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Lemur Latrine Trees Serve as Community Bulletin Boards Oct 16, 2014

Show notes

Primatologists spent almost 1,100 hours watching lemurs do their business on their designated tree and concluded that urine and glandular secretions serve as posted messages. Steve Mirsky reports

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Carnivorous Plant Inspires Anticlotting Medical Devices Oct 15, 2014

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By copying aspects of the slick surfaces of insect-catching pitcher plants, researchers created tubes that can carry blood without promoting the formation of blood clots or bacterial attachment. Cynthia Graber reports

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Less Well-Off Donate Bigger Income Percentage Oct 13, 2014

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Wealthier people on average gave a lower percentage to charity in 2012 than they did in 2006, while the less affluent increased their giving. Cynthia Graber reports

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To Walk, You Have to Fall in Step Oct 09, 2014

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Motion-capture technology reveals that the body falls forward and sideways as we walk, and the feet come down to restore balance. Karen Hopkin reports

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2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Oct 08, 2014

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Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner share the 2014 chemistry Nobel for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, which has enabled the study of single molecules in ongoing chemical reactions in living cells. Steve Mirsky reports

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2014 Nobel Prize in Physics Oct 07, 2014

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Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura share the physics Nobel for the invention of efficient blue light–emitting diodes, which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources. Steve Mirsky reports

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2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Oct 06, 2014

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John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser share the prize for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain. Steve Mirsky reports

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Reindeer Spit Smacks Down Plant Toxins Oct 03, 2014

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Compounds in reindeer and moose saliva interfere with the production of toxins in plants that ordinarily stop animals from dining on the vegetation. Karen Hopkin reports

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Good Palm Oil Yields Could Be Bad News Oct 02, 2014

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Increased palm oil yields could unintentionally have the effect of creating a bigger demand for land for even more palm oil planting. Cynthia Graber reports

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Central Park Features Worldwide Soil Microbes Oct 01, 2014

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The soil in Manhattan's Central Park contains microbial life that also exists in deserts, frozen tundra, forests, rainforests and prairies. Steve Mirsky reports

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