Lots of people these days get their exercise at gyms and health clubs, oftentimes by walking or running on treadmills--that is to say, running without going anywhere. If you've ever been on a treadmill for some time and then suddenly stepped off it,...
'Homeless Boy' is adapted from an autobiographical best-seller written by Tamura Hiroshi, a young, successful and prosperous Japanese comedian. It's not an epicno heroes, no dragons, swords and magic; it's simply a story about a 14-year-old boy who f...
Piranha! For most people, the name sparks horror-movie images of vicious schools of fish that can reduce a human to a skeleton in minutes. But do they really deserve this fearsome reputation? Piranhas are freshwater fish that are found in rivers and...
During the space shuttle's third flight, back in nineteen eighty two, astronauts Jack Lousma and C. Gordon Fullerton saw something remarkable. Above the tail of the shuttle, where there should have been empty space, they saw a faint orange glow inste...
Don: Hey, Ya?l, wanna make a bet? Ya?l: That depends, Don. What do you have in mind? D: I'll bet you fifty bucks that I can lose more weight than you over the next three months. Y: But I don't need to lose any weight, and neither do you--you're a bea...
Dear Annie: My husband had surgery and was off of work for some time. As a result, we are behind on our mortgage, heat, personal loans, etc. We needed to borrow money, which has put us in an even bigger hole. This is where my problem begins. This pas...
l: Today on A Moment of Science--reindeer flies. Don: Flying reindeer?? Y: No, reindeer botflies, or reindeer nose bots. Reindeer and other large mammals are often plagued by botflies. Botflies are parasites that deposit larvae inside the noses of th...
We hear a lot about the importance of biodiversity these days--but just what is biodiversity and why is it so important? Put simply, biodiversity is the number of different species of organisms that live in a particular area. The health and survival...
Don: It's time to go again to the A Moment of Science mailbag... Ya?l: A listener writes: Dear AMOS, Why can some people learn a new language easily but others struggle? D: Good question! How many languages do you speak, Yael? Y: Four. D: Really?! Y:...
Amanda: We could play cards. Not that exciting, but it's something. Mike: That's a good idea! Let's play poker. Amanda: I was thinking more of Go fish or rummy, something that doesn't involve betting. Mike: We don't have to use real money. I have som...
Mike: We've been waiting in line for half an hour already! I sure hope this chicken is worth it. Amanda: It's supposed to be the best in town, but we'll see. I'm so hungry; I think anything I eat will taste like the best thing I've ever eaten! Mike:...
Don: Time to go again to the A Moment of Science mailbag. A listener writes: Dear Ya?l and Don, I really, really, really hate going to the dentist. If I need a filling or root canal, I'm literally terrified. What can I do to make the experience less...
Every now and then A Moment of Science likes to introduce a word for the day. Don and Yael discuss today's. D: Time once again for the Moment of Science word of the Day. The Word of the Day, please. Y: Today's Word of the Day is . . . spandrel. D: Sp...
Most machines that convey us across land are built with gears. Both cars and bicycles, for example, have a number of metal gears that can be shifted as we increase our speed. Low gears are for going slowly or climbing slowly up hills. High gears are...
Mammals developed from land-based reptiles two hundred million years ago, and most of the mammals we see today are still land based. A notable exception are the cetaceans, which we all know as dolphins and whales. How did they move from land to sea?...
