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Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus
<em>Weekend Edition</em> math guy Keith Devlin graded the Body Mass Index, a popular measure of determining healthy body weight, and failed it on 10 grounds.
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Food Documentary Debate Misses Mainstream Farmers
Food Inc., a documentary film about the modern agricultural industry, is a hit with big-city movie reviewers, small organic farmers and vegetarians. The movie argues that large-scale agriculture produces inexpensive meat and vegetables, but imposes high costs on the environment and Americans' health. But ordinary farmers — the people who grow the lion's share of what America eats — have largely been left out of the mainstream media debate over Food Inc. Frank Morris, of member station KCUR in Kansas City, drove out to hear what farmers are saying.
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Acetaminophen Concerns Prompt FDA Recommendation
A panel of experts from the Food and Drug Administration has recommended lowering levels of acetaminophen in prescription and over-the-counter drugs because of concerns about liver damage. Host Scott Simon talks to NPR's Joanne Silberner about the proposed changes.
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Chemistry of Fireworks
Why do some fireworks shoot golden flaming balls while others produce green sparks? It's just chemistry. Bassam Shakhashiri, chemistry professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explains the science of fireworks.
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Can The Mississippi Delta Survive Rising Seas?
Reporting in <em>Nature Geoscience</em>, two coastal scientists write that rising sea levels, combined with slow Mississippi Delta growth, could drown the Louisiana coast by 2100. Delta expert Ivor van Heerden, who is not involved with the research, discusses the findings.
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Robert Ballard: 50 Years Exploring Deep Waters
Deep-sea voyager Robert Ballard has discovered everything from 10-foot-tall tube worms to the Titanic on his ocean expeditions around the world. Ballard discusses his underwater finds and how new robotic technology allows scientists to explore the sea from ashore.
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Astronomers See A New Class of Black Hole
Scientists say X-ray data collected by the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton spacecraft show evidence of a new type of black hole in a galaxy about 290 million light years from Earth. Astronomer Sean Farrell explains what the discovery might tell us about galaxy evolution.
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Flaming Bubbles
In case you forgot to pick up some sparklers for the holiday weekend, don't despair. Ira Flatow and a team of backyard science experts explain how to (safely) make firecrackers, smoke bombs and even an Oreo-fueled rocket, all while learning some basic scientific principles.
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Fossil Hunters Uncover Rare Dinosaur Skin
Dinosaur bones are pretty rare ... but even more unusual is dinosaur skin. Paleontologists working in North Dakota have unearthed the remains of a hadrosaur with much of its fossilized skin still intact. They hope it will offer insights into how these creatures lived, and what they really looked like.
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Politicians Reconsider Drilling Off Florida Coast
For years, oil production has been largely banned in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. In large part, that's because of concerns that a spill could devastate the state's tourism industry. But now, some elected officials seem willing to take another look at offshore drilling after years of opposition.
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Pain Management And Prescription Painkillers
The deaths of Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith focused attention on prescription pain killers. Michael Jackson, too, may have been taking pain medication. Doctors walk a fine line in treating patients who are seeking relief from chronic pain.
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More Care Means Better Health, But Not Always
A new study finds that when Medicare expanded its prescription drug coverage, people did spend more on drugs. However, those who had little to no drug coverage beforehand reduced what they spent on going to doctors and hospitals.
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Schizophrenia May Be Linked To Immune System
Three new genetic studies are providing some tantalizing hints about what causes schizophrenia.
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Are You Over The Acetaminophen Limit?
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel wants to reduce the public's exposure to the potent painkiller.
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FDA Recommends New Limits On Acetaminophen
An FDA advisory panel yesterday warned about the risk of acetaminophen, a painkiller in Tylenol, Nyquil and other drugs. The panel also called for a ban on Vicodin and Percocet, two drugs that combine acetaminophen with narcotics.
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