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August 23, 2024
Archaeologists keep finding older and older cave art. Here’s what it could tell us about how humans evolved over time. Plus, a new study measuring microplastics in organs of the recently deceased found that about two dozen brain samples were 0.5% plastic by weight. And, in “Bite,” author Bill Schutt takes readers on a dental adventure spanning half a billion years and much of the animal kingdom.
Connecting Science and Art
Cormac McCarthy, Werner Herzog, and Lawrence Krauss discuss science as inspiration for art.
Can Dogs Smell Cancer?
A new study says a dog did better than conventional tests in identifying patients with cancer.
Oliver Sacks and ‘The Mind’s Eye’
Neurologist Oliver Sacks talks with Ira about vision, the brain, and how the two can work together—or can work against each other.
Dean Kamen
He’s invented everything from an insulin pump to the Segway Transporter. He started the FIRST Robotics competitions for students. And now, he has his own television show.
The Once and Future Car
This week, news emerged of a self-driving car being researched by Google. We’ll look back at other ‘cars of the future’ and what happened—or didn’t happen—to them.
Happy Birthday, Buckyballs!
Twenty-five years ago this month, researchers first identified buckminsterfullerenes — chemical structures shaped like tiny carbon soccer balls.
New Views of the Moon
New images of the moon’s surface taken from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera show fault lines with a surprising explanation: The moon may be shrinking.
Bad Days For Bats
The white nose syndrome disease affecting bat populations has put one species of bat at risk of “regional extinction” within the next 20 years.
How Jane Goodall Got Her Start
Ira talks with primatologist Jane Goodall, 50 years after her first encounters with the chimpanzees of the Gombe.