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Many crops that could be used to make biofuels without driving up food prices are invasive species, scientists say.

Willis E. Lamb Jr., a Nobel prize-winning physicist whose work on the electron structure of the hydrogen atom revolutionized the quantum theory of matter, has died. He was 94.

Kate Wong brings us up to date on the ongoing research into fossils of the tiny human, called the hobbit, found on the island of Flores. And Ivan Oransky reports from the Intel International science and Engineering Fair. Plus Nobel Laureate Gerald Edelman illustrates problems with reductionism and refrigerators. And we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciam.com/daily, www.nybg.org/darwin/symposium.php, www.intel.com/education/ISEFThe text transcript is currently not available. Transcripts are posted about a week after the podcast airs. [More]

A South African chameleon can modify its colour changes depending on the visual acuity of the predator, tests reveal

[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]The yeast Candida albicans ekes out a quiet living in our gut. But it’s a tough life. It faces acids and enzymes, and the immune system always bullies invaders. So Candida has customized its reproductive cycle for life inside a warm-blooded host. Researchers described it in the journal Public Library of science Biology. [More]

From Wednesday to Friday, the space station will emerge from Earth's shadow, sweeping across the sky up to four times a day

Nations still have long way to go to catch up to developed world, nonetheless technological innovations have generated economic growth, and improved health care and agricultural production

A new study has found that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who are at high risk for hospitalization or emergency room visits from exacerbations or complications benefit from simple low-intensity case management.

Dan Ariely is a behavioral economist at the Massachusetts Intitute of Technology and author of the best-selling book, Predictably Irrational (HarperCollins, 2008). In recent years, he has demonstrated that random digits can influence bids in an auction, that sexual arousal leads to reckless decisions (at least in college males) and that brand-name aspirin is more effective at treating headaches than generic aspirin, even when the pills are identical. Mind Matters editor Jonah Lehrer chats with Ariely about his research. [More]

Sen. Ted Kennedy was diagnosed this weekend with a malignant brain tumor. The 76-year-old Massachusetts Democrat and 46-year senator has glioma, the most common type of adult brain cancer.