Science & Technology 2006 Archive | PBS NewsHour

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	2006 DECEMBER Dec. 29, 2006 Neanderthal Genome, Arctic Ice Top Science Stories In the top science news of 2006, scientists mapped sections of the genetic code of Neanderthals, discovered that arctic ice is melting at a faster rate than before, and found clues about the origin of the solar system by examining comet dust.

	Dec. 28, 2006 Milk and Meat from Cloned Animals Safe to Eat, FDA Says The Food and Drug Administration issued a preliminary decision Thursday saying that food products from cloned animals are safe to eat. Under the proposed guidelines, the products would also not be required to carry a special label.

	Dec. 27, 2006 United States Weighs Declaring Polar Bears 'Threatened' Species With polar bear numbers declining and their habitats melting, the Bush Administration has proposed labeling them a "threatened" species under the Endangered Species Act. The secretary of the Interior and an environmental lawyer discuss the proposal.

	Dec. 25, 2006 New Identification Technology Raises Concerns over Privacy New radio frequency identification, or RFID, technology uses hidden tags to track nearly everything from merchandise to hospital patients but civil libertarians are worried that this technology may be misused and people's privacy violated.

	Dec. 14, 2006 Comet Particles Offer Glimpse of Solar System's Chaotic Origin Tiny dust particles collected from a comet and brought to earth last year now have scientists rethinking some of their beliefs about how comets--and the rest of our solar system--originally formed.

	Dec. 7, 2006 NASA Images Provide Possible Evidence of Water on Mars NASA images of a Mars crater taken seven years apart show deposits that may have been created by briefly running water. A guest explains the new possibility of life.

	Dec. 6, 2006 Orbiter Images Suggest Water Flowed Recently on Mars NASA images of Mars unveiled Wednesday showed bright new sediment deposits in craters that suggest the presence of water -- at least briefly -- within the last several years.

	Dec. 5, 2006 NASA Solidifies Plans to Send Astronauts Back to Moon NASA offered a blueprint Monday for sending teams of astronauts to the moon by 2020 and building a permanent base there by 2024. An editor of NASA Watch explains the plans.

	Dec. 5, 2006 NASA Aims for Permanent Base on Moon by 2024 Two years after President Bush proposed to return astronauts to the moon, NASA announced plans Monday for manned trips there by 2020 and the construction of a permanent base, most likely near the Shackleton crater on the moon's south pole, by 2024.



	NOVEMBER Nov. 30, 2006 Timeline: Pluto in the News Track Pluto's rise and fall as a planet in this timeline.

	Nov. 30, 2006 Pop Culture Tries to Save Pluto Scientists aren't the only ones weighing in on Pluto's future. Read more about the songwriters, T-shirt makers and others who are voicing their opinions.

	Nov. 30, 2006 Pluto Debate Eclipsing More Important Research, Some Say The decision that booted Pluto out of the planetary club caused a backlash among astronomers and the public, but some scientists think it is drawing attention away from other more important news.

	Nov. 29, 2006 Gene Map of Brain Offers Hope for Alzheimer's, Autism A new tool for medical research, the Allen Brain Atlas, provides a three-dimensional catalog of all the genes active in the brain and has revealed clues to diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's, as well as conditions such as autism.

	Nov. 22, 2006 Growers Modify Practices to Prevent E. Coli Outbreaks Spinach has returned to store shelves after September's deadly E. coli outbreak. NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels reports from California on what caused the problem and what growers are doing to prevent another one.

	Nov. 21, 2006 Dust, Debris at World Trade Center Site May Have Made Workers Sick A Mt. Sinai report found 60 percent of Sept. 11 first responders who breathed contaminated dust and smoke at the World Trade Center attack site now suffer from respiratory problems. The NewsHour reports on lingering health problems and help given to the aid workers.

	Nov. 21, 2006 Extended Interview: Researcher Discusses Health of 9/11 First Responders Philip Landrigan, chairman of the Community and Preventive Medicine Department at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, discusses the department's recent report on the health of 9/11 first responders.

