Findings

In this final podcast from the meeting, Science Podcast host Robert Frederick sits in on a discussion about communicating the major events in evolution to the general public. Why do new scientific discoveries make the public more skeptical of evolution? And how can scientists better convey their findings to a general audience?

Listen to the podcast here.

Decades of draining, dredging and other mistreatment have taken a severe toll on Louisiana wetlands. Hurricane Katrina focused a spotlight on the need to restore the marshes, which can lessen the risk of water surging toward New Orleans. But any such plan would have to compete for money with other flood protection projects, such as raising levees. Results of new model, unveiled here yesterday, may help win support for repairing the wetlands.

Louisiana wetlands face extreme challenges. Sea level is rising and the ground is sinking, both of which threaten to drown the marshes. Normally, sediment deposited by the Mississippi River helps build up the delta, allowing the marshes to stay above water. But engineering of the river to make it better for shipping has caused much of its sediment to flow into deep water. 

Not all biofuels are alike. Some are easier to produce, and others are actually bad for the environment. Science Podcast host Robert Frederick sat down with biofuels experts from around the world to discuss the pros and cons of biofuels, and what the human race needs to do to survive on this planet.

Listen to the interview here.

Marine biologists break out in a cold sweat when they think about the impact of greenhouse gases on the oceans. It's not just the fact that global warming raises the temperature of the sea. Scientists are also worried about acidity. The burning of fossil fuels pumps carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and when it gets absorbed by seawater, it turns into carbonic acid and makes the oceans more acidic.

Warmer waters are stressful for marine life, making organisms like coral more vulnerable to disease. A lower ocean pH--i.e. a more acidic environment--makes it harder for marine invertebrates to construct their shells. But there has been little work looking at the combined effects of warmer waters and stronger acidity.

At a symposium here yesterday, physiologist Gretchen Hofmann of the University of California, Santa Barbara, reported that the combination can be deadly for the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, that she works on. DNA studies are also revealing details about how the urchins battle the stress. "This is cutting edge," says marine ecologist Jane Lubcencko of Oregon State University in Corvallis.

Amid the clatter of a hotel dining room last night, a spirited debate over creationism caught my ears. A table full of speakers was preparing for a session today on the public understanding of science.

Evolution doyen Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), based in Oakland, California, was presiding in a charcoal blazer. Still pale from a bout with the flu, she sipped spoonfuls of French Onion soup. "It's the first time I've been dressed in a few days," she confessed.

So what's the best way to deal with creationists? "It's a dialogue we need," said Steven Case of the University of Kansas, Lawrence, as he dug into a mushroom burger. "The only way to know they're hearing you is by listening."

The fun of science was on full display at the fifth annual Family Science Days. Via interactive booths and demonstrations, kids of all ages learned about everything from the history of yo-yos to the physics of Nascar. Science news writer Elsa Youngsteadt stopped by to chat with some of these possible future scientists.

Listen to the podcast here.

It's been a busy meeting, and the blog posts are flying fast and furious. Science Podcast host Robert Frederick sits down for a quick chat with ScienceNOW editor David Grimm to discuss some of his favorite stories from the meeting so far--as well as the advantages of blogging versus writing regular news stories. 

Listen to the conversation here.

How do you persuade 500 science majors from around the world to pursue graduate studies at a new university in a desert nation? Especially one where Sharia law prevails and women can't vote or drive?

Money, mostly--nearly $28 million this year in scholarships.

The school is the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST), scheduled to open in 2009 on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. The recruiter is Matt Jones of the Institute of International Education in Washington, D.C., who's here advertising a program to get undergraduates in their junior and senior year to commit to KAUST.

How horrifying might it be to lose a limb? How exhilarating to find true love? When these things actually happen, reality rarely matches our predictions. At a session this morning, Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert presented new experimental results that may explain why. 

Gilbert suspects that anticipation may play a key role in the disconnect between fact and forecast. When people have lots of time to think, he said, they may consider alternatives that cast the expected experience in a favorable or jaundiced light. Imagine you just took a test, for example, and didn't feel good about it. You might anticipate getting a C or a D grade; and in that case, you'd think you'd feel great if you actually got a B. But when you get your test back and do get that B, the grade doesn't taste as sweet as you thought it would. That's because, according to Gilbert's theory, your brain is so busy processing the moment that the earlier comparisons disappear.

While chemicals are ubiquitous in coastal environments, there are new classes of emerging chemical contaminants that will have both direct and indirect effects on ocean and coastal ecosystem health, as well as potential implications for human health. 

Science Podcast host Robert Frederick interviewed NOAA's Nat Scholz about his latest research on the effects that a mix of chemicals has on salmon. The podcast also includes an overview of the related scientific research from Science's Erik Stokstad.

Listen here.