July 26, 2024
NASA's Curiosity rover discovered pure sulfur on Mars. Plus, monogamous prairie voles may help us understand how our brains respond to love, and how they move on after heartbreak. And researchers developed the first anode-free solid-state battery that’s based on sodium, which is cheaper and more abundant than lithium.
Cyberspace Sneaking: Sending Secret Messages Via Skype
Polish researchers have devised a way to send encrypted messages using Skype.
What 17 Months in Isolation Looks Like (On a Mars Mission)
For 520 days, six men lived together in a simulated mission to Mars. Here’s what their home away from home looked like.
Arctic Research: Carhartts, Polar Bears, and Duct Tape
What does a modern Arctic explorer wear to work? And what does the modern explorer (mature male) do if he has to pee?
7:45
Pap Test May Detect More Than Just Cervical Cancer
Routine pap tests may be capable of spotting signs of ovarian and uterine cancers.
27:31
Doctors Turn to Genetics to Search for Cancer’s Achilles Heel
Understanding the genetic drivers of cancer may revolutionize treatment options in the future.
4:14
How E-Waste Is Becoming a Big, Global Problem
More than 2.5 million tons of electronic waste is produced each year in the U.S.
7:00
Getting a Handle on Why Fingers Wrinkle
Only a handful of researchers (ever) have looked into why fingers get pruney after a water bath.
29:43
The Fallacies of Fat
In “Fat Chance,” obesity doc Robert Lustig deconstructs the mythology on fat and exercise.
16:43
Simulating the Red Planet, on the Pale Blue Dot
What’s it like to live—and cook—on Mars? To find out, researchers are simulating Mars missions in Russia and on the slopes of a Hawaiian volcano.
Getting a Grip on Finger Wrinkles
Why do your fingers get pruney after a swim? A new study suggests that wrinkles improve our handling of wet objects.
A Fallacy of Biblical Proportion
An excerpt from “Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease.”
Food: The Weak Link
Food is the new oil. Land is the new gold. An excerpt from “Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity.”
41:46
Looking Back on a Year in Science
What are your picks for the top science stories of 2012?
5:09
Science Looked Good in 2012
Catfish eating pigeons, water traveling uphill, a blue whale barrel roll, and other science cinema highlights from the year.
5:25
Cold-Water Fish Break the Ice with Antifreeze
Cold-water fish and snow-dwelling insects have evolved antifreeze proteins to avoid icing up. This natural antifreeze also keeps the “ice” out of some ice creams.
17:03
‘Full Planet, Empty Plates’
In his new book, Lester Brown says the world’s food supply is tightening—and the reasons are many.
16:40
A Journey to the Oort Cloud, Where Comets Are Born
The comet ISON, discovered by two amateur astronomers last year, will zoom past Earth next fall. But where did it come from?
6:31
Negative Temperatures That Are Hotter Than the Sun
Scientists have cooled potassium gas to one billionth of a degree below absolute zero. But in the quantum world, that’s actually “hotter” than the sun. How is that possible?
Reel Science Friday: 2012 Highlights
Catfish eating pigeons, water traveling uphill, a blue whale barrel roll—we’re taking a stroll down memory lane for a look at the year’s best moments in science cinema. What were your favorite science videos of 2012?