Oct 26th, 2004 · Scientists Tuesday night will get their first ever close-up look at Titan, one of Saturn's moons. In December, Cassini will send a probe down through the atmosphere. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.
Oct 15th, 2004 · NPR's Joanne Silberner reports on a new study that suggests scientists could develop a vaccine for malaria in the near future. Malaria is one of the world's most deadly parasitical diseases, especially in Africa, where a vaccine to prevent the illness could save millions of lives.
Oct 13th, 2004 · Harvard University scientists request permission to clone human embryos in order to make human embryonic stem cells. The researchers say they plan to use the stem cells to study diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes. NPR's Joe Palca reports.
Oct 13th, 2004 · Scientists have at last found the protein that transforms sound waves into nerve impulses. Researchers are learning that hearing is the "fastest" of the senses, faster even than vision in the way input becomes nerve signals. NPR's Richard Knox reports.
Oct 9th, 2004 · A study in the journal Science finds that droughts in the American West can last hundreds of years. Scientists saw evidence of a centuries-long dry spell in tree rings. There may be implications for the future of the modern West. NPR's John Nielsen reports.
Oct 8th, 2004 · Scientists watching Mount St. Helens say seismic activity at the volcano has slowed down since last week, and that the danger of an imminent eruption has passed -- at least for now. We get an update on the volcano and find out how scientists are monitoring it.
Oct 7th, 2004 · The earliest-known ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex -- the prehistoric world's most famous predator -- sported short "protofeathers," scientists report in the latest issue of the journal Nature. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports.
Oct 6th, 2004 · As scientists prepare for the coming flu season, they are still trying to understand why the so-called Spanish flu of 1918 was so deadly. At least 20 million people died worldwide, including more than 500,000 in the United States. Now, a team of scientists has used DNA sequences from victims of the 1918 flu to create a flu strain that kills mice much the way the 1918 flu killed humans. They say experiments with that strain are helping them understand how the 1918 strain killed so many people. Hear NPR's Jon Hamilton.