May 27th, 2006 · A 15-year-old Nepalese boy may have meditated for months, sans food or water. Some see a "new Buddha." Skeptics smell a scam. George Saunders told the story for GQ. He tells Linda Wertheimer he came away impressed.
Apr 27th, 2006 · The Chesapeake Bay blue crab, a tasty and valuable crustacean, is in big trouble. Populations are down 80 percent. Desperate to reverse the trend, scientists are hoping to boost populations by hatching thousands of baby crabs and releasing them into the bay. Such ranching or "stock enhancement" programs have drawn criticism in the past. Skeptics say they raise false hopes and do little to boost wild populations. But the ranchers say they have improved their practices.
Mar 30th, 2006 · British scientists say that during the past 30 years, the air over Antarctica has been heating up faster than anywhere else on earth. They came to this conclusion by digging up reams of data from old weather balloons, but their claim is being met with skepticism.
Mar 29th, 2006 · U.S. Supreme Court justices sharply question the legal basis for the military tribunals set up by President Bush in the war on terrorism. The White House contends that detainees must first submit to military commissions, and then may appeal to civilian courts.
Mar 22nd, 2006 · Two men from the Northern California mountain town of Lodi are on trial for terrorism-related charges -- but the government's key witness is now having a credibility problem. Naseem Kahn testified he saw three top al-Qaida figures in Lodi in the late 1990s, but now that claim is being met with skepticism. Madeleine Brand speaks with Los Angeles Times reporter Rone Tempest, covering the trial in Sacramento.
Mar 20th, 2006 · Researchers at MIT have developed a laptop computer they say will cost $100 and could be used by millions of children in developing countries. Some critics, including Microsoft's chairman Bill Gates, say it's the wrong approach.
Mar 17th, 2006 · Since the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal broke, the GOP has promised to reform rules on lobbying. House Republicans introduced some reform proposals Thursday. But the reforms face criticism from inside and outside the party.
Mar 16th, 2006 · It is the Zapruder film of birding: Four seconds of what some scientists say is proof that the ivory-billed woodpecker is not extinct. Now, skeptics have deconstructed every frame and say the bird caught on film is just a common pileated woodpecker.