	Nov. 17, 2006 Scientists Sequence Part of Neanderthal Genome Scientists announced Wednesday that they had mapped sections of the Neanderthal genetic code, using DNA extracted from a 38,000-year-old fossilized femur bone found in a Croatian cave.

	Nov. 14, 2006 Philadelphia High School Integrates Latest Technologies Microsoft has helped build a high-tech high school in a Philadelphia community that serves low-income families. Students at this state-of-the art facility incorporate the latest technologies throughout their curriculum.

	Nov. 3, 2006 Global Warming, Decline in Fish Stock Could Damage World Economy Two recent reports say the world's fish stock could be depleted in 50 years and global warming could take a severe economic toll on nations if dramatic measures are not undertaken. A science reporter explains.



	OCTOBER Oct. 31, 2006 NASA Announces Repair Plans for Aging Hubble Telescope NASA announced Tuesday that it would send a final repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, tentatively in 2008, to extend the life of the orbiting observatory to at least 2013. Hubble's senior project scientist discusses the history and future of the telescope.

	Oct. 30, 2006 Global Warming Could Significantly Impact World Economy, Study Says Unchecked global warming could impact the world economy on a scale comparable to world wars and the Great Depression, a report issued Monday by the British government says.

	Oct. 27, 2006 NextFest Unveils High-tech Tools and Toys With more than 130 exhibits from scientists, researchers and inventors around the globe, NextFest brings its vision of a new world's fair to New York City. The NewsHour's economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on the high-tech tools and toys of the future.

	Oct. 19, 2006 Scientists Create 'Invisibility Cloak' to Shield Objects from Microwaves A team of American and British researchers announced Thursday that it developed the first working "invisibility cloak" for objects that enables them to deflect microwaves.

	Oct. 19, 2006 North Korea's Nuclear Program North Korea's role as a center for nuclear development commenced even before the official creation of the state. During the Second World War, Japanese officials reportedly based their efforts to develop an atomic weapon in a region that, after the war ended, would be within Soviet-occupied North Korea.

	Oct. 10, 2006 Google Pays $1.65 Billion for Popular Video Web Site YouTube Google announced this week that it will pay $1.65 billion in stock for the popular video repository and search engine YouTube. Technology and financial analysts discuss the implications of the ground-breaking deal for the future of the Internet.

	Oct. 4, 2006 Roger Kornberg Joins Father as Nobel Laureate The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded Wednesday to Roger Kornberg of Stanford University for his work on how cells use information in genes to produce proteins. He and his father Arthur Kornberg, also a Nobel laureate, discuss their achievements.

	Oct. 2, 2006 U.S. Scientists Win Nobel Prize in Medicine for Gene Breakthrough Two American scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for discovering a new way to turn off the effects of specific genes, a process that has opened new pathways in medical treatment.



	SEPTEMBER Sept. 29, 2006 Mars Rover Begins Exploration of Key Crater The Mars rover Opportunity reached the rim of the Victoria Crater on Mars, capturing new images of a 900-meter depression that could reveal information about the possibility of life on the Red Planet. Principal scientist Steve Squyres discusses the mission's findings.

	Sept. 27, 2006 Youth, Advertisers Flock to Networking Web Sites Advertisers and employers are moving to take advantage of social networking Web sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, as the sites draw hefty numbers of users. Judy Woodruff reports on the phenomenon in the first part of a series on 16-to-25 year olds, which will culminate in a PBS documentary airing in January.

	Sept. 26, 2006 Survey Finds Benefits, Hurdles in the Internet's Future In a new Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, leading technology thinkers, business people, and activists agreed that the Internet will will bring both great promise and problems in the year 2020. Lee Raine, the director of the Pew Project, discusses the poll.

	Sept. 19, 2006 Report Finds Bias Against Women in Science and Engineering A report compiled by the National Academies of Sciences reveals a bias is preventing women from advancing in science and engineering at the rate of their male counterparts. An expert discusses the findings.

