Ari Daniel Shapiro
Panama Canal Expansion Exposes Fossilized Treasures, Revealing Rare Glimpse Into Earth’s History
A multibillion-dollar expansion of the Panama Canal is proving a boon to scientists. The construction has revealed a trove of fossils, revealing a wide array of creatures that lived at the southern end of North America 20 millions years ago.
Mexico’s Bat Man: Fighting to Protect Maligned Creatures
Rodrigo Medellin is Mexico’s premier bat biologist, and he’s out to save the animals he studies. Medellin is trying to convince his fellow countrymen that bats deserve protection. After all, he says, if Mexico had no bats, there would be no tequila. NOVA’s Ari Daniel Shapiro reports.
In Mexico City, Harvesting Water from the Sky
Faced with chronic water shortages, many residents of Mexico City aren’t wafting for the city government to fix things. They’re turning to the sky. Ari Daniel Shapiro reports on the growing practice of rainwater harvesting.
Costa Rica Bans Hunting
Costa Rica, a tropical country known for its national parks and ecotourism, has taken a further step to protect its environment. But even in this environmentally conscious nation, a new ban on hunting faces obstacles. Ari Daniel Shapiro of our partner program NOVA reports.
Engineering Extra Senses: Technology and the Human Body
Sight, sound, touch, smell, taste. We interact with the world and navigate through it thanks to our senses. But what if we could add to that repertoire? A British scientist and a small group of enthusiasts are exploring ways to do just that. Ari Daniel Shapiro of our partner program NOVA reports.
‘New’ House in England to be Made Entirely from Waste Materials
We’re looking for a British city where a cool recycling project is about to get underway. A team of architects and recycling experts is planning to build a house — entirely out of trash. The building site is in a city on the south coast of England in the county of East Sussex. Name that coastal city.
Clever Dog Lab: Exploring the Roots of Canine Personality
What makes a dog bold or shy, eager or sullen? The Veterinary University of Vienna’s Clever Dog Lab aims to find out with the help of some 600 Austrian dogs that owners volunteer for experiments. The results could improve the training and selection of dogs that serve society, from helping the disabled to assisting the police. Ari Daniel Shapiro of our partner program NOVA reports.
Packaging You Can Eat
Have you ever eaten a cocktail? Held a mouthful of juice in your hand? A team of chefs, chemists, and designers has come up with a way for you to do just that. They’ve created a biodegradable shell that can enclose ice cream, mousses, cheeses, and liquids. Ari Daniel Shapiro of our partner program NOVA reports.
Boosting Your Kid’s Brainpower
An Oxford University researcher will soon test whether applying an electric current to part of the brain can help children learn math – an effect previously demonstrated in adults. Parents are already lining up for access to the device. But is the technique safe? And is this an ethical way to improve your child’s performance in school? NOVA’s Ari Daniel Shapiro reports.
Strands of Evidence: Hair Forensics
You are what you eat, and what you eat ends up in your hair. Scientists in the US and Europe have used this basic idea to devise a sort of hair-based GPS tracking system that can reveal where you’ve been over the past few months. Law enforcement agencies are now using this technique to solve crimes. NOVA’s Ari Daniel Shapiro reports.
People vs. Apes: Do Social Skills Give Us an Edge?
We humans are exceptionally good at manipulating our environment, but what makes us so successful compared with other primates? Our intelligence? Our opposable thumbs? A clever experiment conducted in Africa and Europe suggests another answer: our social skills. Ari Daniel Shapiro of our partner program NOVA reports.
Close-Up Photos of Ants Show Species Diversity
A team of scientists from California is touring European natural history museums to photograph ant collections in exquisite detail. The images are being posted to a free website so anyone can study, or just admire, the world’s diversity of ants. Ari Daniel Shapiro of our partner program NOVA reports from London.
Driving Dutch in France
I had just switched on the GPS in my rental car and the computerized voice was talking to me in Dutch. Dutch! [...]
Clean Cookstoves Protect Women and the Environment
An estimated 3 billion people in the developing world cook and heat their homes by burning wood, charcoal, or dung. Their simple stoves cause trendous amounts of air pollution. Ari Daniel Shapiro reports from Uganda on the introduction of more efficient stoves that also help protect women from sexual violence.
Closure of Lakes Laboratory Spurs Protest in Canada
Scientists in Canada staged a rally on Tuesday against the policies of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Protesters say the government is slashing environmental research and weakening environmental protections. Much of the anger stems from the planned closure of an ecological field station in Western Ontario. Reporter Ari Daniel Shapiro of our partner program NOVA has the story.
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