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Extreme Geology
ENCORE We think of major geologic events as taking place a long time ago – but the Earth is just as active as it ever was. We’re a planet in motion. Discover why earthquakes might b...
Nov 29, 2010
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Humans Need Not Apply
You are one-of-a-kind, unique, indispensible… oh, wait, never mind! It seems that computer over there can do what you do … faster and with greater accuracy.
Yes, it’s silicon vs. c...
Nov 22, 2010
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Skeptic Check: Saucer's Apprentice
They’re here! About one-third of all Americans believe we’re being visited by extraterrestrial spacecraft. But wait, you want evidence?
UFO sighting are as prevalent as flies at a p...
Nov 15, 2010
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Found in Space
If someone asks where you get off, you can now respond with precision. Satellites and computers spit out coordinates accurate to a few paces. And digital maps stand the Copernican princi...
Nov 08, 2010
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Aware Am I?
Humans are pleasure-seekers – from food to sex to fine art. But do we know why we crave what we do? Discover the surprising motivation behind our desires. Also, why our hedonistic cous...
Nov 01, 2010
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Off to the Traces
If a tree fell on another planet, would we be able to detect it? Not quite yet – but we might be able to tell if the planet was habitable. A living-planet is the promise of newly-disco...
Oct 25, 2010
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Aloha Astronomy
ENCORE From Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the view of the cosmos is spectacular. Giant black holes, distant galaxies, and extrasolar planets have all been uncovered by the massive telescopes that...
Oct 18, 2010
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Earth: A Millennium Hence
ENCORE Humans have not gone unnoticed on this planet. We’ve left our mark with technology, agriculture, architecture, and a growing carbon footprint. But where is this trajectory head...
Oct 11, 2010
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Earth: A Century Hence
ENCORE Humans have not gone unnoticed on this planet. We’ve left our mark with technology, agriculture, architecture, and a growing carbon footprint. But where is this trajectory hea...
Oct 04, 2010
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Skeptic Check: Sheer Lunacy
ENCORE Watch out, the moon is full… of intrigue. Our lovely satellite is blamed for all sorts of Earth-bound mischief – from robberies to shape-shifting to general nutty behavio...
Sep 26, 2010
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What Makes Us Human Part II: Adaptability
ENCORE Are humans unique or do we just do some things a little better than other species? In the second of our two-part series – how our ability to adapt has shaped our evolution.
Find...
Sep 20, 2010
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What Makes Us Human Part I: Others
Are humans unique or do we just do some things a little better than other species? In the first of our two-part series on the nature of humanity: how the influence of others has shaped o...
Sep 13, 2010
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Light, the Universe, and Everything
What’s it all about? And we mean ALL. What makes up this vast sprawling cosmos? Why does it exist? Why do we exist? Why is there something rather than nothing? Ow, my head hurts!...
Sep 06, 2010
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Say What?
ENCORE There’s no escape from the chattering classes – they talk, squawk, squeal and sing all around us. Every animal communicates in some form – it’s essential for survival. T...
Aug 30, 2010
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Say What?
ENCORE There’s no escape from the chattering classes – they talk, squawk, squeal and sing all around us. Every animal communicates in some form – it’s essential for survival. T...
Aug 30, 2010
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We've Got You Made
Wish you could ditch computers? There’s no escape button for that. Computers are not only a part of your daily grind, they may soon be a part of you. We’ll hear from the world’s ...
Aug 23, 2010
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We've Got You Made
Wish you could ditch computers? There’s no escape button for that. Computers are not only a part of your daily grind, they may soon be a part of you. We’ll hear from the world’s ...
Aug 23, 2010
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Skeptic Check: Superstition
Wait! Before you step outside… is it Friday the 13th? Any black cats prowling around? Broken a mirror lately? Homo sapiens are a superstitious lot. Find out why our brains are w...
Aug 16, 2010
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Skeptic Check: Superstition
Wait! Before you step outside… is it Friday the 13th? Any black cats prowling around? Broken a mirror lately? Homo sapiens are a superstitious lot. Find out why our brains are w...
