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11:27am

Fri June 14, 2013
NPR Story

With Climate Change, No Happy Clams

Originally published on Fri June 14, 2013 4:13 pm

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Think for a minute about the victims of climate change. You might envision the polar bear, right? You see a lot of that in the news, atop a block of melting ice or - where there's no ice to grab onto, or the great ice sheet covering Greenland drip, drip, dripping away, or the tiny island of Tuvalu whose people and beaches might soon be swallowed by rising seas.

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11:27am

Fri June 14, 2013
NPR Story

Rolling Out Bamboo Bicycles

Originally published on Fri June 14, 2013 4:13 pm

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Up next, Flora Lichtman is here with us for our Video Pick of the Week. Hi, Flora.

FLORA LICHTMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Ira.

You went with something Seattlely(ph). How would I describe it - Seattle-like this week for this week's video.

That's right. When in Mayor McSchwinn's city, you have to go with the bikes. Lightening it up for pick of the week, but - as usual.

(LAUGHTER)

LICHTMAN: Oh, yes. This week's video is about, not just any bicycle builders, these are folks who are building bicycles out of bamboo.

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11:27am

Fri June 14, 2013
NPR Story

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn Talks Climate and Carbon

Originally published on Fri June 14, 2013 4:13 pm

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY, I'm Ira Flatow. He's been called Mayor McSchwinn for riding his bicycle to work. He's pledged to turn his town of Seattle into a model for what one city can do to lower its carbon footprint, and for good reason. As the climate changes, coastal cities like Seattle are challenged by rising sea levels.

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11:27am

Fri June 14, 2013
NPR Story

Decoding 'the Most Complex Object in the Universe'

Originally published on Fri June 14, 2013 4:13 pm

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. Your brain has nearly 100 billion neurons, and one of my next guests compares that complexity to the Amazon rainforest. In fact, he says there about as many trees in the Amazon as there are neurons in your brain. Think about what the Amazon looks like for a second.

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11:27am

Fri June 14, 2013
NPR Story

Looking Back, and Up, at a Seattle Icon

Originally published on Fri June 14, 2013 4:13 pm

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

We are broadcasting today from the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. And just steps away from this building, right outside is something that should be familiar to anyone who's ever received a postcard from Seattle or taken home a pen or a glass or anything tchotchke of any kind. And it's the Space Needle, built in connection with the 1962 World's Fair. It is an iconic part of the Seattle skyline.

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10:10am

Fri June 14, 2013
Shots - Health News

Scientists Go Medieval To Solve Ancient Leprosy Puzzle

Originally published on Tue June 18, 2013 2:51 pm

Look through a series of 15th-century woodcuts, and you'll find that the leper is as much an icon of medieval art as the crown or the cross.

Leprosy was so common in Europe during the Middle Ages that it's estimated 1 in 30 people was infected with the bacteria. But by the turn of the 16th century, after the Crusades had swept across Europe, the disease mysteriously disappeared. And it never returned.

This left scientists puzzled. Did the bacteria mutate to become less harmful, or did Europeans become resistant to the germs?

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4:00pm

Thu June 13, 2013
The Salt

Why Bill Gates Is Investing In Chicken-Less Eggs

Originally published on Fri June 14, 2013 1:34 pm

2:47pm

Thu June 13, 2013
13.7: Cosmos And Culture

What Hunter-Gatherers May Tell Us About Modern Obesity

Credit iStockphoto.com

In the wake of the 439 comments on my last post about obesity and weight-bias in our society, I've been thinking about issues of comparative health around the world and, as I have before, about the Paleo diet.

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1:56pm

Thu June 13, 2013
Science

What Bird Flocks And Fish Schools Can Teach Us About The Future

Originally published on Thu June 13, 2013 4:19 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan.

We've all seen a flock of birds shift direction instantaneously mid-flight, or a school of fish swirl in what looked like tightly choreographed maneuvers. That's called collective behavior and it fascinated and baffled scientists. Why do they do it? How? Telepathy? Now technology is revolutionizing the way researchers can track, visualize and even create swarms, and what they're finding will make you go wow.

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1:12pm

Thu June 13, 2013
The Two-Way

Chinese Astronauts Dock With Orbiting Space Lab

Originally published on Thu June 13, 2013 1:54 pm

Credit AFP/Getty Images

A trio of Chinese astronauts has successfully docked with the Tiangong-1 space laboratory for what's expected to be a total of 15 days in orbit — the longest mission to date for China's burgeoning manned space program.

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