PRI: Science and Creativity from Studio 360

David Leavitt agreed to write an original short story for Studio 360's Science & Creativity series, and said he wanted to write about book codes, a venerable, low-tech way of encrypting secrets using any printed book. We put him in touch with cryptographer Steve Bellovin, a professor at Columbia University and a major figure in internet encryption. Afte

Astronomers used to believe in something called "the music of the spheres" -- they thought that planets and stars created harmonies as they traveled through the skies. These days, astronomy is mostly a matter of visual data expressed in charts and graphs. That won't work for Wanda Diaz, a blind astrophysicist from Puerto Rico.

Edgar Choueiri knows how things work; he's a rocket scientist — officially, the Director of Princeton University's Electric Propulsion and Plasma Dynamics Laboratory. If NASA ever sends a person to Mars, Choueiri's research probably will have played a role. But Kurt Andersen visited his lab recently to get a taste of the future right now.

Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi," from 1970, is the closest thing we've ever had to an environmental anthem. Mitchell told us how she's bothered by green hypocrisy. Interviewed by Reese Ehrlich.

magine walking through an art gallery and finding a single wall of digital clouds lifted from the classic 80s Nintendo game Super Mario Brothers. The artist Cory Arcangel tells Rebecca Cascade why reprogramming video game software comes as naturally to him as wielding a paintbrush.

Studio 360 commissioned this short story from writer Aimee Bender. It has a modest subject: the Big Bang. To bone up on her science, Bender spoke with Nick Warner, a professor of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics at the University of Southern California. "Origin Lessons" is read for us by Kevin Pariseau.

Just over 30 years ago, an Englishman named Christopher Alexander tried to revolutionize architecture. In A Pattern Language, Alexander told architects and planners to design homes on emotional and spiritual principles – not on traffic flow. The revolution didn't quite come. But the book had a surprising influence on another group of experts: the comput

Corn-based shrink wrap on the CDs, biofuel buses, recycling riders, organic hair spray: this is the greening of rock n' roll. Sarah Lemanczyk talked to the indie rock band Cloud Cult, which manages its carbon footprint and has fun at the same time.

Jeffrey Yang spends a lot of time studying marine life. But he's not a biologist working on the beach. He's a poet who loves visiting his local aquarium. In his new book, An Aquarium, killer whales, eels, and fish become symbols of politics and mythology. Produced by Ari Daniel Shapiro.

Photographer Brandon Ballengée hunts for frogs with extra legs and missing eyes. Andrea Polli translates hurricane data into soundscapes. By seeking out these (sometimes bizarre) ecological phenomena, they hope to bring environmentalism to new audiences. Produced by Studio 360's Trey Kay.

Television drama has created the impression of an ideal world where decisions in hospitals are made quickly and cost is never an issue. It directly affects our expectations for treatment, according to Billy Goldberg, an emergency-room physician, and Joseph Turow, the author of Playing Doctor: Television, Storytelling and Medical Power. Produced by Eric

Biomimicry

Can the arts actually improve health care? Kurt gets some answers from Jill Sonke, director of the Center for the Arts in Healthcare at the University of Florida. She explains how the arts have been carving out a place in the healing process.

It's the ultimate matchup of human vs. machine: IBM developed a supercomputer named Watson, and to prove the processor's mettle, it's going to compete against human champions on Jeopardy.

When surrounded by harmonious caroling during the holiday season, do you ever secretly wonder whether you're tone deaf? You can take heart, because true tone deafness, otherwise known as "congenital amusia," is actually quite rare. Jeff Lunden talked with scientists trying to unlock the mystery of this discordant condition.