Aug 16, 2010
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Rxs Get Personal
ENCORE Medicine’s back.. and this time it’s personal. Get ready to have your genome read… your brain scanned… and undergo a chemical analysis so detailed, it’ll reveal the Twin...
Aug 09, 2010
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Rxs Get Personal
ENCORE Medicine’s back.. and this time it’s personal. Get ready to have your genome read… your brain scanned… and undergo a chemical analysis so detailed, it’ll reveal the Twin...
Aug 09, 2010
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Bug Off!
What you can’t see … can make you sick. Humans have been battling viruses and bacteria since the beginning of time. The malaria parasite has been keeping deadly company with us for ...
Aug 02, 2010
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Bug Off!
What you can’t see … can make you sick. Humans have been battling viruses and bacteria since the beginning of time. The malaria parasite has been keeping deadly company with us for ...
Aug 02, 2010
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What's Your Poison?
“Aspirin and Old Lace?” Okay, it would take a bottle full of pills in a glass of elderberry wine to really harm you, but aspirin can be deadly. So can too much of anything, i...
Jul 26, 2010
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What's Your Poison?
“Aspirin and Old Lace?” Okay, it would take a bottle full of pills in a glass of elderberry wine to really harm you, but aspirin can be deadly. So can too much of anything, i...
Jul 26, 2010
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Grave Matters
ENCORE We could choose not to pay income tax and suffer the consequences. But we can’t avoid death. The biological functions of all organisms eventually cease. But why should this be...
Jul 19, 2010
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Grave Matters
ENCORE We could choose not to pay income tax and suffer the consequences. But we can’t avoid death. The biological functions of all organisms eventually cease. But why should this be...
Jul 19, 2010
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Skeptic Check: Playing Doctor
ENCORE A new herbal supplements is on the shelf, and it claims to improve memory. Should you take it? It’s not easy to sort through the firehose of health and nutrition advice that ...
Jul 12, 2010
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Rend Me Your Ears
Shh – can you keep it down? Nope. Not unless you want to do away with civilization. Our buzzing, humming, whirling, machine-driven world is a poster child for technological progre...
Jul 05, 2010
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Home Brew Science
The recipe for being a scientist was easy in the old days… just be born into a rich family, have an interest in nature and plenty of time to indulge yourself. But are the days of gentle...
Jun 28, 2010
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Swarm in Here... or Is It Just Me?
An ant … can’t … move a rubber tree plant… but the colony can. As a group, ants are an efficient, organized, can-do bunch. And a model for humans trying to manage complex systems...
Jun 21, 2010
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Written in Code
Genes – what are they good for? Absolutely… something. But not everything. Your “genius” genes need to be turned on – and your environment determines that. Find out how to u...
Jun 14, 2010
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Seth's Garage
ENCORE It’s always a surprise to go digging in Seth’s garage – who knows what we’ll find! In this impressive heap of paraphernalia, tucked between boxes of old radio tubes and hy...
Jun 07, 2010
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Cell! Cell!
Live forever? Both cancer cells and stem cells can make a claim to immortality. Left unchecked, tumors will grow indefinitely. And stem cells offer the promise of non-stop rejuvenation....
May 31, 2010
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Life of Brain
ENCORE We should award frequent travel miles to your brain. After all, it’s evolved a long way from the days of guiding brachiation from tree-to-tree to become the three pounds of web-...
May 24, 2010
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Skeptic Check: Fraudcast News
There are a lot of scientific claims out there – how do you separate the good from the bad and the outright fraudulent? Experts failed to do so for years in the case of a physicist whos...
May 17, 2010
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Alien Invasion
They’re heeeere! Yes, aliens are wreaking havoc and destruction throughout the land. But these aliens are Arizona beetles, and the land is in California, where the invasive insects are...
May 10, 2010
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Robots Call the Shots
ENCORE Dr. Robot, I presume? Your appendix may be removed by motor-driven, scalpel-wielding mechanical hands one day. Robots are debuting in the medical field… as well as on battlefie...
