60秒科学:Carbonation Has a Taste

Carbonation Has a Taste In a study in the journal Science, researchers found that the taste buds for sensing sour also respond to carbonated beverages, because the fizz gets turned into chemical components, one of which is protons--basically simple,

60秒科学:Web Boosts Grandpa's Brain

Web Boosts Grandpa's Brain In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, researchers reported that older adults exposed to Web surfing for the first time showed increased brain activity in regions associated with languag

60秒科学:Red Wine with Fish? Iron-ic Answer

Red Wine with Fish? Iron-ic Answer In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers found that red wine only clashes with fish if the wine has high levels of iron. Steve Mirsky reports Its one of the most vexing pro

60秒科学:Less Fungus among Us Warm-Blooded

Less Fungus among Us Warm-Blooded A study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases finds that one major advantage of being warm-blooded is that the great majority of fungi cannot infect us. Karen Hopkin reports Some people eat to avoid being bored. Othe

60秒科学:Hudson Plane:Out-of-Town Geese Did It

Back on January 15th, US Airways Flight 1549 made that amazing water landing in the Hudson after both engines were taken out by Canada geese, which can weigh eight pounds each. Now scientists have used forensic techniques to clear local geesethe per

60秒科学:Illness Behind Most Bankruptcies

Remember the heady days of 2007, before the large economy sized recession? Well, even back then medical problems contributed to over 62 percent of all bankruptcies. Thats according to a study by researchers at Harvard Med, Harvard Law and Ohio Unive

60秒科学:Ocean Noise Clue to Climate Change

Seismologists spend a lot of time listening to the earth. Ocean acoustic monitors have been providing information on the earths vibrations since the 1930s. But there are other sounds those monitors pick up as well, for instance those of waves and ch

60秒科学:Bad Mileage Driving Tips

On May 19th, President Obama announced a new federal gas mileage standard. He wants the countrys entire car and light truck fleet to average 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. Some reaction was swift and to the point. Heres forlorn Oklahoma Senator Tom

60秒科学:Monkey Drives Dinosaur Game Extinct

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and DND Imports of Los Angeles recently announced a voluntary recall of something called the Dinosaur Era 2 Hunting Dinosaur playset. Because the monkey contained too much lead. Yes, the monkey. Each set i

60秒科学:Human Speech Genes Mimicked in Mice

[Cartoon audio clip] We interrupt your regular broadcast to bring you this important news bulletin. Humans can talk. Chimps cant. Your scientific jargon staggers me, Pinky. In recent years scientists have learned that mutations in a gene called FOXP

60秒科学:Bacteria on the Skin You're In

Have you ever said, I know it like the back of my hand? Well, how well do you know the back of your hand? Or the back of your knee? Or behind your ears? Probably not as well as scientists at the National Institutes of Health who just completed a sur

60秒科学:Rice for Nice, Low-Price Ice

The fridge is one of your homes biggest energy hogs. Better insulation can make refrigerators much more efficient. And a panel encasing a vacuum is one of the best insulators known. But vacuum-insulated panels are too pricy for widespread use. Enter

60秒科学:Cancer Drugs May Also Treat Alcoholism

As we recover from the holiday weekend, theres some intoxicating news on curbing the effects of alcohol. In the May 29th issue of Cell, scientists report discovering a gene that controls fruit flies sensitivity to ethanol. And if that just sounds li

60秒科学:Earth Experiencing "Climates" Change?

Climate change is the great environmental challenge facing the world today. But maybe we should start calling it climates change. Because scientists whove looked to glaciers to study the history of climate on Earth have found that the Northern and S

60秒科学:Mice Sensing Leptin Stave Off Diabetes

Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells that tells you when youre full. If you didnt have leptinand some people dontyoud eat too way too much, get real fat and almost certainly develop diabetes. Leptin acts like a natural appetite suppressant. Kids bo

60秒科学:Antioxidants and Male Fertility

Guys, heres another reason to eat your veggies: they might be good for your sperm. Some studies show that male fertility and whats called seminal quality have declined over the last few decades. So researchers from two fertility clinics in Spain loo

60秒科学:Heather Today, Gone Tomorrow

Some names never seem to go out of style, like David or Emily. Some never really catch on. Not many girls are named Laurel, even fewer are named lauryl sulfate. And now a study in the May 5th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Scien

60秒科学:Teen Inventors Fight Tinnitus

Teen Inventors Fight Tinnitus Irish teenagers Eimear OCarroll and Rhona Togher developed a treatment they hope will help people with tinnitus, an unpleasant ringing in the ears. Cynthia Graber reports Ever get a ringing in your ears after a loud blas

60秒科学:Jockey Positions Speed Up Horses

[Horse race bugle] Horse racing is a sport thats 200 years old. [Horse race announcer sounds] And a day at the track is much more exciting now than it was back then. [Horse race announcer sounds] Thats because horses are faster than they used to be.

60秒科学:Wind Farmers Go To School On Fish

Wind Farmers Go To School On Fish Designing wind farms with close packing of turbines, based on schooling fish, could greatly increase efficiency, say researchers at a meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society. Cynthi