Recent Episodes
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Nobel the Man behind the Ultimate Science Prizes
This month, we honor the Nobel Prizes, science's highest award, named for Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor and industrialist.
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Why Do We Prune in Water?
Some of our body's automatic functions remain a mystery. For example, why do our fingers prune after some time in the water? We don't know, but a new study suggests it improves our grip on wet objects. There's a term for pruning called water-induced finger wrinkling. Yep, there's a term for that.
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Is Your Microbiome Connected to Your Pain
We're learning more, every day, about the role microbes play in our health. The largest and most diverse collection of microbes lives in our intestinal tract. They affect our immune system, appetite, digestion of food, how we store fat, and produce essential nutrients such as vitamin K. An unhealthy gut can raise our risk for inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, allergies, and some cancers.
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The Ultimate in Grow Your Own (Ears)
Evolution generally means we get stronger and smarter, but not always. Humans, for example, can't regrow limbs once we've lost them, while some animals can.
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A Little Recognized Virus with a Big Impact
Among the vaccines that you normally get, RSV may not come to mind, but it should. It stands for respiratory syncytial virus and is a common and highly contagious illness that can be serious - especially for infants and older adults. More than 100,000 older Americans are hospitalized each year.