Living Lab Radio

Doctored photos and videos are nothing new. But “deepfake” videos generated by artificial intelligence are causing a new wave of concern.

By Becca Cox A group of nearly three dozen scientists from around the world have issued a warning to humanity: pay attention to microbes . They may be microscopic, but they play critical roles in the Earth’s climate systems and we ignore them at our own peril. “We live in a microbial world,” explained David Mark Welch, director of the Marine Biological Laboratory’s Bay Paul Center and one of the signatories of the warning in the journal Nature Reviews Microbiology . “Microbes had been around for

By Becca Cox Summer vacation. Those two words conjure up images of long sunny days at the beach or by the pool, and that means sunscreen. But which sunscreen to choose? There are a lot of options and a lot of conflicting information about which ones are best for both you and the environment.

"We live in a microbial world. Microbes run this planet. Microbes have been around for billions of years before plants and animals evolved. All of the major biogeochemical functions on this planet came about because of microbes, and continue to be run by microbes. So when you talk about something like climate, the major biological influence of climate - aside from anthropomorphic changes, of course - have always been microbes." -David Mark Welch

Apollo astronauts brought home nearly 850 pounds of rocks and soil from the moon. Those samples forced scientists to throw out much of what they thought they knew about the moon, and the collection continues to be a staple of lunar research. “They tend to be rocks very similar to Earth rocks, shockingly enough,” Samuel Lawrence, lead scientist for lunar exploration at NASA's Johnson Space Center. “That makes sense, when you think about it, because the earth and moon were formed at the same time

An average of 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. That’s according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Earlier this year, a different report concluded that Americans are more likely to die from an opioid overdose than from a car accident.

By Neta C. Crawford , Boston University Republished from TheConversation.com Scientists and security analysts have warned for more than a decade that global warming is a potential national security concern .

Matthew Ferrari , Pennsylvania State University and Amy Winter , Johns Hopkins University The United States has seen more measles cases so far in 2019 than in any year since elimination was declared in 2000 – meaning the disease is no longer endemic in the country, spreading constantly throughout the year. This year’s American outbreak is dwarfed by those in Ukraine , Philippines , Madagascar , the Democratic Republic of Congo , and Venezuela and Brazil , which have recorded tens of thousands of

"They act as if climate change-related inundation at their bases, and challenges to operations, and even climate war, are almost a fait accompli without recognizing their own contribution. So, the first step would be for them to put the two things together, and then develop a list of priorities for reductions in emissions." - Neta Crawford This week on Living Lab Radio: Biochemist Toni Kutchan describes how she and her team found bacteria that could help manufacture the life-saving opioid

The fifth generation of wireless technology—5G—promises faster service, more data, and more devices connected to each other. U.S. cell phone companies have unveiled new 5G phones and small 5G networks this year, and more is coming. But it’s not just about better cell service.