BREAKING NEWS: Science (2)

Taxi, Ambulance Drivers Fare Better With Alzheimer's

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:35:00 +0000

A new study suggests that turning off GPS in the car and instead navigating by your own wits may help stave off Alzheimer's. The study in the British Medical Journal found that taxi drivers and ambulance drivers died of the ailment less than people in other professions, reports HealthDay . Researchers...

National Trust warns UK's most precious heritage at risk from extreme weather

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:09:22 +0000

A blurring of the distinctions between seasons is also a challenge for insects and their predators.

How NASA Astronauts Celebrated Christmas 250 Miles Above Earth

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 23:45:02 +0000

The astronauts on the I.S.S. — including two who were scheduled to return months ago — held a zero-gravity cookie-decorating contest and built a reindeer from storage bags.

This week in science: Carnivorous squirrels, ancient biodiversity and new dog history

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 22:20:45 +0000

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Regina Barber and Jessica Yung of Short Wave about carnivorous squirrels, the history of life on Earth, and new insights into the relationship between people and dogs.

Some whales live more than 100 years, smashing previous life expectancy estimates: Report

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 21:35:13 +0000

A recent report published in Science Advances concluded that most great whale species have an’ unrecognized potential for great longevity’

Bird flu has killed 20 big cats including cougars at a U.S. wildlife sanctuary

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:41:04 +0000

The sanctuary in Washington state said it was working with officials to determine the cause of the outbreak, which has killed over half of its cats in recent weeks.

(Image credit: iStock)

Orca Who Carried Dead Calf Has a New Baby

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:40:00 +0000

She became one of the most famous killer whales in existence for all the wrong reasons, but now Tahlequah is making headlines for happier ones. The orca in Puget Sound first came to the world's attention in 2018 when she carried her dead calf for 17 days across 1,000...

Scientists stunned to find strange ‘alien plant’ that doesn’t belong to any known species

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:39:13 +0000

Findings point to lack of clarity on how diverse ecosystems were before they were lost to time, researchers say

Scientists measure exact speed of human thought and the results are surprising

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:31:19 +0000

Brain processes signals from sensory organs at only about 10 bits per second, researchers say

When Britain used supernatural policemen to hunt down its criminals

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:25:08 +0000

Curse tablets, from a now vanished temple near Uley, are revealing how Romano-Britons dealt with criminals

Revealing the secrets of Britain’s lost world: Archaeologists discover Stone Age artefacts under North Sea

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:02:25 +0000

Archaeologists are recovering Stone Age artefacts from the bottom of the North Sea

Scientists make ‘shocking’ predatory discovery about California’s ground squirrels

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:59:07 +0000

Ravenous California ground squirrels have been hunting and eating rodents for the first time

Human Thought Is Far Slower Than Your Internet Connection

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 10:02:10 +0000

A new study is “a bit of a counterweight to the endless hyperbole about how incredibly complex and powerful the human brain is,” one researcher said.

In Some Doctors’ Offices, the Weigh-In Is No Longer Required

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 10:00:25 +0000

It may be a longstanding practice, but critics say routine weight measurements are driving some patients away from care.

History of the Self: Love

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 08:00:59 +0000

How did love – this thing that's supposed to be beautiful, magical, transformative – turn into a neverending slog? We went searching for answers, and we found them in surprising places. On today's show: a time-hopping, philosophical journey into the origins of modern love. (This episode first ran as Love, Throughline)

To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

Indian Ocean Tsunami Was the Deadliest in History. 20 Years Later, Challenges Still Remain.

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:01:21 +0000

Experts said they were “blind” to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Twenty years later, working toward a world without tsunami deaths is a challenge.

Vegetarian piranha and Leonardo DiCaprio snake among new species named in 2024

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 03:59:14 +0000

A vegetarian piranha from the Amazon and a flying dinosaur found on the Isle of Skye are among the species previously unknown that have been named this year.

Deadline to record forgotten footpaths to be scrapped

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 02:01:02 +0000

Walking campaigners welcome the move, which the government says will help prevent paths from being lost.

Illegal trade booms in South Africa's 'super-strange looking' plants

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 00:47:23 +0000

A biodiversity hotspot has become the stomping ground of poachers.