	Sept. 19, 2006 New High-tech Prostheses Being Developed for Amputees As the number of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with missing limbs rises, researchers are working on developing better high-tech prostheses for amputees.

	Sept. 14, 2006 How DNA Kits Work DNA tests begin by scraping the inner cheek with a toothbrush-like tool. This swab loosens cheek cells that, like almost every other cell in the body, contain a person's entire genetic code.

	Sept. 14, 2006 Q and A with African Ancestry Gina Paige, president and co-founder of African Ancestry Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based company that offers DNA tests, answers some questions about the tests and how the information can be used.

	Sept. 14, 2006 Arctic Ice Melting at Growing Rate, NASA Finds NASA-funded studies conducted last year found that sea ice present year-round in the Arctic is melting at a rate of 9 percent per decade, and in two recent summers, the ice was at record lows.

	Sept. 14, 2006 Track 200,000 Years of Human Migration Learn how scientists use DNA to track human migration across the globe, and how climate helped determine migration routes.

	Sept. 14, 2006 Science of DNA Kits Determining ancestry was once the realm of genealogists who followed paper trails and traveled the world, picking up clues. But now, researchers can provide a picture about a person's past with a DNA kit and a swab of his or her cheek.

	Sept. 13, 2006 Apple Reveals New Internet Movie Service Apple Computer Inc. unveiled a new service that will allow consumers to download movies onto an iPod or a computer just as they do with music from online stores. A media expert discusses the future of digital downloading and movie watching.

	Sept. 11, 2006 Shuttle Atlantis Docks with Space Station to Attach Solar Panels The space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station Monday in preparation for attaching a 45-foot truss with new solar arrays to the orbiting research facility.

	Sept. 7, 2006 Genetic Map of Certain Cancers Discovered; Cancer Rate Drops Medical researchers have created the first genetic map of colon and breast cancer, revealing that nearly 200 mutated genes that were previously unknown help tumors grow and spread. Meanwhile, breast cancer rates in the United States have started to fall.

	Sept. 1, 2006 Lockheed Wins Contract for NASA Exploration Spacecraft NASA has awarded a multibillion dollar contract to Lockheed Martin to build a manned spacecraft to replace the retiring space shuttle fleet and ferry astronauts to the moon and possibly Mars.



	AUGUST Aug. 31, 2006 Google CEO Joins Apple Computer's Board of Directors The NewsHour's Economics Correspondent Paul Solman reports on Apple Computer's appointment of Google's CEO to its board of directors. A technology expert then discusses the new ties between the computer giants.

	Aug. 24, 2006 Scientists Reclassify Pluto as 'Dwarf Planet' Top international astronomers voted Thursday to strip Pluto's planetary status that it has held since its discovery in 1930. The celestial object is now redefined as a "dwarf planet," leaving just eight major planets in the solar system.

	Aug. 24, 2006 Embryonic Stem Cell Development Raises Ethical Concerns Scientists have announced a new method of extracting stem cells from embryos, but it has done little to quell ethical concerns about the research. Two experts debate the ramifications of the new procedure.

	Aug. 24, 2006 Pluto Demoted to 'Dwarf Planet' Status After years of debate over Pluto's planetary status, the International Astronomical Union voted Thursday to classify the celestial object as a "dwarf planet," thereby shrinking the number of major planets in the solar system to eight.

	Aug. 17, 2006 New Identification Technology Raises Concerns over Privacy New radio frequency identification, or RFID, technology uses hidden tags to track nearly everything from merchandise to hospital patients but civil libertarians are worried that this technology may be misused and people's privacy violated.

	Aug. 16, 2006 Astronomers Offer New Vision of the Solar System Astronomers attending an international summit in Prague plan to vote next week on a new classification of Pluto-like objects that will redefine the solar system. Experts discuss the proposed solution to the long-standing debate over whether Pluto is a planet.