May 03, 2010
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Seas the Moment
ENCORE With more water than land on this planet, Earth is more aptly-named “Ocean” or “Water.” The oceans have been here for billions of years, and make all life possible. Yet, ...
Apr 26, 2010
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Habitats Not For Humanity
We place sharks in aquariums and elephants in zoos – to observe and conserve. But what if aliens have done the same to us? We’ll hear from Stephen King on a doomed result of a domed ...
Apr 19, 2010
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Seth's Crawl Space
It’s always a surprise to go digging in Seth’s crawl space – who knows what we’ll find! In this cramped never-never land, tucked between piles of spilled cat litter and old clarin...
Apr 12, 2010
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Skeptic Check: Conspiracy!
The Apollo moon landing is a hoax! 9-11 was an inside job! Our government keeps alien bodies racked and stacked in an underground bunker! And as for the evidence … well … put on y...
Apr 05, 2010
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SETI: Now What?
ENCORE Hello! Is anyone out there? As the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence marks its 50th anniversary, there’s been no contact as yet with alien beings. But SETI ...
Mar 29, 2010
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Thanks for the Memories
Memories are slippery things – some are crystal clear, others more like a muddy pool, and some… well, they seem to vanish completely.
Scientists admit that memory is all very complica...
Mar 22, 2010
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Physics Phrontiers
Physics means getting physical if you’re tackling the biggest, most mysterious questions in the universe. Stoic scientists endure the driest, darkest, coldest spots on the planet to fin...
Mar 15, 2010
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Skeptic Check: Climate Clamor
Arctic ice is melting, atmospheric temperatures are climbing – yet climate change science is under attack. Detractors claim that researchers are manipulating data and hoodwinking the pub...
Mar 08, 2010
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You've Been Slimed!
Hollywood horror flicks have captivated us with alien blobs, but the slime slithering on our own planet is as beguiling. From microscopic machines to life on ocean floors, new research r...
Mar 01, 2010
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Space Race 2.0
It’s goodnight moon from President Obama, as he calls for canceling the program that would return astronauts to the moon by 2020. We’ll hear from the private sector, which might win i...
Feb 22, 2010
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Sex and the SETI
Birds do it. Bees do it. But no one sings about how they do it. And frankly, not even Cole Porter can make bedroom behavior that involves decapitating your mate sound romantic. And wha...
Feb 15, 2010
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Pave New Worlds
The extra-solar planet count is more than 400 and rising. Before long we may find an Earth-like planet around another star. If we do, and can visit, what next? Stake out our claim on an...
Feb 08, 2010
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It's the Science, Cupid!
Love makes us feel warm and mushy, but the sweet sting of Cupid’s arrow makes a compelling chemistry lesson, too. Research into animal mating and human courtship provides clues to a...
Feb 01, 2010
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Who's on First?
Being first counts in science. Land that coveted spot and you’ll make history, whether it’s with the first steam engine or the discovery of our earliest human ancestor.
But what does ...
Jan 25, 2010
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Skeptic Check: Swimming in Denial
Public distrust of science is higher than at any time since the Enlightenment. New Yorker writer Michael Specter argues how our anti-science bias and our irrationalism about everything fr...
Jan 18, 2010
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Eureka!
From the double-helix to the expansion of the universe, great scientific discoveries reshape our understanding of who we are and how things work. But great discoveries require more than ...
Jan 11, 2010
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Time's Mysteries Part II: Warping Time
ENCORE Ever since Einstein, we’ve known that time doesn’t barrel willy-nilly into the future. Moving clocks tick at a different rates, and by riding a fast rocket, we can slow...
Jan 04, 2010
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Time's Mysteries Part I: Marking Time
ENCORE Time’s a mystery, yet we’ve invented clever ways to capture it. From sundials to atomic clocks, trace the history of time-keeping. Also, discover the surprising accuracy...
Dec 28, 2009
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Journey to a Black Hole
A massive black hole lies at the center of our galaxy, a monster hunkered down in the Milky Way’s innermost sanctum. Here, the bizarre laws of General Relativity take over, as the physi...
Dec 21, 2009
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A Man, A Planet, A Tenal: Panama!
