Influential and outspoken climatologist Stephen Schneider died this week of an apparent heart attack. Schneider's friend and colleague Dan Kammen describes Schneider's contributions to climate change research, and recalls the man he knew as "a wonderful, fearless soul."

How much oil is under the Gulf of Mexico and how did it get there? Columbia University geophysicist Roger Anderson, an expert in deepwater exploration and drilling, explains how the oil formed millions of years ago, and how companies go about finding and extracting it.

Researchers meeting at the 18th international AIDS conference this week say a new vaginal gel can cut HIV transmission rates in half, if used properly. AIDS experts Anthony Fauci and Kevin Fenton join Ira Flatow to discuss the gel study, and other news from the conference.

Based on mathematical models of the movement of fish, Maurizio Porfiri, engineering professor at Polytechnic Institute of NYU, built a robofish. When Porfiri let the robot go for a dip in the lab pool, the real fish started to mill about the robot and even follow it around.

In 1911, two groups of explorers set out to be first to reach the South Pole. One claimed victory, and the other perished on the return trip. Ross MacPhee of the American Museum of Natural History and polar explorer John Huston discuss these scientific pioneers.

Why do we enjoy things like bitter foods and horror films? And are we the only species that likes art? Paul Bloom, professor of psychology at Yale University and author of How Pleasure Works, explains our penchant for art and why we find some unpleasant things so enjoyable.

Last December, e-mails written by climate scientists raised suspicion of scientific misconduct and conspiracy. International investigations have since exonerated the scientists of accusations of manipulating data. New York Times contributor Andrew Revkin explains what happened.

The Nobel Prize winner and former NIH director has received another presidential appointment: director of the National Cancer Institute. Ira Flatow and Varmus discuss the intersection of politics and science, the genetics of cancer and the process by which basic research becomes medicine.

An international team of physicists reexamined the radius of a proton, and found it to be 4 percent smaller than previously thought. Are they mistaken, or is something missing from the long-held theory of quantum electrodynamics? Physicist Brian Odom of Northwestern University discusses.

Each summer, horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) along the Atlantic shore crawl onto beaches to mate and lay eggs -- making now a good time for marine scientists like John Tanacredi to monitor population size. Science Friday visits a New York beach to catch a glimpse of the action.

We have smart cars and smart phones, why not smart clothes? They might be coming soon. Materials scientist Yoel Fink describes his work developing fibers that take photos, listen and transmit sound. He says a shirt may one day monitor your health by tracking body sounds.

In his 1984 book, Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, author Steven Levy profiled some of the personalities whose work brought PCs to the people, including Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Levy discusses his book, recently reissued, and hacker ethics in the Internet age.

A team of ocean scientists has a plan to track the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill, but so far they have no funding. Team leader Ira Leifer explains the proposed study. He says basic questions about the oil spill, such as where the oil is going, are not being answered.

In 1920, a botanist named Hans Winkler merged the Greek words "genesis" and "soma" to describe a body of genes. On this episode of Science Diction, historian Howard Markel discusses the word "genome" and how it became the most popular way of describing all of our genetic material.

It’s summertime but the living isn’t easy for everything. Plants are under attack by blight, wilt, rust and newcomer downy mildew, which kills basil. Plant pathologist Margaret McGrath runs through symptoms of plant sickness and shares tips for preserving pesto prospects.

With a heat wave scorching the Northeast, a dip in the pool may sound like just what the doctor ordered. But before diving in, consider the chemistry. Engineer Ernest Blatchley reveals many things you didn't want to know about swimming pools and the chemical reactions occurring in them.

A group of New York University neuroscientists leads an unlikely double life -- as rockers. The songs on their new album, Theory of My Mind, are based on the members' research. The musicians play selections from the album and talk about the science behind the lyrics.

Scientists screened nearly 1,000 chemicals and found one that nurtures new neurons in rat and mice brains. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center biochemist Steven McKnight describes the work and explains what has to happen before the chemical can be tried in humans.

Scientists are cutting and pasting genes to create engineered organisms that may yield new vaccines and biofuels, but what are the ethical implications of toying with DNA? Geneticist George Church discusses synthetic biology, and why scientists need to be careful with the technology.

Using data collected by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, researchers say they’ve found evidence that more of Mars than previously thought was once covered by water. Science News astronomy writer Ron Cowen describes the research and other recent news about Mars and its watery past.