Science Update

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Science Update is the daily, one-minute radio feature of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS0. Broadcast nationally since 1988, Science Update covers research in all areas of science, from aardvarks to zygotes and even, on rare occasions, aardvark zygotes. We also answer listener questions phoned into our toll-free line 1-800-WHY-ISIT (4748) or emailed from our website, www.scienceupdate.com. Stories come from major scientific journals including Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Physics Review Letters and Science magazine, as well as major scientific conferences and the results of our reporters snooping around labs.

Pieces

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The ability to track the motion of small objects is surprisingly well-correlated with IQ.

  • Added: Jun 17, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Microscopic organisms represent a vast, unexplored territory for biologists trying to understand the earth’s ecology—including the ecology inside o...

  • Added: Jun 17, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Using precise numbers may give you an advantage in negotiations.

  • Added: Jun 17, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
Caption: Toucans and other large animals have a big impact on rainforests., Credit: Jupiter Images
When large animals like toucans are removed from tropical rainforests, the trees suffer.

  • Added: Jun 17, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
Caption: HMS Challenger, Credit: Public Domain
Ocean temperature records from a ship that circumnavigated the globe 135 years ago confirm global warming.

  • Added: Jun 11, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
Caption: Chimpanzees, Republic of Congo, Credit: Alexandra Rosati
Like humans, chimps and bonobos can be sore losers.

  • Added: Jun 11, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
Caption: Revived bryophytes from the Arctic Circle., Credit: Catherine LaFarge/University of Alberta
Plants that were frozen in glaciers 400 years ago are growing again as those glaciers melt away.

  • Added: Jun 11, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
Caption: Eunotosaurus fossil., Credit: Tyler Lyson
A 260 million-year-old fossil could be the ancestor of turtles.

  • Added: Jun 08, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Rare species can have a surprising impact on ecosystems.

  • Added: Jun 03, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Researchers discover why chemotherapy makes women infertile – and hopefully, how to stop it.

  • Added: Jun 03, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
Caption: A 5-week-old Weddell seal pup and its mother on sea ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. By around 6 weeks of age, the pup will have to hunt for itself under closed sea ice., Credit: Copyright Regina Eisert
Weddell seal pups survive infancy with the help of surprisingly large brains.

  • Added: Jun 03, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Obese and diabetic mice have less of a certain gut bacteria, and replenishing the bacteria helps them lose weight.

  • Added: Jun 03, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Researchers have found a gene that gives the malaria parasite safe harbor in mosquitoes.

  • Added: Jun 03, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Some of the most useful medicines come from dangerous toxins found in nature.

  • Added: May 25, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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An invasive ladybird beetle kills off native species with microorganisms in its body.

  • Added: May 25, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Scientists have identified an enzyme that could be responsible for one of the rarest childhood diseases of all.

  • Added: May 25, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Scientists have identified the genetic variant of the fungus-like organism responsible for setting off the Irish Potato Famine.

  • Added: May 25, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Greater wax moths have evolved the ability to hear sounds at frequencies even their predators can't detect.

  • Added: May 20, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Fluoride protects teeth in surprising ways.

  • Added: May 20, 2013
  • Length: 01:00
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Seabirds and their eggs help scientists track global pollution.

  • Added: May 20, 2013
  • Length: 01:00