While the Kepler spacecraft hunts for habitable planets beyond the solar system, we’ve let one of our own planets slip away! Find out why Pluto’s demotion to dwarf status created a ...
Dec 14, 2009
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Feather Knows Best
Encore Presentation
Can animals think? Merely asking the question was once thought ridiculous. But studies that range from chimps to birds to sea creatures have prompted scientists to r...
Dec 07, 2009
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Feather Knows Best
Can animals think? Merely asking the question was once thought ridiculous. But studies that range from chimps to birds to sea creatures have prompted scientists to reassess the cognitiv...
Dec 07, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Vaccines: Give 'Em Your Best Shot
As the anti-vax campaign rages, parents are just saying “no” to vaccines. But now the incidence of childhood diseases such as whooping cough are on the rise.
A number of studies have ...
Nov 30, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Vaccines: Give 'Em Your Best Shot
As the anti-vax campaign rages, parents are just saying “no” to vaccines. But now the incidence of childhood diseases such as whooping cough are on the rise.
A number of studies have ...
Nov 30, 2009
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Carbon Your Enthusiasm
Bond it to oxygen and it’s the scourge of climate change. But earthly life wouldn’t be possible without carbon, and maybe that’s true for alien life, too.
And carbon has other...
Nov 23, 2009
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Carbon Your Enthusiasm
Bond it to oxygen and it’s the scourge of climate change. But earthly life wouldn’t be possible without carbon, and maybe that’s true for alien life, too.
And carbon has other...
Nov 23, 2009
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SETI: Now What?
Hello! Is anyone out there? As the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence marks its 50th anniversary, there’s been no contact as yet with alien beings. But SETI researche...
Nov 16, 2009
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SETI: Now What?
Hello! Is anyone out there? As the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence marks its 50th anniversary, there’s been no contact as yet with alien beings. But SETI researche...
Nov 16, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Doomsday at the Movies
Hollywood has a few ideas of how the world will end: killer asteroids … lethal pandemics … deadly ice-ages. These themes have all played out on the big screen. But, hey, they’re o...
Nov 09, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Doomsday at the Movies
ENCORE Hollywood has a few ideas of how the world will end: killer asteroids … lethal pandemics … deadly ice-ages. These themes have all played out on the big screen. But, hey, th...
Nov 09, 2009
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Do Computers Byte?
The march of computer technology continues. But as silicon chips and search engines become faster and more productive – can the same be said for us?
The creator of Wolfram Alpha descri...
Nov 02, 2009
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Do Computers Byte?
The march of computer technology continues. But as silicon chips and search engines become faster and more productive – can the same be said for us?
The creator of Wolfram Alpha descri...
Nov 02, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Mind Your Body
Popping a pill may help when you’re sick… but maybe not for the reasons you think. Sugar pills – placebos – cure illness better than prescription pills in as many as half ...
Oct 26, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Mind Your Body
Popping a pill may help when you’re sick… but maybe not for the reasons you think. Sugar pills – placebos – cure illness better than prescription pills in as many as half ...
Oct 26, 2009
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Seth's Storage Locker
It’s always an adventure to go digging in Seth’s storage locker – who knows what we’ll find …
In this imposing pile of paraphernalia, tucked between boxes of socket wrenches ...
Oct 19, 2009
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Seth's Storage Locker
It’s always an adventure to go digging in Seth’s storage locker – who knows what we’ll find …
In this imposing pile of paraphernalia, tucked between boxes of socket wrenches ...
Oct 19, 2009
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Extreme Geology
We think of major geologic events as taking place a long time ago – but the Earth is just as active as it ever was. We’re a planet in motion. Discover why earthquakes might be increa...
Oct 12, 2009
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Extreme Geology
We think of major geologic events as taking place a long time ago – but the Earth is just as active as it ever was. We’re a planet in motion. Discover why earthquakes might be increa...
Oct 12, 2009
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Say What?
There’s no escape from the chattering classes – they talk, squawk, squeal and sing all around us. Every animal communicates in some form – it’s essential for survival. They’ve...
Oct 05, 2009
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Say What?
