The Past
Ancient Earthquakes (Edition 46, No. 1)
Over a period of 50 years in the 1200's BC all the great Bronze Age civilizations came toppling down and no one quite knows what set it off. One scientist thinks earthquakes might have been the culprit.
Big Bang (Edition 46, No. 13)
An original song for Science Report. A description of everything that was made in the Big Bang--all the particles that formed all the chemicals that formed all the planets that formed all life!
History of the Transistor (Edition 45, No. 2)
Competition drives the market today, and it did 50 years ago, too. A description of the invention of the transistor in time for its fiftieth anniversary.
Molecular Handedness (Edition 44, No. 10)
The building blocks of every protein in our bodies are left-handed. Scientists look back 4.5 billion years, long before the first life on earth, to figure out why.
Catscans of Fossils (Edition 43, No. 2)
To analyze a fossil, scientists usually saw it up into thin slices. This destroys the fossil and takes days. But a catscan can take a picture of a fossil in just ten minutes.
Tree Stories (Edition 42, No. 6)
The rings on a tree tell a tale--each ring holds clues about that particular year. Archaeologists are using the rings to interpret ancient history.
Great Wall of China (Edition 42, No. 10)
Radar on the space shuttle has been mapping the globe. To everyone's surprise it found the remnants of an even older wall.
Egyptian Beer (Edition 42, No. 14)
Using an electron microscope and studying residues of bits of beer left in ancient trash heaps, one scientist has figured out just what recipe the Ancient Egyptians used to brew.
Ice Age Impetus (Edition 41, No. 8)
One scientist thinks it all started when Panama rose up out of the sea to join North and South America. A story on how separating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans might have triggered the Ice Age.
Dinosaur Deaths (Edition 40, No. 4)
If the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by a gigantic meteor that hit the earth 65 million years ago, as many scientists believe, then there should be traces of meteor dust in the geological record. A group of oceanographers are drilling into the ocean floor to look for it.
Radioactivity (Edition 39, No. 6)
February of 1996 marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of radioactivity. A report on how it was first found and how it affected science.
Giant Insects (Edition 39, No. 10)
300 million years ago, giant dragonflies ruled the skies. Today such huge insects couldn't even survive, but those days there was 50% more oxygen in the atmosphere than there is today. That extra oxygen helped keep the gargantuan flies breathing.
History of the Sahara (Edition 39, No. 18)
The Sahara conjures up images of a vast, scorching wasteland. But it wasn't always that way. The space shuttle is now examining the Sahara for vestiges of ancient river beds.
Murderous Trees (Edition 38, No. 12)
400 million years ago, over half of all the creatures in the ocean were suddenly killed. Millenia later, one scientist has finally found the culprit: trees.
Radars and Archaeology (Edition 38, No. 13)
Archaeologists have often had to follow their nose, digging based on instinct and hoping to find buried treasure. Now, using radar, archaeologists can see what's under the ground without lifting a shovel.
Star Babies (Edition 37, No. 7)
Just what is it about our sun that made it conducive to the creation of life? Most importantly, it's an only child.
Shock Wave Universe (Edition 37, No. 9)
Most explosions have a shock wave. Did the Big Bang have one, too? If so, it could change scientific assumptions about the creation of the universe.
Age of the Universe (Edition 36, No. 11)
Some scientists say it's 10 billion years old; others say it's 20 billion. The problem is that different methods of measuring give different answers.
Sculpture Analysis (Edition 35, No. 5)
It's hard to know who built a statue or where it came from just by looking at it. But a good computer and a strong beam of neutrons, can help give some clues.
How to Make a Fossil (Edition 35, No. 7)
Becoming a fossil isn't easy. Most shells or bones decompose or get eaten. So a group of geologists are dropping bags of fossil wanna-bes in the ocean to see just what it takes to turn them into stone.
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