Science

A large family of camping children begrudgingly deal with being called by each other's names.

Science

Jane, Bill, Juan, Fido... Whoever You Are!?!

3:00pm May 13, 2016

As a parent, I can tell you that naming a child can be a drawn-out exercise in creativity and diplomacy. So with that said, why does my mom still call me by my aunt's name? I always took this as a character flaw. But recently, when I called my 6-year-old son for dinner - using the dog's name - I concluded that this must be science! And it seems I was right.

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"I'm afraid there's a growing sense that the path to health is through testing," says Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a Dartmouth Institute internist who has written books on the pitfalls of overdiagnosis. Encouraging the worried well to order their own blood tests

DIY Blood Tests? There's A Downside To Ordering Your Own

9:16pm May 12, 2016

by Jon Brooks

It's legal to order diagnostic blood tests without consulting a doctor in many states. But critics say healthy patients can go down a rabbit hole of invasive assays and unnecessary treatments.

A fishing dragger hauls in a net full of Atlantic cod, yellowtail flounder and American lobster off the coast of New England. Greenpeace says Ray Hilborn, a prominent fisheries scientist known for challenging studies that show declines in fish populations

Fisheries Scientist Under Fire For Undisclosed Seafood Industry Funding

7:34pm May 12, 2016

by Clare Leschin-Hoar

Ray Hilborn has a reputation for challenging studies showing declines in fish populations. But Greenpeace says its public records request has revealed a failure to disclose industry funding on papers.

Normandy cows feed on alfalfa before milking at a farm in Courcite, northwestern France. Feeding cows alfalfa could reduce how much they burp. So could feeding them oregano, which has belch-squelching essential oils.

Can Oregano Fight Cow Belches — And Climate Change?

7:19pm May 12, 2016

by Sidsel Overgaard

Gassy cows account for a good deal of the methane — a powerful greenhouse gas — generated by livestock farming. Danish researchers think feeding cows oregano might help rein in the bovine burps.

In the past two years, many food companies — including candy-makers — have decided to label their products as non-GMO. Because practically all sugar beets in the U.S. are genetically modified, those food products are now using sugar derived from sugar

As Big Candy Ditches GMOs, Sugar Beet Farmers Hit A Sour Patch

7:00pm May 12, 2016

by Dan Charles

As companies shun genetically modified ingredients, they're buying more sugar extracted from sugar cane rather than beets. Sugar beet farmers are thinking of going back to conventional beets.

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In Polluted India, Negative Ion Necklaces Vow To Help You Breathe Easier

4:45pm May 12, 2016

by Geoff Brumfiel

In India, there is money to be made fighting air pollution. NPR examines one product geared towards the bad air: a negative ion necklace.

NPR's Joe Palca walks on eggs ... for science!

NPR Live Lab: How Strong Are Eggs? We Walked On Them To Find Out

4:32pm May 12, 2016

Eggs are among the strongest structures in nature. Watch this video by the eggheads at Joe's Big Idea to find out why!

Indian Auto Maker Balances Luxury With Global Sustainability

4:30pm May 12, 2016

by Sonari Glinton

The luxury brand Jaguar is now owned by an Indian car company, Tata. A drive through the Los Angeles hills in a super high-end convertible provides some insights into what a country's auto industry says about its role in the world.

These mitochondria, in red, are from the heart muscle cell of a rat. Mitochondria have been described as "the powerhouses of the cell" because they generate most of a cell's supply of chemical energy. But at least one type of complex cell doesn't need 'em

Look, Ma! No Mitochondria

3:06pm May 12, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists have found the first eukaryotic organism that functions fine without mitochondria, the "powerhouses" that make energy for the cells of yeast, humans and other animals.

Researchers Offer Jet Lag Advice In Return For Data About Your Sleep

1:35pm May 12, 2016

by Alan Yu

Users of an app developed by the University of Michigan to help with jet lag entered information on their time zone and sleep patterns that helped academics with their work. But is the approach valid?