At the right pH, the hormone and neurotransmitter dopamine turns out to be a really good adhesive. Karen Hopkin reports.

Mouth sounds, rather than whole words or sentences, control vocal joysticks, enabling people without the use of their hands to deftly use computers. Cynthia Graber reports.

Clock genes, long known to regulate our circadian rhythms, also give clues to what makes sleep so persistent.

In this episode, Scientific American news editor Phil Yam discusses how veterinarians, physicians and multinational food companies need to work together in the global fight against animal-borne infectious diseases; and University of Wisconsin evolutionary biologist Sean Carroll talks about recent research tracking the evolution of yeast genes with specific functions descended from a single, duplicated gene with multiple functions. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include: tinyurl.com/2rb37v; tinyurl.com/2sj6bf; seanbcarroll.com

Garlic's cardiovascular benefits may be due to the chemical that smells like rotten eggs--hydrogen sulfide, which acts as a chemical messenger. Karen Hopkin reports.

Habitat destruction raises the risk of unhappy interactions between elephants and people. But harnessing elephants' natural fear of bees may be a solution. Cynthia Graber reports.

Fireflies who announce their availability with lots of light also risk becoming fast food. Karen Hopkin reports.

The male cycad plant's temperature transitions lead to odor changes that first attract and then repel tiny insects, called thrips. And the comings and goings of the thrips fertilize the female cycads. The research was reported in the journal Science. Cynthia Graber reports.

Gene duplication gives evolution new raw material to work with--and evolutionary biologist Sean Carroll has tracked how a single yeast gene with two functions gave rise to two genes with specialized talents. Steve Mirsky reports.

As neuroscientists search for brain circuits that lead to religious experiences, they're touching on some of our deepest questions - like, could religion be explained by a neural quirk? For more on this story, see David Biello's article, "Searching for God in the Brain" in this month's issue of Scientific American Mind.

In this episode, Ig Nobel Prize maven Marc Abrahams discusses this year's crop of "winners." And we'll review the recipients of the 2007 real Nobel Prizes in science. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include: www.improbable.com; tinyurl.com/3bblmt; www.amnh.org; tinyurl.com/26z8wv

Birthday boy Gerhard Ertl wins the 2007 Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing important new methods for investigating chemical reactions that take place on surfaces--catalytic converters and fuel cells depend on such surface chemistry. Steve Mirsky reports. The April 1993 Scientific American "Catalysis on Surfaces" is available at www.sciamdigital.com

Albert Fert and Peter Grunberg share the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics for their independent discoveries of Giant Magnetoresistance, or GMR, which was used to miniaturize data storage, for example, on hard drives. Steve Mirsky reports. A Scientific American article on Spintronics, made possible by GMR, is available at tinyurl.com/yorj8z

Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans and Oliver Smithies share the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the development of gene targeting in mice, which made possible the discovery of numerous gene functions and the creation of many mouse models for human diseases. Steve Mirsky reports. A Scientific American profile of Mario Capecchi is available at tinyurl.com/26z8wv

The Ig Nobel Prizes, for research that cannot, or should not, be reproduced, were awarded October 4th in Cambridge, Mass. Steve Mirsky reports.

A new high-tech helmet allows coaches and sideline doctors to spot concussions and other dangerous injuries on the football field, in real-time. The head gear has sensors that send impact measurements wirelessly. For more on this story, please read Larry Greenemeier's October 4 article on Sciam.com news.

But shuttling data into and out of compressed form on the fly, cellphone memory can be doubled. Steve Mirsky reports.

Archaeologists and physicists worked together to uncover historical information on an ancient wine vessel. Cynthia Graber reports.

In this episode, Scientific American editors George Musser and Steven Ashley discuss the special section of the October issue devoted to the future of space exploration. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news.

For reasons still mysterious, cockroaches have an inability to learn in the morning, but can learn well in the evening. Steve Mirsky reports.

Birds have sensory mechanisms that apparently allow them to see magnetic fields, which may explain the apparent ease with which they migrate thousands of miles to specific locations. Cynthia Graber reports.

A new generation of reactors after more than 30 years without a new nuclear plant raises hopes, opportunities and concerns. David Biello reports. See tinyurl.com/2pb4bc

Recent studies on a hormone receptor in the brain called CRF2 brought new hope for a solution to obesity. But research in the Journal of Neuroscience cautions: while CRF2 cuts appetite, it also increases stress.

A survey of genomes of multicellular organisms repeatedly turned up genetic material originating in bacteria. The new genes may provide immediate new functions. Steve Mirsky reports.

In this episode, pyschologist Robert Epstein talks about his articles in the upcoming issue of Scientific American Mind, on being fooled by a chatterbot--a computer program designed to make you think you're communicating with a human--and on the spectrum of human sexuality. And he has some comments about the CBS TV program "Kid Nation." Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites related to this episode include www.audible.com/sciencetalk; www.drepstein.com; www.sciammind.com; blog.sciam.com; www.news.wisc.edu/14162

Young men with moderate acne saw their condition improve after following a low-glycemic diet. Cynthia Graber reports.

By enabling just a four percent increase in bat speed, steroids may turn hundreds of a season's long outs into home runs. Steve Mirsky reports.

An analysis of the wrist bones of the Indonesian fossil known as "the hobbit" points to separate species status, rather than arming those who believe that the tiny human was a diseased Homo sapiens. Cynthia Graber reports.

A paste made with peanut butter is getting great results in the battle against childhood malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Karen Hopkin reports.