Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'chemical'

In Lab, Clues To How Life Began

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Scientists long to understand how a bunch of chemicals on the early Earth transformed themselves into the first living creatures. Now one lab has made a self-replicating set of RNA molecules that the scientists say may mimic what might have happened during the early evolution of life.

Chemical Found In The Body That Curbs Appetite

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:27:00 EST

Fatty foods prompt the body to produce a chemical called NAPE. The blood stream then carries the NAPE to the brain — where it tells the brain to shut down the appetite. Now scientists have shown that if you give synthetic NAPE to mice and rats, they won't eat. And they say it could be a new way to control appetite.

Hazardous Smoke From Wildfires In S. Calif.

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

Those massive wildfires in Southern California have filled the air with lots of smoke. It was so bad, public events were cancelled and school kids were kept off playgrounds. That smoke contains some hazardous chemicals.

How A-Bomb Testing Changed Our Trees

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:54:00 EST

British, American, Russian and French nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s and '60s left permanent records in trees around the globe. Scientists have found chemical signatures of the explosions in the wood of old trees in many countries.

NASA Announces End Of Mars Phoenix Mission

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:36:00 EST

The Mars Phoenix probe landed in the northern polar region of Mars last May. Since then, it has been snapping pictures, making weather measurements and doing chemical analysis on the Martian soil. Managers of the mission now say it is dead.

Turning Beer Into Wine, One Gene At A Time

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:22:00 EST

A group of Rice University students is taking a chemical found in red wine and genetically engineering it into beer. They hope their new Biobeer will bring the health benefits of wine to a broader range of people.

A Never-Ending Battle Over Farming With Chemicals

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:20:00 EDT

The Griffieons, who run a 1,150-acre farm in Iowa, disagree about whether to use chemicals on their corn and soybeans. They reserve a 10-acre plot for experiments with organic farming, but the crop yield wasn't as hearty as those sprayed with pesticides.

A3: Britain's Chemical-Country Crusaders

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:42:00 EDT

Originally known as Alabama 3, the band mines sounds from the deep south with their Guthrie- and Cash-inspired blend of gospel, country and house music. A3 performs the wide range of material from Hits and Exit Wounds, a new retrospective CD, on WXPN.

Study Finds Link Between Plastics Chemical, Disease

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:05:00 EDT

Adults with high exposure levels to BPA, a common plastics chemical found in everything from baby bottles to food containers, were more than twice as likely to report having diabetes or heart disease. The study's findings will be discussed at an FDA hearing Tuesday.

Mice Can Sniff Out Fear, Study Finds

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:12:00 EDT

Scientists have isolated an organ in a mouse's nose that can detect alarm pheromones emitted by other mice. This kind of chemical signaling of danger or fear is known in fish, insects and even plants, but it has not been extensively studied much in mammals.

Ban Weighed On Children's Toy Ingredient

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:41:00 EDT

Federal lawmakers are moving toward a ban on using certain chemicals called phthalates in children's toys. Phthalates are chemicals that are used to make plastics more flexible.

Congress Agrees To Ban Chemical Used In Plastics

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Deborah Amos has this morning's business news.

In Defense of Flat-Screens

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:20:00 EDT

Corning Painter, Vice President at Air Products, says that a segment last week on a chemical in flat-screen TVs was misleading. The study conducted, he said, did not take into account all the variables.

Flat-Screen TVs May Be Worse For Environment

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Flat-screen computer monitors are traditionally considered "green" because they use less energy than older models. But a synthetic chemical used in flat- screen monitors could accelerate global warming according to a new study.

Albums From Vanessa Hudgens, My Chemical Romance

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Blender magazine's Lizzy Goodman takes us through some of the week's new releases, including Vanessa Hudgens and My Chemical Romance.

'Marketplace' Report: Dow Chemical Price Hikes

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The company, which makes industrial adhesives and household plastics, says it will raise prices as much as 25 percent starting July 1. This is the second round of price hikes in a month due to the rise in oil prices.

Waking up to Smell the Coffee Good for Brain too

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:26:00 EDT

A new study says that chemicals in coffee's aroma help protect the brain from stress-related damage. A neuroscientist from the project talks about the team's findings and whether we should just sniff our morning coffee instead of drinking it.

Oil Drives Plastic Companies Out of Business

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Rising oil prices are not just affecting the price of gasoline, but the whole petrochemical industry. Dow Chemical and plastics companies are feeling the financial burn.

Military Tests Missile Defense System Off Hawaii

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

A test of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system was conducted Thursday off the coast of Hawaii. The target was a missile that could carry chemical or biological weapons. The test was also to demonstrate the defense system's ability to protect the United States or others from short- to medium-range missile attack.

Mosquito War: New Chemicals May Beat DEET

Mon, 26 May 2008 17:04:00 EDT

A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found several chemicals that may be more effective mosquito repellents than DEET. The gold standard for discouraging mosquitoes, it wasn't known until recently how DEET affects the insects.

The Hot New Trend: Manure

Mon, 19 May 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Chemical fertilizer prices have tripled in the last year, so farmers are returning to the old ways. Some are finding they can make more money using their beef cattle to produce manure than they'd make on the meat.

Signs of Life at Collapsed Factory Outside Chengdu

Fri, 16 May 2008 08:27:00 EDT

Officials in China have warned that the death toll from this week's devastating earthquake could hit 50,000. But in a village about 50 miles from the provincial capital, where not one building still stands, NPR's Louisa Lim says there were new signs of life from inside a collapsed chemical factory.

When Chemical Weapons and Hurricanes Hit

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The U.S. military command in charge of North America recently wrapped up its annual national-level emergency training exercise. Chemical weapons attacks, hijacked planes and an approaching hurricane are all part of the scenario.

Replicating Birds' Magnetic Vision

Mon, 05 May 2008 13:00:00 EDT

There's a theory that birds can "see" a magnetic field because of a chemical reaction in their eyes. Peter Hore, a physical chemist at the University of Oxford, thinks he has replicated this reaction in the lab.

Chemist Who Discovered LSD Dies at 102

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Albert Hoffman discovered the psychedelic drug LSD in 1938 while seeking medicinal uses for a fungus found on grains. He was the first human to try the drug — by accident — when a small amount of the chemical was absorbed through his fingertips.