National and World News from NPR

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IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Transcript

IRA FLATOW, HOST:

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow. What if there was a nuclear reactor that was meltdown safe, generated power inexpensively, created no weapons-grade byproducts and burnt up existing nuclear waste stockpiled? Sound too good to be true?

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IRA FLATOW, HOST:

Up now, our Video Pick of the Week. Flora Lichtman is with us. Hi, Flora.

FLORA LICHTMAN, BYLINE: Hi, Ira.

FLATOW: What have you got for us this week?

LICHTMAN: This week is an experiment that anyone can do at home. You just need permission from your housemates.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

LICHTMAN: So here's what you do: Go to the refrigerator, get out some milk, and then pour a puddle of it on your countertop or your kitchen table. Then take a hard-boiled egg and spin it in that puddle.

A day after the security forces of President Bashar Assad raided the campus of Aleppo University, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Syria's second city and its economic powerhouse.

The AP talked to Mohammed Saeed, an activist, who said protesters were "incensed" by the raid at the university, which killed four.

"Everyone wants to express solidarity with those students," the activist told the AP, adding that the forces fired live ammunition into the crowd.

The AP adds:

It was just a week ago that he dropped into our lives.

Now, we're sorry to report that "falling bear" is dead.

In case you're not familiar with the story, it was April 26 when University of Colorado Boulder student Andy Duann snapped a shot of a tranquilized bear as it was falling from a tree on campus.

The bear survived and was released back into the wild about 50 miles from Boulder.

Here at The Salt, we've taken note of the all-too-common habit of letting food rot in the fridge. Food waste can cost hundreds of dollars a year, and once it arrives at a landfill to decompose, it turns into a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. And that makes us feel guilty.

Now some home appliance companies are banking on the hope that some consumers will turn over their food waste worries to a computer inside their fridge.

Saying that the rules would "make sure that fracturing operations conducted on public and Indian lands follow common-sense industry best practices," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar this morning issued proposed regulations that would:

-- Require "public disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations on federal lands."

-- Ensure that "wells used in fracturing operations [on public lands] meet appropriate construction standards."

-- Require operators to "put in place appropriate plans for managing flowback waters from fracturing operations."

As soon as it was learned on Wednesday that former NFL star Junior Seau had killed himself, there was speculation about whether he may have suffered brain injuries during his career that in turn led to depression or dementia.