Science

The X and Y chromosomes have become icons for what makes men and women different. Two major studies appearing in the latest issue of Nature are helping geneticists shed light on the differences between the genders.

The Metropolitan Council's 25-year plan includes three new parks. But securing the land will be difficult in the fast-growing areas of the Twin Cities.

A scientist who has spent his life studying the way the brain works talks about why so much about the most complex organ in the body remains unknown.

Modern people move through life surrounded by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of simple tools: pencils and paper clips, zippers and silverware. Duke University civil engineering and history professor Henry Petroski studies the genesis and refinement of these humble everyday objects.

The Science Museum of Minnesota is one of the world's leading producers of giant-screen movies. The museum's Omnitheater productions have been seen by over 60 million people in 28 countries. Director Mike Day talks about the science museum's Omnifest and the making of larger-than-life films.

Scientists used to think that people couldn't grow new brain cells, but now they say the brain can regenerate itself, and what's more, there are things people can do to keep their minds limber as they grow old. This new program from Public Radio International's Gray Matters series looks at how our brains acquire and retain information from the time we're babies to old age.

The design of the things we use in our daily lives is more a result of accident than intention. An expert in design and history looks at the effect of global standardization on everything from cellphones to cupholders.

The lakes and rivers on the White Earth Indian Reservation in northwest Minnesota are an ideal habitat for wild rice. But the tribe is worried that resource could be threatened by the science of genetic engineering.

New Yorker Staff Writer Malcolm Gladwell answers questions about his latest book, "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking," at the Commonwealth Club of California. "Blink," which explores snap judgements, is number one on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

By the time you finish this sentence, you may very well have decided whether or not to listen to Malcolm Gladwell's speech at the Commonwealth Club of California. Gladwell's book "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" is about these kinds of split-second decisions: how they are made, why they are often surprisingly good and why they are sometimes tragically bad.