	Aug. 15, 2006 Testing Continues on Missile Defense System NewsHour correspondent Jeffrey Kaye of KCET-Los Angeles provides an update on the military's defense against missile attacks, including efforts to shoot down missiles aimed at the United States.

	Aug. 14, 2006 Essayist Clarence Page Discusses Friendship and Technology NewsHour essayist Clarence Page from the Chicago Tribune writes about friendships in the 21st century.

	Aug. 10, 2006 Experts Analyze UK Airline Terror Plot and Terrorism at Large A terrorist plot to blow up airliners using liquid explosives was disrupted Thursday in London. Experts Magnus Ranstorp and Daniel Benjamin discuss the terror plot, the plotters and their choice of weapons.

	Aug. 7, 2006 How Does Your Vehicle Measure Up? Input the price of gas in your area, and see how your vehicle compares to other gas-electric hybrids, diesel-powered cars and trucks, and "flex-fuel" vehicles in cost and carbon dioxide emissions.

	Aug. 7, 2006 Focus on Fuel Standards Increases Along with Price of Gas As the price of oil balloons and trips to the gas pump cost more, U.S. fuel economy standards are coming under renewed scrutiny for their impact on global warming.

	Aug. 7, 2006 Fuel Economy Chart View fuel economy standards and actual road results for cars and light trucks since 1978.

	Aug. 4, 2006 Deadly Heat Wave Reignites Climate Change Debate A front of cool air moved over the East Coast Friday, bringing an end to a record-breaking heat wave that started last week in California and is blamed for nearly 200 deaths. Climatologists discuss the debate over the Earth's changing weather.

	Aug. 2, 2006 Washington D.C. Offers Free HIV Tests to Combat Spread of AIDS Washington D.C. has begun to offer a rapid oral HIV test free to residents -- the first program of its kind. The director of the D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration discusses the program's aim to increase awareness, draw in more patients and encourage disease prevention.



	JULY July 27, 2006 New Bird Flu Vaccine Appears More Effective in Drug Trials A new vaccine, developed by GlaxoSmithKline to combat the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, has shown to be more effective than any other version in clinical trials, the company announced Wednesday.

	July 20, 2006 DNA Kits Provide Insight into Genetic Ancestry With advances in DNA technology, researchers are learning more about the origins and diversity of humans, allowing companies to offer DNA test kits and analysis for people who want to learn more about their ancestry.

	July 19, 2006 Stem Cell Veto Makes Private Funding More Essential President Bush's first veto of a bill that would have expanded federal research on embryonic stem cells could affect the state of the research. The NewsHour's health correspondent explains.

	July 17, 2006 President Bush Threatens to Veto Stem Cell Bill President Bush threatened to use his veto power after the Senate reopened debate Monday on a bill to lift restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Two analysts discuss the medical research implications.

	July 17, 2006 Space Shuttle Discovery Touches Down After 13-Day Mission Space shuttle Discovery and a crew of six safely landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida Monday morning after a smooth 13-day mission to the International Space Station.

	July 12, 2006 Fatal Boston Tunnel Collapse Reignites Debate over Project Several tons of concrete from a Boston tunnel fell on a car Monday night, killing a 38-year-old woman and renewing criticism of the Big Dig -- America's most expensive highway project.

	July 4, 2006 Space Shuttle Discovery Launches After Delays After two delays and a year of troubleshooting, NASA successfully launched the space shuttle Discovery Tuesday sending seven astronauts to the International Space Station.

	July 3, 2006 Asian Carp Disrupts Life in Illinois Rivers The Asian carp, first brought to U.S. waterways to eat overabundant algae, is becoming a major menace to fishermen in states such as Illinois by gobbling up plankton and depriving other fish of food.



	JUNE June 28, 2006 Shuttle Safety Top Issue Prior to Saturday Launch NASA officials deemed the space shuttle Discovery "in excellent shape" Wednesday, hours before the countdown began for Saturday's launch, despite internal disagreements over whether loosened foam will continue to be a problem.

