1996
DECEMBER
December 13, 1996
Freaky Frogs
In Minnesota, a routine biology field trip resulted in a worldwide scientific investigation when students found frogs with deformed, missing, or extra legs, as well as deformed eyes or other parts.

December 13, 1996
Branching Out
In the last few years it came to light that Neanderthals and modern man walked the Earth at the same time. Now a study in the journal Science reports that Homo erectus, an ancestor of Homo sapiens, lived as recently as 30,000 years ago, meaning that they shared the Earth with humans and Neanderthals for thousands of years.

December 9, 1996
Fossil Hunter
The legendary anthropologist Mary Leakey died. She was 83.

December 4, 1996
Mission to Mars
A NASA Mars probe was launched Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Called Pathfinder, it left on a Delta 2 rocket complete with airbags for a July 4 landing and a roving science lab that will pick up data from the surface of the "red planet."

NOVEMBER
November 29, 1996
Changes in Thinking at NASA
Tom Bearden reports on the space agency's high-profile leader, Dan Goldin.

November 26, 1996
Spinning Evolution
In his new book, "Full House", Harvard's Stephen Jay Gould says we've been "spin doctors" in the way we humans interpret evolution, and a re-evaluation of the random expansion of life is in order.

November 22, 1996
Forum: Nuclear Legacies
The head of the whistleblower's Government Accountability Project joined the Director of Planning and Analysis a the Department of Energy's Environmental Management Progam to answer your questions about the hazards of nuclear waste, and issues surrounding health and safety at nuclear plants and disposal sites.

November 20, 1996
Forum: The Furor Over Fission
The author of "Nuclear Fear," Dr. Spencer Weart, answered questions about nuclear fear and suspicions.

November 20, 1996
Forum: The Furor Over Fission
Scott Peterson of the Nuclear Energy Institute answered questions about nuclear power.

November 18, 1996
Forum: Splitting the Atom
A panel of experts with different perspectives on the most recent international Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) answered questions about the most recent treaties and nuclear weaponry in the U.S., Russia, and around the world.

SEPTEMBER
September 26, 1996
Space Odyssey
NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid returned to Earth after a record breaking 188 days in the MIR space station.

AUGUST
August 7, 1996
Clues from the Red Planet
NASA scientists have discovered what may be evidence of past life on a Martian meteorite. Jim Lehrer talks to two scientists about what happens next. Also, Kwame Holman reports with the details.

JULY
July 10, 1996
New Light
The first up-close look at Jupiter's giant moon, Ganymede.

July 3, 1996
Blackout
A look at Tuesday's blackout in parts of the American West, followed by an interview with the president of the Edison Electrical Institute.

MAY
May 6, 1996
Could Bonzo Go to College?
Do chimpanzees have language skills?

May 1, 1996
Remote Control
Another in our occasional series of reports on what's new in the telecommunications industry. Tom Bearden looks at the Canadian experience with the V-chip, a device that works to censor violent and unsuitable television programs from children.

APRIL
April 3, 1996
Breaking the Code
An update on the scientific advances in genetic research and the ethical questions that they are raising.

MARCH
March 28, 1996
Light in the Sky
An update on comet Hyakutake.

March 22, 1996
Night of the Comet
A report on the brightest comet to pass by Earth in two decades.

FEBRUARY
February 13, 1996
Mystery of the Map
The Vinland map, first published in 1965, has been called the most exciting cartographic discovery of the century -- but it's also been called a fake.

JANUARY
January 23, 1996
Jupiter Revisited
When the Galileo probe entered the atmosphere of Jupiter in December, it returned a volume of information that confirmed and denied a number of beliefs about the largest planet in our solar system.

January 18, 1996
Life in Space?
Two new planets, and the possibility of life on them, is discussed by San Francisco State astronomer Dr. Geoffrey Marcy.

January 16, 1996
Cosmic Glimpse
Dr. Ed Weiler of NASA's Hubble telescope project discusses new findings.