Learn more at http://scifri.me/hg9ztx

In The Man Who Touched His Own Heart: True Tales of Science, Surgery and Mystery, Rob Dunn considers the heart, from early scientific inquiries by Galen and Leonardo Da Vinci to the birth of cardiology (from a bar room brawl). Along the way, he writes of the creative—and sometimes tragic—ways that scientists and surgeons have sought to mend the maladies of the "neediest muscle in the body."

Tales of Broken Hearts

Ryan Rykaczewski describes one of the most massive migrations on the planet, driven by the sun. Image by Tintinnidguy (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

#ExplainTheSun  - The Largest Migration on The Planet

Once, there was the ordinary incandescent light bulb. It shone brightly, but wasted much of the energy put into it as heat. Then came the compact fluorescent. And as costs have dropped, consumers have increasingly been switching to light-emitting diode (LED) technology for many lighting applications, in an ongoing search for a more efficient bulb. Now, in work published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, researchers report that nanophotonic devices may be able to breathe new life into old incandescent technology. Marin Soljačić and Ognjen Ilic, two authors of the study, explain how they’ve been able to “recycle” some of the incandescent bulb’s wasted heat and re-emit it as visible light, boosting efficiency.

For the Lowly Incandescent Bulb, a Ray of Hope

Science, technology, and other cool stuff from public radio's Science Friday. It's brain fun, for curious people. From WNYC Studios.

Tales of Broken Hearts

SciFri

Related tracks