	June 22, 2006 Congress Addresses Net Neutrality in Telecommunications Bill The Senate Commerce Committee started deliberations Thursday on a bill overhauling the 1996 Telecommunications Act that could allow broadband providers to use a tiered pricing plan on Internet content.

	June 22, 2006 Earth Warmest in 400 Years, Panel of Scientists Says A panel of top climate scientists reported Thursday that the Earth was hotter in the last few decades of the 20th century than it has been over the last 400 years and possibly longer.

	June 16, 2006 Bill Gates Leaves Microsoft to Focus on Philanthropy Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates announced Thursday he would give up his day-to-day role in the company to focus on philanthropy. David Kirkpatrick, senior editor of Fortune magazine and Stacy Palmer, editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy discuss Bill Gate's move to philanthropy.

	June 15, 2006 California Primary Tests Electronic Voting System The use of electronic voting machines in the California primary last week served as a test case for the rest of the country. Many states have switched to the touch-screen machines after the problems with voting systems in the disputed 2000 presidential election.

	June 12, 2006 Costly New Orleans Levee Repairs May Be Inadequate In the first month of a new hurricane season, the Army Corps of Engineers has completed almost $800 million in repairs to the New Orleans levee system, repairs some say still leave the battered city vulnerable.

	June 9, 2006 FDA Approves Use of Vaccine for Cervical Cancer An interview with a gynecologist looks at Gardasil, a new vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in girls and women to prevent four strains of a virus that can cause cervical cancer.

	June 8, 2006 Researchers Scramble to Create CO2-Busting Technologies With carbon dioxide comprising 80 percent of greenhouse gases, researchers are creating technologies to neutralize emissions and reverse their effects on global warming.

	June 7, 2006 Emissions Exchange Program Aims to Reduce Greenhouse Gases Among businesses addressing the global warming issue, the Chicago Climate Exchange is creating a trading market with financial incentives to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases.

	June 6, 2006 Harvard Researchers Start Cloning Human Embryos with Private Funds Harvard researchers announced Tuesday that they have begun efforts to clone human embryos to create stem cells by using private funding to get around federal funding restrictions.

	June 5, 2006 Global Warming Presents New Business Opportunities As various groups push to raise awareness of the adverse effects of global warming and energy prices continue to rise, companies are advertising greener, cleaner products that may cost a little more.

	June 5, 2006 Consensus Elusive on U.S. Global Warming Policy For decades lawmakers and others have debated the complex and politicized issue of changes to the Earth's climate, largely failing to find the consensus needed to implement and consistent national policy.

	June 5, 2006 International Snapshot: Countries Target Carbon Emissions As concern over global warming has grown, many governments worldwide have looked for ways to curb the amount of greenhouse gases their countries emit.

	June 5, 2006 Scientists Hope Venus Sheds Light on Earth's Warming In May 2006, the Venus Express settled into orbit around the second planet from the sun. Its mission: to provide scientists with data about Venus' runaway greenhouse effect.

	June 5, 2006 What Is Global Warming? The Earth maintains a temperature of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 degrees Celsius, temperatures that enable people, plants and animals to live safely within its atmosphere.

	June 5, 2006 Emissions Trading Ins and Outs Greenhouse gases can contribute to global warming regardless of their country of origin. To reduce the impacts, it doesn't matter which region of the world cuts back on emissions, as long as the overall amount across the globe falls.



	MAY May 29, 2006 Survivors of Indonesia's Deadly Earthquake Face Threat of Volcano Eruption Survivors of Saturday's deadly earthquake in Indonesia face the threat of Mount Merapi, a volcano showing signs of eruption. Following a report on the volcano's activity, Indonesia's ambassador to the United States updates relief efforts in the region.

