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Mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find human victims. In many parts of the world, a mosquito bite brings more than just an itchy bump — you can get malaria, a sometimes deadly disease. Researchers are looking at the odors that attract mosquitoes in hopes of using that information to ward off the disease-carrying insects.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed control to the military on Friday after 30 years in office. The announcement by Vice President Omar Suleiman electrified hundreds of thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, who hugged one another and chanted, "The people have brought down the regime!"

Free screening of a documentary by local filmmaker

NASA has built a powerful telescope into the body of a 747 airplane. The flying telescope recently completed its first flight, capturing images of a planet and a nearby galaxy. Flying at 40,000 feet, it captured images of space that telescopes on the ground can't. And, it has a longer working life than space-based telescopes.

Airs Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

President Bush's call for more science funding comes amid criticism of his administration's approach to scientific research. Scientists say the White House puts ideology first. The president's chief science adviser calls the complaints "irrelevant."

Back in 1983, futurists predicted we would have orbiting drug labs and a cure for cancer by now. The year 2010 was seen as the distant, rosy future. Now it is 2010 and we wondered: How did the predictions of futurists turn out?

For the first time, scientists have synthesized DNA in the lab, put it into a cell, which is now growing and multiplying. This means that we're one step closer to creating life. But some bioethicists are asking: Are we playing God? And, more practically, they worry: What happens if artificial organisms leave the lab?

Shock-wave therapy for plantar fasciitis is beginning to catch on around the U.S., partly since this stubborn type of foot pain is so common -- and so difficult to treat. But studies show conflicting results, partly because there's no standardized method.

Statewide and Congressional elections might be a lot more exciting if there was more doubt about who was going to win. Gerrymandering has effectively made it a foregone conclusion in many districts which party is going to win in November. A struggle is underway to get back to a situation where elections are actually competitive, and it all centers on three different initiatives about redistricting.