Science Friday Archives - browsing recent stories

International Space Station following most recent upgrade. Credit: STS-119 Shuttle Crew, NASA.

A Coral Catastrophe?: A third of the world's reef-building coral species are vulnerable to extinction, a group of researchers says. We'll talk with one of the authors of a report about the plight of corals, and discuss whether anything can be done to turn back the tide. (first broadcast Friday, July 11, 2008)

How Does Your Garden Grow?: Ira and guests talk about ways to make your thumb a little greener and help supply food for your dinner table. (first broadcast Friday, July 11, 2008)

The Scoop on Soil: Soil may be good for growing things in -- but it's also an important player in climate change. We'll talk with a soil scientist about the importance of fertile soil to the planet's environmental health. (first broadcast Friday, July 11, 2008)

Batter Up!: Ira and guests talk about the physics and materials science that go into one of the symbols of summer -- the baseball bat. (first broadcast Friday, July 4, 2008)

Bottlemania: It's hard to go anywhere these days without seeing someone with a bottle of drinking water. But when did that start -- and how has the water bottle become such a part of current US culture? (first broadcast Friday, July 4, 2008)

Nuclear Family Vacation: We'll take a tour of atomic history and visit some of the key locations involved with the development of nuclear weapons. (first broadcast Friday, July 4, 2008)

Science and Technology Tourism Destinations: Made your summer vacation plans yet? We'll help pick out science, technology, and environment related destinations that you might want to add to your list. (first broadcast Friday, July 4, 2008)

A Census of the Oceans: A worldwide effort is underway to perform a census of the world's oceans, pulling into one location information about species from around the world. We'll check in on the progress of the project. (first broadcast Friday, June 27, 2008)

The Sweet Smell of Science: Just what does your nose know? Join guest host Joe Palca in this segment for a conversation about making sense of the sense of smell. (first broadcast Friday, June 27, 2008)

New Research into Stroke and the Brain: We'll hear about two new medical studies dealing with strokes, losses of brain function due to problems in the brain's blood supply. (first broadcast Friday, June 27, 2008)

Stroke of Insight: In this segment, guest host Joe Palca talks with Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist who suffered a stroke in 1996 at the age of 37. (first broadcast Friday, June 27, 2008)

Coffee Smell Wakes Up Genes: Just smelling the aroma of coffee is enough to change the activity of certain genes in rats. (first broadcast Friday, June 20, 2008)

Going Green: Energy Conservation: With oil prices through the roof, we'll talk about concrete steps you can take to conserve energy. (first broadcast Friday, June 20, 2008)

Art Conservation and Preservation: How do museums protect and preserve artistic and historic artifacts for the ages? We'll talk with the director of the Getty Conservation Institute about the fine art of art preservation. (first broadcast Friday, June 20, 2008)