You've probably seen the famous frying-egg 'this is your brain on drugs' ad -- but now that sizzling egg could be a source of drugs. Researchers report this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they've been able to genetically modify a chicken to lay eggs that contain concentrated amounts of pharmaceutical chemicals in the egg white. The scientists said that they could engineer eggs that contain either miR24, a monoclonal antibody used in treating some cancers, or the immune system protein interferon b-1a, depending on the gene they inserted into the chicken. The drug products were produced in place of the ovalbumin protein normally found in chicken eggs, at levels the researchers said could be good enough to use commercially. In the past, chicken eggs have been used as a means of producing certain vaccines. We'll talk with one of the researchers on the new pharmaceutical egg project about the work.

Then, we'll take a look at the weird winter weather around the country. So far this season, Denver has faced massive blizzards -- while much of the Northeast hasn't seen enough snow to open the ski slopes. This week, a cold snap finally took much of the country, including severe winter storms in Texas and Oklahoma, and a deep freeze that threatened much of California's citrus crop. But are the unusual weather patterns related to El Nino? La Nina? Global warming? Or are they just one of those chance things? We'll talk about the weather outlook for the rest of the winter, what factors contribute to creating winter weather, and how seasonal weather fits into the big picture of world climate.

Finally, we'll talk science policy with a someone who got a view of the government's role in science from the inside. David Goldston was chief of staff of the House Committee on Science for five years. He's now joined Princeton University, and will be writing a new column for Nature Magazine on science and public policy issues.

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:
Helen Sang
Principal Investigator
Roslin Institute
Midlothian, Scotland
United Kingdom

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Kevin Trenberth
Senior Scientist
Head, Climate Analysis Section
National Center for Atmospheric Research
Boulder, Colorado

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David Goldston
Chief of Staff, House Committee on Science (2001-2006)
Scholar in Residence, Program in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy
Woodrow Wilson School
Princeton University
Princeton, New Jersey

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This segment produced by Karin Vergoth