Insurgents a threat to Afghan civilians

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Reporter John Bohannon of Science magazine explored the statistics on civilian deaths in Afghanistan and discovered that the war is getting more lethal to the Afghan population because of insurgent attacks, not military mistakes. Anchor Marco Werman has details. Download MP3

Lizard extinction and oil in the deep ocean

In the science podcast we’re looking at a new study suggesting the world’s lizards are increasingly threatened by climate change. And a scientist on board a research vessel tells us what he’s seeing around the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Lizards in peril

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In recent decades, scientists have documented serious threats to frog species across the globe. Frogs and other amphibians have vanished from many areas. The exact cause is in question. It might be an infectious disease, or pollution, or habitat destruction. A study published by the journal Science suggests the world’s lizards are also in peril. And what’s threatening lizards is climate change. The World’s science correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee has the story. Download MP3

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Wind power in China

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China is pouring billions into the development of carbon-free power sources like solar and wind. China hopes to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020. But according to a study published in the current issue of Science Magazine, China could be thinking even bigger when it comes to renewables. We speak with Professor Michael McElroy, one of the lead authors on the study.

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Global climate change confirmed

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Arctic temperatures in the 1990s reached their warmest level of any decade in at least 2,000 years. That despite a gradual cooling trend over that time as the Earth cycled further away from the sun. A new study to be published in Science Magazine concludes that that cooling was reversed because of increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other green house gases. The World’s Katy Clark reports. Download MP3

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