Snowboarder's death in Swiss Alps avalanche is a reminder that even pros face risk

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 23:50:52 +0000

The death of an Olympic snowboarding athlete is a reminder that even the most skilled and experienced athletes are not immune to the threat of avalanches, and that knowledge is key to staying safe.

(Image credit: Millo Moravski/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

Scientists await signal from spacecraft after historic close encounter with the sun

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 22:52:48 +0000

To get so close, the Parker Solar Probe had to withstand the sun's extreme heat and radiation like no spacecraft before it.

(Image credit: Steve Gribben/AP)

Bird flu kills 20 big cats at US animal sanctuary

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 21:36:59 +0000

The animals - including a Bengal tiger, cougars and bobcats - have died of the virus over the past several weeks.

William Labov, Who Studied How Society Shapes Language, Dies at 97

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:28:56 +0000

He laid the foundation for sociolinguistics, and he showed that structures like class and race shaped speech as much as where someone lives.

Popular 'Decongestant' Will Stop Being Sold

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:29:00 +0000

Changes are coming to the cold and cough aisle of your local pharmacy: US officials are moving to phase out the leading decongestant found in hundreds of over-the-counter medicines, concluding that it doesn't actually relieve nasal congestion, the AP reports. Phenylephrine is used in popular versions of Sudafed, Dayquil, and...

Giant sloths and mastodons lived with humans for millennia in the Americas

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 10:14:21 +0000

Prehistoric sloths were massive creatures with large claws, suggesting early humans in the Americas might have coexisted with them for millennia. New findings from Brazil's Santa Elina site imply ancient humans arrived earlier than previously thought, using sloth bones for tools and ornaments, challenging the theory that humans quickly caused their extinction.

The Animal Celebrities Who Surprised, Soothed and Screamed at Us in 2024

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 10:00:38 +0000

Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, Flaco the escaped eagle-owl, Charlotte the maybe-pregnant stingray — they distracted us from the messy human world but were also clear reflections of it.

Blight destroyed the American chestnut tree. Can scientists bring it back?

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:00:59 +0000

In the early 20th century, a blight fungus wiped out most of the 4 billion American chestnut trees on the eastern seaboard. The loss was ecologically devastating. Short Wave host Emily Kwong dives deep into how scientists are trying to resurrect the American chestnut tree — and recent controversy over a plan to plant genetically modified chestnuts in the wild.

Want to hear about more efforts to recover endangered or lost species? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!

What do insects do all winter?

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:59:19 +0000

Penguins and iceberg-watching: Marking Christmas in Antarctica

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:39:01 +0000

Staff working out in the wilds of Antarctica share their Christmas Day plans.

20 Big Cats Die From Bird Flu at a Washington Sanctuary

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 04:48:20 +0000

More than half of the cats at the sanctuary in Shelton, Wash., died of the virus over the past several weeks.

Nasa makes closest-ever approach to the Sun by a human-made object

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 03:10:58 +0000

Nasa’s Parker Solar Probe reached an unprecedented closeness to the Sun, enduring intense temperatures while its advanced heat shield kept internal instruments cool. The probe's mission aims to deepen our understanding of solar behavior and improve space-weather forecasting, with anticipation growing as scientists await the success confirmation.

What to know about infectious diseases during this holiday season

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 21:28:31 +0000

As friends and family visit, so too do their viruses. What's trending and where? And how can you protect yourself? The Times speaks with Peter Chin-Hong, a UCSF infectious disease doctor.

FDA Raises Alert Level on Costco Egg Recall

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 20:59:23 +0000

The Food and Drug Administration has raised its alert level on a recall of organic eggs sold at Costco to its highest level. In an updated recall notice , the alert is listed as a Class 1, meaning there is a "reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a...

The 12,000-Year-Old Wolves That Ate Like Dogs

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 15:22:01 +0000

Animal remains unearthed in Alaska give clues to how wolves were domesticated.

Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Erupts on Big Island

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:44:13 +0000

Scientists said that the main hazard from the eruption on Monday was increased levels of volcanic gas.