There’s no escape from the chattering classes – they talk, squawk, squeal and sing all around us. Every animal communicates in some form – it’s essential for survival. They’ve...
Oct 05, 2009
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Aloha Astronomy
From Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the view of the cosmos is spectacular. Giant black holes, distant galaxies, and extrasolar planets have all been uncovered by the massive telescopes that perch o...
Sep 28, 2009
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Aloha Astronomy
From Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the view of the cosmos is spectacular. Giant black holes, distant galaxies, and extrasolar planets have all been uncovered by the massive telescopes that perch o...
Sep 28, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Waking the Dead
The undead, those mindless shambling specters from the grave, are enjoying a cultural (if not literal) resurgence, in films, books, and through strange, urban “zombie crawls.”
Disco...
Sep 21, 2009
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Seeing Stars and Planets
It’s hot, too darn hot! And bright, too darn bright! But over-the-top photon flux doesn’t stop scientists from studying the sun. And solar eclipses are an ideal time for observing o...
Sep 14, 2009
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That's Cosmic!
ENCORE What makes up the universe? Lots of tiny particles with strange names: bosons, leptons, quarks and neutrinos. But physicists think there are more members to be discovered in this ...
Sep 07, 2009
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What Were You Thinking?
ENCORE Say what you mean. That’s difficult, if you don’t know what you’re thinking. But the neuromarketers do, and they’ll be happy to tell Madison Avenue whatR...
Aug 31, 2009
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Earth: A Millennium Hence
Humans have not gone unnoticed on this planet. We’ve left our mark with technology, agriculture, architecture, and a growing carbon footprint. But where is this trajectory headed?
In ...
Aug 24, 2009
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Earth: A Century Hence
Humans have not gone unnoticed on this planet. We’ve left our mark with technology, agriculture, architecture, and a growing carbon footprint. But where is this trajectory headed?
In...
Aug 17, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Doomsday at the Movies
Hollywood has a few ideas of how the world will end: killer asteroids … lethal pandemics … deadly ice-ages. These themes have all played out on the big screen. But, hey, they’re ...
Aug 10, 2009
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Grave Matters
We could choose not to pay income tax and suffer the consequences. But we can’t avoid death. The biological functions of all organisms eventually cease. But why should this be? Find ...
Aug 03, 2009
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TXT MSG: Behavior
ENCORE From iPods to Google to Facebook – information swims at our fingertips and friends are just a txt msg away. Digital devices have re-defined what it means to be connected R...
Jul 27, 2009
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TXT MSG: Thought
ENCORE From iPods to Google to Facebook – information swims at our fingertips and friends are just a txt msg away. Digital devices have re-defined what it means to be connected ...
Jul 20, 2009
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Rxs Get Personal
Medicine’s back.. and this time it’s personal. Get ready to have your genome read… your brain scanned… and undergo a chemical analysis so detailed, it’ll reveal the Twinkie you ...
Jul 13, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Sheer Lunacy
Watch out, the moon is full… of intrigue. Our lovely satellite is blamed for all sorts of Earth-bound mischief – from robberies to shape-shifting to general nutty behavior. It...
Jul 06, 2009
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Humans in Space... ace... ace
ENCORE When the economy’s down, will humans still be going up – into space, that is? We investigate the future of human spaceflight at the International Astronautical Congre...
Jun 29, 2009
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What Makes Us Human Part II: Adaptability
Are humans unique or do we just do some things a little better than other species? In the second of our two-part series – how our ability to adapt has shaped our evolution.
Find out how...
Jun 22, 2009
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What Makes Us Human Part I: Others
Are humans unique or do we just do some things a little better than other species? In the first of our two-part series on the nature of humanity: how the influence of others has shaped o...
Jun 15, 2009
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Bodies in Motion
Feel the need for speed? Well, you’ll need an extra helping of speed if you plan to leave the Earth and explore other parts of the solar system. On the 40th anniversary of the Apollo ...
Jun 08, 2009
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Robots Call the Shots
Dr. Robot, I presume? Your appendix may be removed by motor-driven, scalpel-wielding mechanical hands one day. Robots are debuting in the medical field… as well as on battlefields. An...
Jun 01, 2009
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Skeptic Check: Playing Doctor
A new herbal supplements is on the shelf, and it claims to improve memory. Should you take it? It’s not easy to sort through the firehose of health and nutrition advice that comes at...
May 25, 2009
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Why We Do What We Shoo Be Do Be Do
ENCORE We see a man laughing and we smile in response. Our heart goes out to the sad-looking woman on the train. Humans are empathetic creatures – we feel what others feel, even ...
May 18, 2009
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Seas the Moment
With more water than land on this planet, Earth is more aptly-named “Ocean” or “Water.” The oceans have been here for billions of years, and make all life possible. Yet, it’s t...
May 11, 2009
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Genes That Fit
ENCORE Remember Mr. Potato Head? You changed his look by snapping in plastic mustaches, googly eyes and feet. Now imagine doing the same with a living cell: inserting the genes you want ...
May 04, 2009
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Seth's Garage
It’s always a surprise to go digging in Seth’s garage – who knows what we’ll find! In this impressive heap of paraphernalia, tucked between boxes of old radio tubes and hydraulic ...
Apr 27, 2009
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Reading Life's Tea Leaves
For nearly four billion years, life has been swimming and shuffling across our planet. But how can we deduce what it was like? You don’t need Sherlock Holmes to track the clues of life...
Apr 20, 2009
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Skeptical Sunday: Is Ignorance Bliss?
Europe is a country. Six justices sit on the Supreme Court. The Vietnamese attacked Pearl Harbor. If ignorance is bliss, this is one happy-go-lucky country. The average American's gras...
Apr 13, 2009
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Life of Brain
We should award frequent travel miles to your brain. After all, it’s evolved a long way from the days of guiding brachiation from tree-to-tree to become the three pounds of web-surfing,...
Apr 06, 2009
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Speaking Klingon
Ever try talking to an alien? In the movies, they always speak perfect English. But what if we really made contact? Could we just whip out a universal translator - or even a babelfish -...
Mar 30, 2009
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Skeptical Sunday: Take a Number
Pick a number, any number. Got it? Good. Is it a lucky or unlucky? Is it a code that gives you a clue to the future? A lot of people assign all sorts of magical significance to numbe...
Mar 23, 2009
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You've Been Slimed!
Hollywood horror flicks have captivated us with alien blobs, but the slime slithering on our own planet is as beguiling. From microscopic machines to life on ocean floors, new resea...
Mar 16, 2009
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Building Better Brains
ENCORE Forgot your own birthday? Misplaced your Shih Tzu? Did you put the milk in your backpack and the iPod in the fridge? Age may bring wisdom but – alas – not a boost in ...
Mar 09, 2009
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AWA: Building Better Brains March 9 2009
ENCORE Forgot your own birthday? Misplaced your Shih Tzu? Did you put the milk in your backpack and the iPod in the fridge? Age may bring wisdom but - alas - not a boost in RAM. B...
Mar 09, 2009
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A Man, A Planet, A Tenal: Panama!
While the Kepler spacecraft hunts for habitable planets beyond the solar system, we’ve let one of our own planets slip away! Find out why Pluto’s demotion to dwarf status create...
Mar 02, 2009
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It's the Science, Cupid!
Love makes us feel warm and mushy, but the sweet sting of Cupid's arrow makes a compelling chemistry lesson, too. Research into animal mating and human courtship provides clues to an ...
Feb 23, 2009
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Life's Stories
ENCORE How did the first cells make the scene? Could there be critters on some newly discovered planets? And what happens if we ever encounter weird life? These may not be the sort of ...
Feb 16, 2009
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Skeptical Sunday: Que Sera... No Sera?
We all want to peek into the future and find out what fate has in store: Will I get that raise? Is love around the corner? What’s the winning combo in Las Vegas? Some people cl...
Feb 09, 2009
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Feather Knows Best
Can animals think? Merely asking the question was once thought ridiculous. But studies that range from chimps to birds to sea creatures have prompted scientists to reassess the cog...
