In January of 2004, the spacecraft Stardust flew through the tail of the comet Wild-2, in a mission to obtain a sample of comet tail material. The probe captured tiny grains of comet dust in slabs of aerogel material, then returned them to Earth. Last week, the first scientific results from analysis of those grains was released, both in a series of scientific papers in the journal Science and in talks at the meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The findings included the discovery of organic molecules in the cometary debris, as well as data that may adjust scientists' outlook on the formation of the solar system. We'll talk with the lead scientist on the Stardust mission about the findings.

We'll also hear about a new vaccine for malaria that some public health experts say could provide a new route to eradicating the disease in entire sections of the world. The vaccine doesn't protect the person with the vaccine against malaria. Instead, it poisons the blood of a person inoculated with the vaccine, eliminating the parasite that causes malaria from the digestive tract of its mosquito host. The work was reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. We'll talk with one of the scientists developing the vaccine.

Plus, eavesdropping on the brain to find out how it makes memories. New imaging studies may give a new picture of the memory and learning process. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Don Brownlee
Principal Investigator, NASA's Stardust Mission
Professor of Astronomy
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington

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Nicholas Wade
Science Reporter
New York Times
New York, New York

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Owen Rennert, M.D.
Scientific Director, Division of Intramural Research
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland

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This segment produced by Karin Vergoth