This Startup Is Making—and Programming—Human Cells
Creating bespoke cells could transform testing and help develop new treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 28, 2021•4 min
Science, Spoken
Get in-depth coverage of current and future trends in technology, and how they are shaping business, entertainment, communications, science, politics, and society.
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Episodes
A Gene-Tweaked Jellyfish Offers a Glimpse at Other Minds
Researchers have created jellyfish whose nerve cells light up when they fire, offering a tantalizing view of neurology before the rise of the brain. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 23, 2021•8 min
Fleeing Global Warming? ‘Climate Havens’ Aren’t Ready Yet
Climate migration is already underway. Here's how cities can prepare. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 22, 2021•9 min
To See Proteins Change in Quadrillionths of a Second, Use AI
Researchers have long wanted to capture how protein structures contort in response to light. But getting a clear image was impossible—until now. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 21, 2021•10 min
When It Comes to Buses, Will Hydrogen or Electric Win?
Clean transport needs clean vehicles. New power developments are crucial for a mass transit revolution, and each has pros and cons. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 20, 2021•6 min
Gravitational Waves Should Permanently Distort Spacetime
Physicists have linked the “gravitational memory effect” to fundamental cosmic symmetries and a potential solution to the black hole information paradox. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 17, 2021•11 min
Are Instagram’s Aesthetic Moms Hindering Kids’ Development?
Taupe and cream nurseries are in vogue right now. They’re beautifully beige, but some worry they might be bad for babies. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 16, 2021•8 min
Here's How 3 Space Companies Aim to Replace the ISS
NASA is investing in Blue Origin, Nanoracks, and Northrop Grumman as they develop competing designs for a next-generation space station. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 15, 2021•8 min
Can Gambia Turn the Tide to Save Its Shrinking Beaches?
In an economically developing country reliant on tourism, the rapidly eroding “smiling coast” shows the urgent need for action on climate change. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 14, 2021•6 min
Why Buzz Lightyear’s Rocket Launch Looks Better Than Reality
We use video analysis to compare an animated liftoff to an actual one, proving that truth is more boring than fiction. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 13, 2021•9 min
This Is What It Will Take to End Deforestation by 2030
Nations around the world made a vital climate crisis declaration to save forests within the next decade. Can they actually do it? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 10, 2021•9 min
More Companies Offer Fertility Benefits. It’s Only the Beginning
Employer support for staff who wish to freeze their eggs has great potential—but broader support for parents still lags behind. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 09, 2021•10 min
Meet the Cyberpunk Albatrosses Scanning for Secret Explosions
Acoustic waves can detect all kinds of explosions and volcanic activity, but it’s hard to place sensors at sea—unless you’ve got a bird with a backpack. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 08, 2021•10 min
Hints of New Life in the Shadows of Venezuela's Last Glacier
When ice goes, lichens and mosses move in and an entirely new ecosystem starts to take shape. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 07, 2021•8 min
A New Dementia Test Raises More Questions Than Answers
A 5-minute assessment on an iPad could transform how we screen for dementia—or overwhelm the health care system with worried test-takers. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 06, 2021•10 min
Inside the Negotiations to Decide the Fate of Our Planet
At COP26 in Glasgow, negotiators can easily lose track of what day it is as they scramble to save us from climate chaos. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 03, 2021•7 min
Want to Lie on a Bed of Nails? Physics Has Your Back
This is the science of why you can recline on an array of very sharp things without getting the pointy end of the stick. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 02, 2021•9 min
Lidar Uncovers Hundreds of Lost Maya and Olmec Ruins
An aerial survey in southern Mexico discovered a host of ceremonial sites that could date as far back as 1100 BC. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Dec 01, 2021•7 min
The Next Big Thing for RNA? Fixing Moldy Food
Our addiction to chemical pesticides comes with a bunch of downsides. New sprays made from RNA might offer a smarter, cleaner way to wage war on pests. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 30, 2021•11 min
The Cutest Way to Fight Climate Change? Send in the Otters
Saving California's adorable (and very hungry) sea otters helps control other species, leading to the growth of more carbon-sequestering vegetation. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 29, 2021•9 min
This Groundbreaking Simulator Generates a Huge Indoor Ocean
It’s a 32,000-gallon concrete tank with a wind tunnel grafted on top. With it, researchers can study the seas—and climate change—like never before. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 23, 2021•10 min
Are Green Jet Fuels Finally Ready for Takeoff?
A first commercial test flight shows how fuel made from plants, not petroleum, could make flying cleaner. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 22, 2021•9 min
A Strange Radio Signal Was Just From Earth, Not Aliens
Astronomers with the Breakthrough Listen project scan the sky for signs of extraterrestrial life, but a promising lead turned out to be a false alarm. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 19, 2021•11 min
California Condors Are Capable of Asexual Reproduction
A new study shows that two captive birds had only maternal DNA and survived early development—a first for the critically endangered species. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 18, 2021•9 min
A Deadly Microbe Mystery Leads to a Spray Sold at Walmart
A series of puzzling infections has been traced to the presence of a dangerous bacterium in an aromatherapy spray. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 17, 2021•7 min
How Parents Can Deal With Climate Anxiety
Fears of ecological disaster are real, but it's especially hard on people raising children. Here's what parents should know, and where to turn for help. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 16, 2021•7 min
New England’s Moose Are Losing the Fight Against Winter Ticks
Climate change has given a tiny parasite a new advantage over the mighty beasts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 15, 2021•9 min
A Water Crisis Reveals You Can't Recycle in the Arctic
Fuel contamination forced the residents of Iqaluit to rely on bottled water—and now they're having a hard time getting rid of the plastic. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 12, 2021•7 min
Tree Rings Show Modern Cyclones Are the Rainiest in Centuries
A study of trees, some over 300 years old, indicate that precipitation levels are up as much as 5 inches compared to the early 1700s. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 11, 2021•6 min
How to Talk to Children About Climate Change
Young people already know more than you might think. Here are some ways to approach the conversation, tailored for every age group. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Nov 10, 2021•9 min
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