	May 23, 2006 Millions of Veterans at Risk of Identity Fraud Following Data Theft In response to the disclosure that the personal information of more than 26 million U.S. veterans had been stolen almost three weeks ago, the Department of Veterans Affairs has created a call center to inform potential victims about consumer identity protection.

	May 22, 2006 National Hurricane Center Predicts Up to Six Major Hurricanes The National Hurricane Center forecast Monday four to six major hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico this year.

	May 16, 2006 Students Compete in Robotics This year, nearly 30,000 high school students experienced triumph and defeat in a national robotics challenge geared toward fostering an interest in math, science and engineering.

	May 15, 2006 Apple's IPod a Technological, Cultural Phenomenon Apple's iPod has become a technological phenomenon tha has been growing since it first hit store shelves in 2001. Senior Correspondent Jeffrey Brown reports on its technical and cultural impact.

	May 12, 2006 Legality of NSA Phone Program Questioned President Bush and former National Security Agency head Gen. Michael Hayden defended the NSA's collection of domestic phone records amid questions about the program's legality. Two privacy law experts discuss the legal issues behind the NSA program and its implications on privacy.



	APRIL April 27, 2006 Oppenheimer Biography Garners Pulitzer Prize Authors Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird won this year's Pulitzer Prize in biography for their book, "American Prometheus." Robert Oppenheimer, the subject of their work, was the director of the Manhattan Project -- the secret government effort that culminated in the first nuclear bomb.

	April 26, 2006 20 Years Later, Chernobyl Still Weighs on Nuclear Efforts Twenty years after Chernobyl, the world's worst nuclear disaster, debate resumes over the use of nuclear power. Two experts discuss the what happened at Chernobyl and current concerns over nuclear power.

	April 24, 2006 Story of Polio Fight Wins Pulitzer Prize Author and historian David Oshinsky won the Pulitzer Prize in history this year for his work on the subject of polio in America.

	April 19, 2006 Chinese President's Visit Focuses on Trade Issues Chinese President Hu Jintao meets with President Bush this week to discuss issues ranging from trade to piracy. Paul Solman discusses the issues facing the two leaders in a conversation with Jim Lehrer.

	April 18, 2006 China Continues Efforts to Limit Access to the Internet In Northern California, a Chinese-born computer scientist is waging a technological war on the Chinese government's Internet restrictions. Following a report on their efforts, two regional experts assess the Chinese government's efforts to control information within its borders.

	April 12, 2006 California Works to Prepare for Next 'Big One' The 1906 earthquake killed about 3,000 San Franciscans, yet despite modern building codes and materials, scientists fear a similar earthquake could be even more devastating today.

	April 11, 2006 Iran Enriches Uraniam To Reactor Quality Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's has claimed that his country has enriched uranium to a sufficient quality for use in a nuclear reactor, but he reiterated his insistence that Iran's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Two experts analyze the situation.

	April 6, 2006 Fossil Discovery May Link Life on Land and Water Scientists discovered fossils on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic that they believe are a crucial missing link in the evolutionary chain between life in the water and on land. One of the lead researchers analyzes the implications of the discovery.

	April 4, 2006 Louisiana Struggles to Maintain, Improve Wetlands Even before Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana was losing miles of wetlands every year due to its systems of levees and canals. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers has asked the people of New Orleans to comment on a plan that includes restoration of some of the region's wetlands.



	MARCH March 31, 2006 Center Gives Hope to Muscular Dystrophy Patients Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. is doing pioneering research and treatment for muscular dystrophy using interdisciplinary teams of doctors and scientists focused on a common problem.

	March 29, 2006 Security Council Calls for Iran to Stop Uranium Enrichment The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a statement Wednesday demanding that Iran suspend its uranium enrichment program, marking the first direct request from the Security Council concerning Iran's nuclear program.

	March 28, 2006 Investigators Slip Radioactive Materials Past U.S. Border Patrol Two teams of government investigators testing the effectiveness of radiation monitors at U.S. borders were able to smuggle in enough radioactive material to make two "dirty bombs," a federal report released Monday said.