Feb 02, 2009
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Carbon Your Enthusiasm
Bond it to oxygen and it’s the scourge of climate change. But earthly life wouldn’t be possible without carbon, and maybe that’s true for alien life, too.
And carbon has ...
Jan 26, 2009
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You Animal!
ENCORE Maybe Dr. Doolittle was on to something; animals are smarter than we think. Birds, apes, and dolphins are all clever problem solvers with a rich vocabularly and - in some cases - s...
Jan 19, 2009
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Scoping Out Astronomy
A loud radio hiss is coming from the cosmos. Is it the swan song of the first giant stars of the universe?
Find out from stargazers attending the American Astronomical Society meeting ...
Jan 12, 2009
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Sex: From Beginning to End
We all know how sex begins: a dimly-lit room, a come-hither smile, and a surfeit of parasol-shaded cocktails. But long before all that, the gentle currents of the ancient sea floor set the...
Jan 05, 2009
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AWA: Nerds December 29 2008
There are two kinds of people: those who are unstylish, socially inept, yet academically gifted, and those who tease them. Being a nerd is rough; it's no fun to sit alone in the cafe...
Dec 29, 2008
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AWA: Nerds December 29 2008
ENCORE There are two kinds of people: those who are unstylish, socially inept, yet academically gifted, and those who tease them. Being a nerd is rough; it's no fun to sit alone ...
Dec 29, 2008
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AWA: Science and Art: Worlds Apart? December 22 2008
Leonardo da Vinci is considered a genius for combining art and science. But how usual is this for us mere mortals? Can science and art sucessfully inform each other?
We'll hear...
Dec 22, 2008
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AWA: Skeptical Sunday: Ghost of a Chance December 15 2008
Half of all Americans believe in ghosts - despite any compelling evidence of their existence. Find out why we believe in what we can't see, and why loneliness may increase our chance...
Dec 15, 2008
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AWA: Skeptical Sunday: Ghost of a Chance December 15 2008
Half of all Americans believe in ghosts - despite any compelling evidence of their existence. Find out why we believe in what we can't see, and why loneliness may increase our chance...
Dec 15, 2008
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AWA: That's Cosmic! December 8 2008
What makes up the universe? Lots of tiny particles with strange names: bosons, leptons, quarks and neutrinos. But physicists think there are more members to be discovered in this par...
Dec 08, 2008
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AWA: Got Life? December 1 2008
"Spore" is the ultimate game of life. Play it wisely and you can evolve from a single-celled organism, swimming in salt water, to an intelligent being rocketing through the galaxy. ...
Dec 01, 2008
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AWA: First Contact! November 24 2008
From human settlers to alien visitors - when one society meets another, the results can be messy.
The Jamestown settlement may have kicked off the colonization of the New World. ...
Nov 24, 2008
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AWA: Skeptical Sunday: I'll Buy That! November 17 2008
Smoking is good for you! Doctors want you to light up! Discover how cigarette companies of the 1950s manipulated the media to peddle their tobacco - and why not much has changed since...
Nov 17, 2008
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AWA: Time's Mysteries Part II: Warping Time November 10 2008
Ever since Einstein, we've known that time doesn't barrel willy-nilly into the future. Moving clocks tick at a different rates, and by riding a fast rocket, we can slow time to a cra...
Nov 10, 2008
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AWA: Time's Mysteries Part I: Marking Time November 3 2008
Time's a mystery, yet we've invented clever ways to capture it. From sundials to atomic clocks, trace the history of time-keeping. Also, discover the surprising accuracy of natur...
Nov 03, 2008
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AWA: War of the Worlds: Happy Anniversary! October 27 2008
It's been 70 years since malevolent Martians landed in Grover's Mill, New Jersey. Orson Welles described the dramatic events as they unfolded on CBS's Mercury Theater On The Air. So...
Oct 27, 2008
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AWA: What Were You Thinking? October 20 2008
Say what you mean. That's difficult, if you don't know what you're thinking. But the neuromarketers do, and they'll be happy to tell Madison Avenue what's on your mind. Discover why ...
