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Find out how color-changing sunglasses work, and how a team of scientists in Japan have figured out a way to make sunglasses work even better.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by DoKashiteru (via ccMixter.org); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by zerolagtime, thanvannispen and man.

New weapons in the Battle of the Bugs can be really important for soldiers fighting in areas of the world infested with the most dangerous kinds of bugs. One potential new weapon involves fluorescent feces.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin Macleod (via incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by galeku, Halleck, scarbelly25 and Freqman.

Scientists have come up with a unique new paint that literally paints germs into a corner, a corner where they can’t escape.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin Macleod (via incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by Percy Duke, thanvannispen and acclivity.

Scientists in Sweden and Japan have come up with a new material, made from the cellulose in plant cell walls, that is stronger than cast iron.

Imagine spaceships the size of a birthday cake zooming through the solar system. They snap pictures of other planets and send the images back to scientists on Earth. Some work as communications satellites. They relay TV programs, text messages, telephone signals and the Internet. Some may even be spy satellites with cameras powerful enough to snap people’s photos from hundreds of miles up in the sky. Now, one scientist has made a discovery that may make that sci-fi vision come true.

A team of scientists have developed technology that produces energy from simple movements. Imagine if all you had to do to charge your iPod or cell phone was to wave your hand stretch your arm or take a walk?

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin Macleod (via incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by kjackson, Halleck, crk365, man, rutgermuller, pushtobreak and trip2000.

You’ve probably heard that the U.S. economy isn’t doing so hot. We’re in a recession — a pretty big one at that — and there are many adults out there that have lost their jobs and are facing a big career change. It turns out that these folks might learn a helpful lesson from honey bees.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin Macleod (via incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by thanvannispen and acclivity.

Imagine waking up tomorrow and throwing on some clothes made from chicken feathers. It might sound like a strange dream. But in reality, clothing made from feathers, wheat, and other renewable materials could be on store shelves in the future.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by Kevin Macleod (via incompetech.com); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by fogma, kjackson, mich3d and UncleSigmund.

Ah, Paris. Land of the Eiffel Tower, delicious French bread and… tropical rainforests? Sacrebleu! It seems unlikely, but scientists have discovered evidence that France may have been a hot, wet tropical rainforest 55 million years ago.

In our second video podcast, we find out that scientists are sniffing around for a way to develop an electronic nose.