Science

WSU researchers win historic FDA approval for gene-edited pork

CRISPR meat produced at Washington State University is now ready for people to eat. Researchers say the technology could one day help reduce world hunger.

Environment

He's studied these ‘living fossils’ for over 50 years. They’re still a bit of a mystery

UW professor Peter Ward takes us on a fabulous trip in search of a seemingly extinction-proof creature, and in doing so tells us a lot about humanity’s possible future

Health

After a concussion, kids’ brains need a break: from sports, bright lights, and too much homework

Washington was the first state with a law regulating when and how students can return to sports after having a concussion. Brain-injury experts say, now, lawmakers should add guidelines for when students with a concussion can return to school full-time.

Science

Donor jump-starts brain research

Most people don't think they'll be around to see the research benefits of donating brain tissue to science. Mike Morgan will. He donated his living brain tissue after undergoing surgery for seizures. It’s now being studied by scientists at the Allen Institute to help make discoveries about brain functions. Allen Institute Senior scientist Brian Kalmbach is here to help explain the importance of the new sample and its impact on current research.

Crime

Missed crime lab evidence could've stopped Green River Killer decades earlier, investigation finds

During the 1980s and 1990s, detectives struggled to catch the suspect known as the Green River Killer. But according to some new investigative reporting, the Washington State Crime Lab overlooked some key evidence that could have linked Gary Ridgway to the killings as far back as the 1980s, before he took more lives.

Science

The Abstract: A song of fire and ice cores

Can fertilizer be sustainably made without fossil fuels? How have volcanos changed our atmosphere? We look at two recent studies about emissions today and throughout the past.

Science

Kelp is having a moment

Around here, when you think forest, you think towering Evergreen trees. But an equally important forest sits within Puget Sound. The state’s kelp forests play a critical role supporting fish and sea life in the Northwest, but they’ve been on the decline for the last 10 years. Northwest News Network correspondent Tom Banse is here to talk about how the state is working to restore kelp and eelgrass along the coastline.

WSU uses corn tech to make advanced air filter

Scientists from Washington State University have found a way to create more sustainable, and efficient, air filters. It turns out, corn was the key.

Week in Review: The state of Seattle, abortion, and ChatGPT in the arts

Week in Review guest host Mike Lewis discusses the news with Publicola’s Erica Barnett, KUOW’s Mike Davis, and freelance health journalist Joanne Silberner.