Science & Technology

Where do you look for information on what you eat? Nearly half of Americans don't trust academic scientists when it comes to information about food. Instead, close to a third of Americans put more trust in friends, family and social media.

Nearly half of the food in the United States gets thrown away. Science writer Sheril Kirshenbaum and WKAR All Things Considered host Karel Vega discuss food waste: its impact on the environment and economy, and ways to reduce it.

Welcome to Serving up Science -- the series all about food: where it comes from and how it impacts our health and our planet.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is gearing up for winter. Preparations include getting snow plows ready to hit the roads and highways of the state. Keeping roadways as clear as possible is crucial, but so is the safety of plow drivers and motorists. This year, the preparations include an important new safety feature.

MSU researchers are using a grant from the National Science Foundation to continue their study and construction of underwater robots.

For the next few days, WKAR reporters are sharing how technology built or tested here in Michigan may change our lives. But some of the most useful technology for modern day communication is over a century old. WKAR's Karel Vega visited a dedicated group on Michigan State University’s campus devoted to ham radio.

Fingerprint identification technology has advanced to the point where you probably have it on the phone you carry. A team in the Michigan State University College of Engineering is working to improve the security of fingerprint recognition systems, and a big part of their effort aims to learn more about fake prints that could be used against you.

Just as it did in the 20th century, Michigan is leading a transportation revolution in the 21st. 

At the former Willow Run bomber plant near Ypsilanti, the new American Center for Mobility is emerging as one of the world’s premiere test sites for self-driving cars.  The center is working with Michigan State University and other institutions across the state to train the next generation of autonomous vehicle engineers.

Cell phones are dirty things. According to some media reports, they’re dirtier than toilet seats. Not something you want in an operating room, that’s for sure.