Don is anticipating a career in comedy, but Yael pretty well quashes his ambition. D: Ya?l, I've been thinking lately that maybe I should go into stand-up comedy. Y: What on earth gave you that idea? D: I've noticed that I seem to make a lot of peopl...
It takes one to know one, in this Moment of Science. Yael: Don, what are you doing with all that candy? Don: Oh great--now I'm going to have to find someplace else to hide my stash of goodies. You just can't trust anyone these days. Y: Now if that is...
BMI stands for Body Mass Index, and it's a way to estimate whether or not an adult is over or under weight for his or her height. No equipment is necessary. You can figure out your BMI at home with a calculator. You multiply your weight in pounds by...
Is lip balm addictive? That's the question Yael and Don discuss on this Moment of Science. Y: I am a lip balm addict. Sometimes I catch myself applying some of this stuff just ten minutes or so after applying it the last time. I don't even know I'm d...
Worker bees then take over, secreting wax to build the hive. Starting from the top and working down, they build combslayers of hexagonally shaped cells with passageways along the walls to allow bees to move between combs. Each layer of cells has a sp...
Have you ever watched a movie and wondered, how'd they do that? From light saber battles to the sinking of the Titanic, some special effects seem almost magical. Most film makers still use a relatively simple process called matte layering, which invo...
Now, theres no cure for tinnitus, but there are some good treatments. In fact, in recent years audiologists have come up with some ingenious therapies. One of these involves using music to trick the brain into muting or at least lowering the volume o...
Look at a map of Hawaii and you'll see volcanic islands strung out like pearls on a necklace. The biggest--and the youngest--is Hawaii, in the south-east corner. As the islands stretch away to the north-west they become older and more worn. While Haw...
Yael is worried about having enough air to breathe, but Don sets her mind at ease. Y: Oh great! This weekend I have to go to another family reunion, where I'll be sharing a room with my seven-foot-tall body-building cousin Bertha. She's nice enough,...
On this Moment of Science Ya?l and Don discuss how parenting affects the brain. Ya?l : On today's Moment of Science--wait a sec, Don, do you mind if I call home real quick? Don: Now? In the middle of the show? Y: Well, I'm worried about the baby. I j...
Nowadays we have telescopes of all different sorts, from ones that orbit the planet to giant radio dishes in the deserts. The neatest new idea for a telescope, though, is a deep hole in the pole. AMANDA II stands for Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detec...
Observational selection, on this Moment of Science. D: Grubs, on today's moment of science. Grubs are really cool because if you squish 'em . . . oh, I give up. I can't read this. Y: Why not? D: I'm sorry, Ya?l, I'm just discouraged. You see, for yea...
Don has some pretty disgusting information for Ya?l on this Moment of Science. D: Today, it's time once again for another Gross Fact of the Month. Y: Uh oh! I hope no one's eating! D: Okay, ready? In a recent study of people passing through major U.S...
We keep pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and the earth keeps warming. Climate scientists have predicted that the consequences of unchecked warming could result in everything from catastrophic flooding to larger and more deadly hurricanes. S...
Walking on penguin eggshells on this Moment of Science. Yael: Today, we're talking penguin eggs. Don: Why? Y: Penguins lay their eggs on hard surfaces near coastlines, or they might dig burrows if the soil permits. And because they're optimized for s...