Oct 20, 2008
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AWA: Senses Census October 13 2008
Don't worry if you've lost your senses - we've found them. Find out why we've evolved taste, sight, hearing, touch, and smell the way we have, and why we don't sense our world throug...
Oct 13, 2008
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AWA: Humans in Space... ace... ace October 6 2008
When the economy's down, will humans still be going up - into space, that is? We investigate the future of human spaceflight at the International Astronautical Congress in Glasgow, S...
Oct 06, 2008
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AWA: Formula One: The Drake Equation September 29 2008
Show description
REPEAT When it comes to contacting ET, SETI scientists do the math. They've been filling in values for the Drake Equation ever since 1961. That's when Frank D...
Sep 29, 2008
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AWA: Get Your Boson September 22 2008
What happens when particles collide? The answer may tell us the dark secrets of the cosmos. At least, that's the hope for the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle acc...
Sep 22, 2008
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AWA: Skeptical Sunday: Bear Right in a Bull Market September 15 2008
When we're in love, we do some crazy things. And that's OK. But when we merge lanes on the highway, sign up for a credit card, or just order a book, we're as irrational as a teenage...
Sep 15, 2008
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AWA: TXT MSG: Behavior September 8 2008
From iPods to Google to Facebook - information swims at our fingertips and friends are just a txt msg away. Digital devices have re-defined what it means to be connected - but how el...
Sep 08, 2008
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AWA: TXT MSG: Thought September 1 2008
From iPods to Google to Facebook - information swims at our fingertips and friends are just a txt msg away. Digital devices have re-defined what it means to be connected - but how el...
Sep 01, 2008
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AWA: Skeptical Sunday: Bigfoot Press Conference August 25 2008
Finally, Bigfoot meets habeus corpus: three men claim they have the body of the elusive hirsute creature on ice, and throw a big press conference to prove it. Lots of journalists sho...
Aug 25, 2008
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AWA: Seth's Attic August 18 2008
Why wait until the robins are bobbin' to do a bit of spring cleaning? Join Seth and Molly as they dare to enter the cobweb-cluttered confines of Seth's attic and sort out trash from tr...
Aug 18, 2008
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AWA: From Mars to Eternity August 11 2008
The discovery of water on Mars has scientists asking whether they're could have once been life on the Red Planet. It's a big question - and it's prompted us to follow up with a few of...
Aug 11, 2008
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AWA: Why We Do What We Shoo Be Do Be Do August 4 2008
We see a man laughing and we smile in response. Our heart goes out to the sad-looking woman on the train. Humans are empathetic creatures - we feel what others feel, even the emotion...
Aug 04, 2008
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AWA: Skeptical Sunday: Risky Business July 28 2008
REPEAT Airplanes falling out of the sky! Lethal bird flu! Killer rocks from space! There's a lot that can do us in, and it would seem you have good reason to worry. Except that yo...
Jul 28, 2008
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AWA: Genes That Fit July 21 2008
Remember Mr. Potato Head? You changed his look by snapping in plastic mustaches, googly eyes and feet. Now imagine doing the same with a living cell: inserting the genes you want to cr...
Jul 21, 2008
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AWA: When Machines Rule July 14 2008
REPEAT Every year, computing machines become more powerful, a fact that hasn't escaped the notice of anyone who occupies an office. Many experts now agree that within a few decades, ...
Jul 14, 2008
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AWA: Speaking Klingon July 7 2008
Ever try talking to an alien? In the movies, they always speak perfect English. But what if we really made contact? Could we just whip out a universal translator - or even a babelfi...
Jul 07, 2008
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AWA: Sigh. It's Science June 30 2008
REPEAT Is the public interested in science? The signs aren't encouraging. The Hubble Telescope teeters on the edge of breakdown, and the public's response is lukewarm. Science cover...
Jun 30, 2008
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AWA: Skeptical Sunday: The Science of Indiana Jones June 23 2008
He looks great in a fedora - we'll give him that. But surviving a tumble over three 100-foot waterfalls or toughing out an atomic blast by climbing into a refrigerator? We love Indy,...
Jun 23, 2008