Stonehenge Might Not Be a Calendar After All

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:44:00 +0000

Researchers spoke of the connectivity of Neolithic society in announcing Stonehenge's six-ton altar stone was likely transported at least 460 miles from northeast Scotland to southern England 4,500 years ago. Now, a leading expert says the prehistoric megalithic structure could only have been created with the unity of the...

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Will Attempt the Closest Ever Pass of the Sun’s Surface

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 14:15:04 +0000

The Parker Solar Probe is attempting the closest ever pass of the sun’s surface on Christmas Eve.

That's No Elephant. That's a Mammoth.

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:56:00 +0000

Russian scientists have unveiled what they say is the best-preserved mammoth carcass ever discovered—that of a juvenile dubbed "Yana." The female mammoth, believed to have been about a year old when she died an estimated 50,000 years ago, was discovered this summer in thawing permafrost in Siberia's Yakutia...

Humans May Have Arrived on the Sun's '4-Yard Line'

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:34:14 +0000

Confirmation awaits, but NASA scientists appear to have pulled off a remarkable Christmas Eve voyage on two fronts: The sun: The space agency's Parker Solar Probe by now should have wrapped up a flight to within 3.8 million miles of the sun, the closest any craft has ever come....

Spacecraft attempts closest-ever approach to Sun

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 11:25:47 +0000

The hope is the probe could help us to better understand how the Sun works.

Why scientists say we are fighting H5N1 bird flu with one hand tied behind our backs

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 11:00:09 +0000

When, where and how the H5N1 bird flu virus may evolve and its capacity to spark a pandemic is hard to predict — in part, some researchers say, because of federal restrictions on gain-of-function research.

How hallucinatory AI helps science dream up big breakthroughs

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 10:07:53 +0000

Foreign-born scientists may find it harder to work in U.S. during Trump's 2nd term

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 10:04:47 +0000

H-1B visas, the kind many foreign scientists need to work in the U.S. became harder to get in the first Trump Administration. That's likely to happen again.

Elon Musk Is Creating His Own Texas Town. Hundreds Already Live There.

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 10:03:07 +0000

Employees of SpaceX have filed a formal petition to create the city of Starbase. Its first mayor would be a security manager for the company.

3 new species that were discovered in 2024

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 10:02:52 +0000

Each year, scientists add thousands of new plant and animal species to the scientific record. We learn about three that were added to the list.

2023 was extremely hot. Then came 2024

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000

It's looking like 2024 will be the hottest year since record-keeping began, unseating 2023 for the top spot. Climate change is playing a role, and scientists say it was even hotter than expected.

(Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)

India’s push for indigenous satellites draws 30 aspirants

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 09:22:46 +0000

In a bold move to reduce reliance on foreign Earth observation (EO) data, 30 Indian companies have come together under IN-SPACe's call to build indigenous satellites. From startups like Pixxel to conglomerates like Tata, the initiative highlights India’s push for data sovereignty. The government plans to loan Rs 3.5 billion to kickstart this groundbreaking partnership.

Kids can talk to Santa through Christmas Eve thanks to shortwave radio

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000

On Christmas Eve, scientists at field stations across Antarctica sing carols to one another...via shortwave. On today's episode, the Short Wave podcast explores shortwave radio. We speak with space physicist and electrical engineer Nathaniel Frissell about this Antarctic Christmas Carol tradition and his use of shortwave radio for community science.

Read more about Santa Net, which connects children (known in the shortwave radio community as "little harmonics") with Santa.

Want more tech stories? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!

Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.

(Image credit: John Brown)

World's most expensive Indo-US NISAR satellite likely to be launched in March: Nasa

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 22:02:56 +0000

Nasa announced that NISAR, the advanced earth observation satellite developed by India and the US, is set to launch in March 2025. With dual-frequency radar, NISAR will monitor planetary changes with precision, aiding in climate change understanding and disaster response. It will provide high-resolution images and track surface changes, benefiting global natural resource management.

NSF Graduate Research Fellows: Saving tigers, studying cancer and keeping park visitors safe at night

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:59:07 +0000

The U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) funds graduate student education across the country, helping them pursue their dreams, build their STEM career skills and do some very cool science. A genetic…