Rhitu Chatterjee

The Sweet Song of a Jurassic Katydid

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ February 6, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

An illustration of the ancient Jurassic forest. (Photo: Hinz JK, Smith I, Pfretzschner H-U, Wings O, Sun)

An international team of scientists has reconstructed the sound of an insect, a katydid, that lived in China about 165 million years ago.

Earworms … Eeeewwww!!!

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ February 2, 2012 ⋅ 4 comments ⋅ Transcript

I can’t remember when or where I first came across the word ‘earworm,’ but I can never forget the first time I used the word in this newsroom [...]

Earworms: Tunes That Stick in Our Heads

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ February 2, 2012 ⋅ 23 comments ⋅ Transcript

How often does a tune intrude on your thoughts and plays and replays in never-ending loops? Scientists call these intrusive musical thoughts “ear worms.”

Elephants as Possible Solution to Stop Australia’s Wildfires

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ February 1, 2012 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

African Elephant in Addo National Park, South Africa. (Photo: Gorgo/Wikipedia)

We are looking for a vast, but sparsely-populated territory of Australia. It borders the Timor Sea to the north and to the south it abuts South Australia.

Podcast: Stephen Hawking on the Future of Humankind

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ January 9, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

Stephen Hawking (Photo: NASA/Paul E. Alers)

Hawking on the Future of Humankind: To mark his 70th birthday, physicist Stephen Hawking answered a selection of questions from the listeners of BBC Radio 4′s Today Program.

Listening to the Deep Ocean

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ December 29, 2011 ⋅ One comment ⋅ Transcript

A rattail fish checking out NEPTUNE's seismometer off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. (Photo: NEPTURE Canada)

Scientists are establishing a worldwide network of deep-sea listening posts connected to the Internet. It allows researchers — and the public — to hear whales, ships, and other underwater sounds. But the US Navy is uneasy because these sounds might reveal the location of its submarines.

Human Experimentation Under Review

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ December 15, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments ⋅ Transcript

In the 1940s, American medical researchers intentionally infected Guatemalan prisoners and mental health patients with syphilis. After news of this experimentation came to light last year, President Obama’s bioethics commission launched a review of government research on human subject.

Podcast: Report on the Fukushima Disaster

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ November 30, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

This Week: We learn about a new report that provides an in-depth look at the Fukushima disaster, hours and days after north-eastern Japan was struck by an earthquake and tsunami. European scientists have turned to DNA technology to identify illegally harvested fish. What do humans and ants have in common? Warfare, says ant researcher Mark Moffett. He says humans and ants fight in similar ways.

Podcast: The World Population at Seven Billion

By Rhitu Chatterjee ⋅ November 7, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Transcript

Crowd in Venice (Photo: Joery Bruijntjes)

On October 31st, world population reached seven billion. That’s according to the latest estimates by the United Nations Population Fund. We explore what that means for the planet and our future in it. We compare family planning programs in two South Asian countries. Also, breaking news about a Dutch science scandal.