Arctic 'Doomsday' Seed Vault Opens: A frozen vault containing samples of seeds from around the world has begun accepting seeds for storage. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault aims to preserve seeds to protect the world's crop diversity. (first broadcast Friday, March 7, 2008)
Genetic Marker for Breast Cancer: Researchers have discovered a genetic marker that, if present, indicates a significantly increased risk of developing breast cancer. We'll talk about the research and what it means for women. (first broadcast Friday, March 7, 2008)
How Old is the Grand Canyon?: New research gives a date to the start of the formation of the Grand Canyon -- 17 million years ago. (first broadcast Friday, March 7, 2008)
Antarctic Glaciers Moving to the Sea: Glaciers in a remote part of Antarctica appear to be speeding up their slide towards the sea. We'll talk with a researcher trying to figure out why. (first broadcast Friday, March 7, 2008)
Persuasive Technologies: How can devices, environments, or computer programs be designed to change how people behave? We'll talk about the field of 'persuasive technology.' (first broadcast Friday, March 7, 2008)
Solar Power Scales Up: Increasingly, individuals are adding solar panels to their homes and businesses. But is solar technology ready to provide power on a utility power plant scale? (first broadcast Friday, March 14, 2008)
A New Species, or Just Small Humans?: The discovery of unusual skeletal remains on the islands of Palau suggests that the so-called 'hobbits' found several years ago in Indonesia may have been dwarf humans, not a separate species. (first broadcast Friday, March 14, 2008)
Simulating an Outbreak of Pandemic Flu: What can simulations of a flu outbreak in the city of Chicago teach us about how to better respond to a real-world pandemic? (first broadcast Friday, March 14, 2008)
Happy Pi Day: This Friday is 'Pi Day' - 3.14. How are you celebrating? (first broadcast Friday, March 14, 2008)
Water: March 22 is World Water Day. In this hour, we'll take a look at the technical and political challenges in providing clean water around the world. (first broadcast Friday, March 21, 2008)
Sensing the Atmosphere of Distant Planets: Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have been able to detect the chemical signature of methane in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a star 63 light-years away. (first broadcast Friday, March 21, 2008)
Online Privacy: Does it sometimes seem like the web sites you visit know a little too much about you? Ira and guests talk about privacy online. Plus, Facebook - can you use it and still keep information private? (first broadcast Friday, March 21, 2008)
Turmoil in Planetary Exploration?: NASA's science chief, Alan Stern, announced his resignation this week. The announcement came the same week as threatened budget cuts to the popular Mars rover mission. Those cuts were later repealed by the NASA administrator. (first broadcast Friday, March 28, 2008)
Spring Birding: Sure, there's always the first robin of spring, and the swallows returning to Capistrano -- but what other birding sights should you be on the lookout for as the weather warms? (first broadcast Friday, March 28, 2008)
What's a Planet, Anyway?: In 2006, astronomers voted to remove Pluto from the list of planets in our solar system -- but the controversy over just what should be called a planet lives on. (first broadcast Friday, March 28, 2008)
Science of Baseball: It's another sign of spring -- the opening games of the baseball season. We'll talk about science and medicine as they relate to America's pastime. (first broadcast Friday, March 28, 2008)