Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'discovery'

Sontag On Sontag: Journals Record A Writer's Birth

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:47:00 EST

In the first installment of her journals, Susan Sontag exhibits the fierce critical intelligence that distinguishes her work — along with a vulnerability that may surprise. The result is an absorbing chronicle of emotional and intellectual self-discovery.

The Invention Of Air

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST

How are the discovery of oxygen, the founding of the Unitarian Church and ecosystem science linked? Author Steven Johnson tells the story of scientist and theologian Joseph Priestley, a protÃ©gÃ© of Benjamin Franklin and friend of Thomas Jefferson, in The Invention of Air.

The Biggest Science Stories of 2008

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:09:00 EST

What were the most important scientific discoveries this year? From the discovery of ice in Martian soil, to the creation of the first synthetic genome, to learning of new exoplanets, Ira Flatow and guests discuss the science stories that captured the headlines and why.

After Lead Recall, Changes In Toyland

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

Several toy companies agreed to pay a total of nearly $1.8 million last week to settle a lawsuit over lead-tainted toys made in China. The discovery last year prompted a toy recall across America and new legislation forcing toymakers to step up their safety standards.

Hanukkah Lights 2008

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

An NPR holiday tradition for nearly two decades, Hanukkah Lights presents brand new fiction to celebrate and illuminate the holiday season — moving tales of discovery and reconciliation, the persistence of hope and the promise of undimmed light — read by Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz.

Vitamin B3 Reverses Alzheimer's In Mice

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:27:00 EST

A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience shows that mice treated with large doses of vitamin B3 performed better on memory tests. Kim Green, one of the authors of the study, explains whether this discovery could have any application for treating Alzheimer's in humans.

Scientist Discovers Fungus That Could Fuel A Car

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST

Research at Montana State University has found a plant fungus that produces Diesel fuel. Dr. Gary Strobel calls the discovery Mycodiesel. Alex Chadwick talks to Strobel, who is a plant scientist at Montana State University, about how long it will take until Mycodiesel is available at your gas station.

5,300-Year-Old Mummy Has No Human Descendants

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:52:00 EDT

Oetzi, a mummified man found frozen in the Italian Alps after 5,300 years, has no living genetic descendants among modern humans. The discovery came after researchers sequenced Oetzi's entire genome and compared it with human DNA.

Gene's Discovery Left Out Of Nobel Prize

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Nobel Prize for chemistry was awarded this week to three scientists working in the United States for their work on a jellyfish protein that glows in the dark. But the scientist who found the gene for this protein, and gave it to the eventual Nobel winners, is no longer working in the field. He drives a shuttle bus for an auto dealership.

Work On Jellyfish Protein Nets Nobel Prize

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:27:00 EDT

Two Americans and a Japanese researcher have won the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry for the discovery of a glowing jellyfish protein. This enables scientists to study the previously invisible machinery of life in action and is used by researchers around the world.

Work On Jellyfish Protein Nets Nobel Prize

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Nobel Panel Decides Against U.S. HIV Discovery

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:57:00 EDT

The 2008 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine went in part to two French researchers for discovering the virus that causes AIDS. The award was not shared by American Robert Gallo, who has also claimed a role in the discovery of HIV. Additionally, a German scientist got the prize for establishing the cause of most cervical cancers.

New Evidence Shows HIV's Spread Got Earlier Start

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:28:00 EDT

The recent discovery of a well-preserved tissue sample from a woman living in the Congo in 1960 allowed scientists to analyze an early version of the HIV genome. Their findings indicate that HIV arrived in the region much earlier than previously thought, around the turn of the century.

Moo North: Cows Sense Earth's Magnetism

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:44:00 EDT

A team of researchers sorting through satellite images of cows in 300 pastures make a surprising discovery: Cows tend to face either magnetic north or south when grazing or resting.

Antibodies To 1918 Flu Found In Elderly Survivors

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:28:00 EDT

In the journal Nature, scientists report the antibodies were able to protect mice infected with a variant of the 1918 flu virus. The discovery is helping scientists understand what it might take to battle a modern flu pandemic.

An International Marriage Sealed in Oil, History

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:03:00 EDT

British Gen. Charles Gordon made a lasting impression on the complex relationship between Sudan and China in the late 1800s, though the discovery and exporting of oil has kept the connection alive.

Man Tracks Down Forgetful Ring Owner

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The discovery of a class ring turned out to be more exciting to the man who found it than to the woman who had lost it.

Shuttle Discovery Crew Back on Earth

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 12:45:00 EDT

Seven astronauts have wrapped up a mission to the international space station to deliver a Japanese science module. The Kibo lab is now the biggest room on the space station.

Marine Microbe Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EDT

About 20 years ago, researchers discovered Prochlorococcus, a photosynthetic marine microorganism. Penny Chisholm, a biologist at MIT whose work led to the discovery of the microbe, talks about its role in producing 20 percent of the oxygen in the Earth's air.

Researchers Find Discriminating Plants

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The "sea rocket" shows preferential treatment to plants that are its kin. Evolutionary plant ecologist Susan Dudley of McMaster University in Ontario discusses her discovery.

Discovery's Proliferation Marks Cable TV Trend

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Discovery Channel isn't just one cable channel. It's 13 channels, including TLC, Discovery Kids and, starting Wednesday, Planet Green. It's evidence of an increasingly common business model in cable television — spinoffs of successful cable channels.

Shuttle En Route with a Full Load

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:07:00 EDT

Hurtling toward the international space station after a successful Saturday launch, the space shuttle Discovery hauls seven astronauts, spare parts for the space station's broken toilet — and a huge Japanese research lab.

Space Shuttle Lifts Off With Science Lab

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:50:34 EDT

The space shuttle Discovery blasted into orbit on Saturday with a Japanese science lab in tow. Guest host Audie Cornish reports on the shuttle's progress as it carries the $1 billion lab, which is the size of a school bus, to the International Space Station.

'Father of LSD' Dies at 102

Sat, 03 May 2008 10:47:00 EDT

Albert Hofmann, the self-described "father of LSD," discovered the substance while working for a pharmaceutical company in 1938. Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies talks about Hofmann's discovery and later research.

T-rex "Tissue" May Be Real Deal

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Scientists are puzzled by the purported discovery of something they thought couldn't possibly still exist — bits of soft tissue from a Tyrannosaurus rex. Fossil-hunters found the matter two years ago, and skeptics have challenged its authenticity. But now there's new evidence suggesting the tissue is the real thing.