BREAKING NEWS: Science (2)

Trump Is Freezing Money for Clean Energy. Republican States Have the Most to Lose.

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:55:38 +0000

About 80 percent of manufacturing investments spurred by a Biden-era climate law have flowed to Republican districts. Efforts to stop federal payments are already causing pain.

The Search for the Original Silly Goose in the Fossil Record

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:59:21 +0000

Some paleontologists think that fossils recovered from Antarctica are evidence of birds similar to modern geese and ducks that lived alongside the dinosaurs.

Corpse Flowers Are Blooming Like Mad in Australia

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:11:00 +0000

A rare bloom with a pungent odor like decaying flesh has opened in the Australian capital in the nation's third such extraordinary flowering in as many months, the AP reports. The corpse flower, also known by its scientific name, amorphophallus titanium, bloomed for the first time in its 15 years...

A leading pediatrician was already worried about the future of vaccines. Then RFK Jr. came along

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:00:05 +0000

The best and the worst thing about vaccination, pediatrician Dr.

Can sunlight really make you sneeze? Read more to know the surprising reason behind this occurrence

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 10:33:52 +0000

Photic sneeze reflex, officially known as ACHOO syndrome, causes sudden sneezes when exposed to bright light. This reflex affects up to 35% of people and is linked to the crossing of optic and trigeminal nerves. While harmless, wearing sunglasses or managing allergies can reduce symptoms. Genetic and environmental factors influence its occurrence.

This simple solution can break down forever chemicals

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 10:19:29 +0000

Solution is cheaper and more sustainable, researchers say

Trump Killed a Major Report on Nature. They’re Trying to Publish It Anyway.

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 10:02:07 +0000

The first full draft of the assessment, on the state of America’s land, water and wildlife, was weeks from completion. The project leader called the study “too important to die.”

The Physicians Really Are Healing Themselves, With Ozempic

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 10:00:36 +0000

At cardiology conferences and diabetes meetings, doctors can’t help noticing that thin seems to be very in.

Scientists grow human-like teeth in pigs

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 08:58:40 +0000

Scientists have grown human-like teeth in a pig's mouth. The research could lead to replacement teeth for people that are stronger than caps, crowns or implants.

Subsidies halved for controversial Drax power station

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 08:49:58 +0000

The government has agreed a new subsidy arrangement with the controversial wood-burning Drax power station in north Yorkshire.

What are 'mirror cells' and why do some scientists warn against creating them?

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 08:00:59 +0000

For people with two hands, one is usually dominant. On a molecular level, life takes this to the extreme. All of the DNA in earthly living things twists to the right, whereas the protein building blocks favor a kind of left-handed chemistry. But in recent years, scientists have worked toward a kind of mirror version of life. The technology to make mirror life likely won't exist for at least a decade. Still, a group of concerned scientists published a 299-page technical report calling for a stop to the science. New York Times science columnist Carl Zimmer explains how a mirror microbe could wreak havoc on life on Earth in the future.

Check out the full technical report and Carl's full article.

Curious about other controversial research? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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Early Europeans celebrated victory in war by eating their enemies’ brains, cave fossils show

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 07:53:48 +0000

Demographic expansion after Last Glacial Maximum may have led to conflicts

Family astonished at landing 100kg marlin near Kāpiti Island

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 04:39:22 +0000

A family fishing trip off the Kapiti Coast landed something a little heftier than snapper.

Oxford scientists achieve teleportation with quantum supercomputer

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 03:12:51 +0000

Breakthrough brings quantum computing closer to large-scale practical use

See Spot run: Photos from a historic Puppy Bowl

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 01:45:27 +0000

The pups from Team Fluff weren't the only winners. See freeze-frame highlights from the 21st edition of the Puppy Bowl.

(Image credit: Ryan Muir)

Weather: Risk of flooding, slips amid potential severe thunderstorms over North Island

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 22:37:21 +0000

People across the Central North Island are being warned of more thunderstorm action today.

