Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'mysteries'

World Series Mysteries And Questions

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:30:00 EDT

The winning performances of Phillies pitchers Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton were marked by some off-the-field oddness. And while the Philadelphia fans have plenty to celebrate, they shouldn't be too proud of their creativity in devising taunts to chant at the opposition.

Language Mysteries Explained In 'Alphabet Juice'

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:02:00 EDT

Why do pigs oink in English and chrjo in Russian? What does the word ma ma have to do with the word mammal? In his new book, Alphabet Juice, humorist and author Roy Blount Jr. traces the origins of everyday words and how they have changed over time.

Music On The Mind: Oliver Sacks' 'Musicophilia'

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:03:00 EDT

Ever wonder how a song gets stuck in your head? Neurologist Oliver Sacks explains this and other mind-music mysteries in his new book, Musicophilia.

Bomb Squad Explodes Hot Dog Package

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:00:00 EDT

This report should remind you not to leave your suspcious packages lying around. The bomb squad raced to Philadelphia's baseball park. They responded to a report of three mysterious packages. Only after they exploded the packages did they realize the heavily wrapped items were hot dogs. They had been used as props in a commercial for the Phildelphia Phillies. The suspicious items had last been handled by the team mascot, the Phillie Phanatic.

Beauty, The Beast And A Dantean Journey

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:42:00 EDT

Andrew Davidson's debut novel, The Gargoyle, tells the love story of a burn victim and a mysterious sculptress who claims they first met 700 years earlier.

Unraveling A Father's Secrets And 'Sorrows'

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:07:00 EDT

Siri Hustvedt's new novel, The Sorrows of an American, begins one winter day when two adult children uncover a mysterious letter among their late father's papers. Hustvedt tells Jacki Lyden that the book draws from her own father's unpublished memoir.

Leon Redbone On Mountain Stage

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:54:00 EDT

A mysterious yet charming performer, Redbone has made his name interpreting Tin Pan Alley, early blues and swing numbers while donning sunglasses and a Panama hat. Acoustic slide bluesman William Lee Ellis follows him on stage.

Yael Naim's New Soul

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:10:00 EDT

Born in Paris and raised in Israel, multilingual singer Yael Main crafts a mysterious and delicate sound that features elements of folk and jazz. She visits the World Cafe with host David Dye to share music from her self-titled sophomore album.

Hard Copy: Reporter Pens Killer Newsroom Novel

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:11:00 EDT

As a journalist, John Darnton spent 40 years at The New York Times. As a novelist, he writes colorful mysteries. His newest murder yarn, set in a big-city newsroom that seems awfully familiar: Black and White and Dead All Over.

Mapping The Mysteries Of The Brain's Two Halves

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:17:00 EDT

The quest to understand what us us has long been one of humankind's great pursuits. Neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga has made progress: He's author of Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique.

Julie Smith Delves Into New Orleans' Secrets

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Mystery writer Julie Smith offers a tour of the hauntingly Gothic city she calls home. New Orleans, says Smith, is a great place to write mysteries — not because of the city's crime, but because of its secrets.

Researchers Find Possible Genetic Clue To ADHD

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:36:00 EDT

A study of two brothers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder could give scientists the right ammunition to resolve the mysteries of ADHD, one of the most common mental disorders that develop in children.

What Wildlife Lurks In Central Park By Night...

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:41:00 EDT

Bats and owls and moths, oh my! A new book by journalist Marie Winn explores New York's Central Park when the sun goes down. She discovers the animals that play in the shadows and the mysteries that make the park come alive in the twilight.

Building a Baby Earth to Test Its Magnetic Field

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:01:00 EDT

It's still mysterious how Earth's liquid center produces its magnetic field. But one scientist hopes to find clues by building a 26-ton spinning model of the planet.

Three Books with Blood — and Brains

Wed, 28 May 2008 12:15:00 EDT

Diana Abu-Jaber admits that she used to think of mysteries and thrillers as "silly summertime reading, all about suspense and action." But, she says, not all thrillers are cut from the same cloth. She presents her list of smart murder mysteries.

Turning Point: Cracking My Family's Mysteries

Tue, 27 May 2008 16:04:00 EDT

A cancer diagnosis pushes a journalist to probe into her mother's past. What she learns changes the dynamics of their relationship as well as her vision of her mother.

Loan Auditor: Supervisors Covered Up Bad Loans

Tue, 27 May 2008 07:39:00 EDT

Homeowners are facing foreclosures because they received loans that never should have been approved. One of the mysteries of the subprime mortgage crisis is whether Wall Street banks that were packaging and selling the mortgages knew that lots of them would go sour. One former employee says auditors working for investment banks knew about the flawed loans.

London, New York Connected by Fantasy Tunnel

Mon, 26 May 2008 09:34:00 EDT

No one marvels anymore at Skype or teleconferencing. But people in London and New York are giddy over a mysterious contraption right out of Jules Verne. The "telectroscope" involves two giant copper and wood lenses pushing their way out of the earth at the Brooklyn Bridge and at the Thames. Artist Paul St. George claims a giant tunnel connects them ... and the excited crowds peering and waving at each other across the Atlantic.

Mysterious Memristor: Electronics' Missing Link...

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Introductory electronics classes focus on circuit diagrams involving combinations of resistors, capacitors and inductors. Now, researchers have discovered a fourth passive circuit element — one that fills in a gap in equations describing relationships between voltage, current and magnetic flux.

Listening In on a Bat Cave

Tue, 06 May 2008 16:00:00 EDT

A mysterious disease called "white-nose syndrome" is striking down hibernating bat populations in New York State. Four of the state's six species of hibernating bats are suffering from this affliction, which is decimating bat populations throughout the Northeast. Jim Metzner has been training scientists to make audio recordings of their field research. Biologists from New York's Ulster County go underground as they try to work out what is killing the region's bats.

Peering into the Human Brain with fMRI Techniques

Fri, 02 May 2008 10:00:00 EDT

What's really going on inside your head when you make a decision, make a mistake, or have a few drinks? Researchers are using fMRI techniques to monitor blood flow through parts of the brain as it responds to stimuli. They hope to shed some light on the mysterious inner workings of the human mind.

An Amazing Lawuit: Direct TV vs. Dish Network

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:00:00 EDT

With characters including tech hackers and software pirates, the legal showdown between two providers of satellite television has been five years in the making. Kim Zetter of Wired.com parses a lawsuit that includes former intelligence agents, stolen e-mails and a mysterious suicide.

'Deception'

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:59:00 EDT

A bored accountant finds excitement after borrowing the cellphone of an acquaintance and winding up in a sex club called "The List" in Deception. As the title suggests, nothing is as it seems, but the mysterious beginning gives way to a preposterous plot that is more silly than sexy.

Bats Plagued by Mysterious 'White-Nose' Disease

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Wildlife experts are trying to determine what's causing hibernating bats in the Northeast to die en masse. The condition has been dubbed "white-nose syndrome," after a white fungus seen on bats' noses. Researchers are racing to explain the deaths and keep the disease from spreading.

'88 Minutes'

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:59:00 EDT

Dr. Jack Gramm, college professor and FBI forensic psychiatrist, receives a mysterious phone call telling he has only 88 minutes before he is murdered, presumably by the caller in 88 Minutes. Racing against the clock, Gramm must discover who is out for his head.