Somali immigrants living in Minneapolis, Minnesota are finding that an increasing number of their children have autism. Is it random coincidence, or evidence of a larger epidemic? New York Times global health reporter Donald McNeil joins The Takeaway to report.

Check out McNeil's story on the cases, An Outbreak of Autism, or a Statistical Fluke? in today's Science Times.

For more, watch this report and follow the story in The Huffington Post and in The MinnPost.

If you knew where all the energy zooming into your house was being used and wasted, would you change the way you consume power? One company is banking on it. Our Power Trip heads to Redwood City, California to talk to Joe Polastre, CTO and co-founder of Sentilla. The company has invented an unassuming rectangular box that tracks —dollar by dollar, watt by watt—how much energy the appliances in your home are using. Clothes dryers and air conditioners beware: your energy guzzling ways are secrets no more.

Energy experts have a theory: It won't be a fancy new technology straight out of a science fiction novel that will help us reduce our energy consumption. Rather it will be something simple, sleek, a mere re-design if you will. The concept that will slow down how much energy we eat? Energy efficiency. Some energy efficient products are already out there—CFL lightbulbs and Energy Star refrigerators. Others are in the pipeline. As part of The Takeaway's Power Trip energy series, John Hockenberry heads to Novato, California, where some wacky guys are using the human lung to create better air conditioners.

Last night, the Senate voted to delay the nationwide transition from analog to digital television, opting to push it back from February 17th until June 12th. But reporter Tekla Perry says timing is not the issue: technology is. Perry, a senior editor at the trade publication "IEEE Spectrum," explains that it'll take millions of Americans more than a delay, a government coupon, and $40 box to give their TV a digital upgrade. She joins the show to offer advice on how to make the transition without missing Sweeps week.

For more, read IEEE Spectrum's blog posts Will A Delayed Analog TV Shutdown Fix the Transition? Not Likely and CES 2009: Analog TV Shutdown: Get on with it already!

It’s said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For Ryan Bowen, it began with a single thought: I’m too broke to fly from Los Angeles to D.C. for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. Undeterred, Bowen decided to bike across the country. And he’s made it. The Takeaway is joined by writer and cycling activist Ryan Bowen.

Follow Ryan's journey on his video blog: