociable Family Life

Whip Spiders Have a Sociable Family Life

Whip spiders, considered by many to be creepy-crawly, are giving new meaning to the term touchy-feely. In two species of whip spiders, or amblypygids, mothers caress their young with long feelers,…
Progress toward artificial photosynthesis?

Progress toward artificial photosynthesis?

Plants can do it: they simply grab carbon dioxide out of the air and covert it into biomass. In this process, known as photosynthesis, the plants use light as their energy source. Chemists would…