	March 17, 2006 New FDA Cheif Inherits Old Problems The newly nominated commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration is being called upon to restore morale and confidence in the agency following its controversial handling of Vioxx and birth control known as Plan B. Two officials consider the state of the FDA.

	March 16, 2006 India Works on Fertility Reversal After Tsunami NewsHour correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro of Twin Cities Public Television reports from India on the effort to reverse sterilization, one of India's most common forms of birth control, for those who lost children in the tsunami.

	March 10, 2006 Scientists Discover 'Lost World' in New Guinea An international team of scientists travelled to the Foja Mountains in western New Guinea and found several new species of birds, frogs and plants.

	March 6, 2006 ATT Proposes BellSouth Buyout Telecom giant AT&T is planning the acquisition of BellSouth Corp. in a $67 billion deal that would make AT&T the largest U.S. provider of telephone services.

	March 6, 2006 California Levee Breaks After Rain Heavy rains Monday led to a small levee break in Sonoma County, California. In a Science Unit report, NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels looks at California's Central Valley levee system.

	March 2, 2006 Bird Flu Spreads to Europe, Africa The deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu has infected poultry and wild fowl in Asia, Africa and Europe raising fears that it could spark a global pandemic if it becomes easily transmittable from human to human. Two health officials discuss the recent outbreaks.

	March 1, 2006 Museum Displays Charles Darwin's Discoveries A new exhibit at New York's American Museum of Natural History explores the life of Charles Darwin and how he developed his theories on evolution but repressed them for decades because he may have known how revolutionary they would become.



	FEBRUARY Feb. 14, 2006 Firms Outsourcing Drug Research to India The decision by many pharmaceutical companies to conduct clinical drug trials in India, a country with a large number of scientists, doctors and patients has sparked an ethical debate over whether the trials will benefit the participants, many of them who are poor and cannot afford medical attention otherwise.

	Feb. 1, 2006 Facing America's Dependence on Foreign Energy In his 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush called for an end to the U.S. 'addiction' to foreign oil. Energy analysts assess his proposals and their chances for success in a highly politicized climate.



	JANUARY Jan. 31, 2006 President Urges Fight on 'Tyranny', Steps to Keep U.S. Competitive President Bush, in his State of the Union speech Tuesday, said U.S. security depends on ending tyranny in the world, while maintaining U.S. competitiveness requires investments in technology and scientific learning.

	Jan. 25, 2006 After Two Years, Journey Continues for Mars Rovers NASA's rovers Spirit and Opportunity -- once thought to have a life span of only three months -- are entering their third year of exploring Mars. They have found evidence of Mars' watery past and have been making other observations about the red planet ever since.

	Jan. 20, 2006 Google Rebuffs Government Subpoena A Media Unit report examines Google's fight against a government subpoena requesting access to the search records of millions of people. Two guests discuss what the case could mean for individual privacy protection in the 21st century.

	Jan. 19, 2006 Spacecraft's Journey to Pluto Begins NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took off aboard an Atlas V rocket on a 10-year, 3-billion-mile trip to Pluto. A scientist discusses the mission.

	Jan. 19, 2006 NASA Launches Spacecraft to Explore Pluto After two days of unexpected delays, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took off aboard an Atlas V rocket headed towards Pluto Thursday.

	Jan. 16, 2006 NASA Mission Returns Cosmic Dust Scientists hope the interstellar dust recovered from NASA's Stardust capsule will help them learn more about the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago -- and possibly the origins of life.

	Jan. 4, 2006 Fighting Malaria in Africa Residents in rural communities in Africa have begun purchasing mosquito nets with international aid money as an affordable, available and effective method of preventing malaria. An Indepedent Television News report from Uganda and Tanzania looks at the manufacturing and distribution process.

	Jan. 2, 2006 2005: The Year in Science In a review of 2005's science stories, two writers consider the stem cell controversy, global climate change and the threat of a bird flu pandemic.