WUAL - Site Search | Alabama Public Radio

Scientists say that understanding how the cocktail party effect works could help people who have trouble deciphering sounds in a noisy environment. Guests make it look easy at a Dolce and Gabbana Lounge party in London in 2010.

Hear That? In A Din Of Voices, Our Brains Can Tune In To One

Scientists are beginning to understand how people focus on a single voice in a crowded, noisy room. This ability, known as the "cocktail party effect," appears to rely on areas of the brain that have completely filtered out unwanted sounds.

Ten years and $60 billion in taxpayer funds later, Iraq is still so unstable and broken that even its leaders question whether U.S. efforts to rebuild it were worth the cost. That's the finding of a report to Congress by Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

U.S. Spent Too Much In Iraq, Got Little In Return, Watchdog Report Says

Iraqi and U.S. officials interviewed for the report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction said the $60 billion the U.S. spent on reconstruction efforts in Iraq "should have accomplished more." The findings could portend what lies ahead for the U.S. in Afghanistan where it is also engaged in reconstruction.

Auburn Hosts 60 Colleges In Landscape Competition

More than 800 students from 60 colleges will be at Auburn University this weekend for a national event known as the "Landscape Olympics."Auburn's team of…

Governor Bentley Blocked From Signing School Tax Bill

A judge is extending is an order preventing the governor from signing a private school tax credit bill. Circuit Court Judge Charles Price ruled Wednesday…

Alabama inmates have been protesting about facility conditions, overcrowding, parole policies, not being paid for prison jobs and more.

House Panel Says Exclude Some As Youthful Offenders

The House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill to exclude those charged with the most serious crimes from having their cases settled under youthful…

The 'Big Data' Revolution: How Number Crunchers Can Predict Our Lives

Companies and governments have access to an unprecedented amount of digital information, much of it personal: what we buy, what we search for, what we read online. Kenneth Cukier, co-author of the book Big Data, describes how data-crunching is becoming the new norm.

Senate Panel To Consider 4 Gun Control Measures

The bills that would restrict the right to own and sell some guns will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday. It's the most progress gun legislation has made in nearly two decades, in the aftermath of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

Rand Paul Ends Filibuster After Nearly 13 Hours

On Capitol Hill, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul launched a "talking filibuster" a little bit before noon on Wednesday, and he stopped talking shortly before 1 a.m. on Thursday. He was trying to block Senate confirmation of the president's nominee to lead the CIA John Brennan.

Bolshoi Dancer Confesses To Masterminding Attack

In Russia, a prominent dancer with the fabled Bolshoi Ballet has confessed to ordering an attack on the company's director. The director suffered third degree burns after acid was thrown onto his face. For more on the scandals at the Bolshoi, Renee Montagne talks to writer Christina Ezrahi, author of Swans of the Kremlin: Ballet and Power in Soviet Russia.

Will 'Oz The Great And Powerful' Gain Emerald Status?

The newest movie version of The Wizard of Oz, opens this weekend. Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco as the wizard. The movie goes beyond the Technicolor wonder of the famous MGM film to a full-blown 2013 treatment with 3D and surround sound.

Search results for