Only 20 Red Wolves Exist in Wild. A New Plan May Help

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 21:45:00 +0000

Hunters were once the greatest human threat to the country's only unique wolf species. Today, it's motorists. That fact was brought home last June, when red wolf breeding male No. 2444 was struck and killed on US 64 near Manns Harbor, North Carolina. His death likely meant five pups he'd...

Chandrayaan-3 landing site is estimated to be 3.7 billion years old: Scientists

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 21:37:37 +0000

Indian scientists have determined that the landing site where the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft touched down in 2023 is about 3.7 billion years old. The geological map of the site, known as 'Shiv Shakti' point, offers new insights into the Moon's history and enhances the significance of the mission.

A Sweeping Ban on D.E.I. Language Roils the Sciences

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 20:10:48 +0000

President Trump’s executive order is altering scientific exploration across a broad swath of fields, even beyond government agencies, researchers say.

Camera Catches Rare Black Wolves

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Two rare black wolves, likely siblings, were spotted on camera crossing a stream in a Polish forest, a conservation organization said Sunday. The unusual sighting, captured on a video camera set up by SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland project coordinator Joanna Toczydlowska, has prompted the organization to collect scat (droppings)...

A Swearing Expert Discusses the State of Profanity

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 15:37:33 +0000

Timothy Jay, a scholar in the science of swearing, has a few choice words about why we curse and how to cut back (if you want to).

Anonymous Investor Wants Us to Live Under the Sea

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 15:30:00 +0000

Some rich folks think the future of human habitation is on Mars . But at least one deep-pocketed investor suggests an alternative is right here on Earth—under the sea. The Guardian explores an ambitious project known as Deep underway in Wales. It's being funded by a single anonymous investor, with...

Scientists have some novel ideas to save the ice caps. Here are the most out-of-the-box suggestions

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 14:07:42 +0000

Scientists say glacier engineering could be a potential stopgap as the Earth passes a critical climate milestone. Others aren’t as convinced

Searching the entire sky for the secrets to our universe

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000

A new telescope could launch as early as late February. SPHEREx will look into deep space and also search for organic molecules.

(Image credit: BAE Systems/NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The County's Landfills Are Full. A $1.5B Solution Is Divisive

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 11:30:00 +0000

On its face it sounds promising: a $1.5 billion garbage incinerator that could power 70,000 homes, pollute less than the incinerators of old did, and, reportedly, not smell. Promising enough that Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava suggested it as the best path forward for the county, whose...

A pivotal senator says he extracted vaccine concessions from RFK Jr. How will that play out?

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 11:00:17 +0000

Sen. Bill Cassidy's intent to serve as a bulwark against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine skepticism may be sincere. But if Kennedy becomes the nation's top health official, Cassidy will have limited power.

How Much Does a Dog’s Breed Affect Its Health and Behavior?

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 10:00:15 +0000

Here’s what scientists have learned about how a dog’s breed affects its health and behavior.

Nasa finds rare ‘bullseye’ galaxy with 9 star-filled rings, 250,000 light-years wide

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 09:41:48 +0000

Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has captured LEDA 1313424, a galaxy with nine star-filled rings, the most ever detected, resulting from an impact with a smaller blue dwarf galaxy. This unique discovery was made by Yale doctoral student Imad Pasha. The galaxy is 250,000 light-years wide, twice the size of the Milky Way, with rings forming like ripples in water.

NIH cuts put medical research at risk, scientists say, raising concerns at UC and elsewhere

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 07:41:37 +0000

Drastic cuts to National Institutes of Health 'indirect funds' for medical research has prompted deep concerns at UC over how to continue studies into 'life-saving treatments.'

Susan F. Wood, Who Quit F.D.A. Over Contraception Pill Delay, Dies at 66

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 03:53:13 +0000

She left the agency saying politics had slowed the approval of the morning-after pill for over-the-counter use. Her resignation drew national attention.

With Aid Cutoff, Trump Severs a Lifeline for Millions

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 03:39:57 +0000

Shock and grief rippled through the health community as lifelines for care were abruptly severed.

SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites from Florida

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 22:03:23 +0000

SpaceX on Saturday launched 21 more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station into lower Earth orbit on a sunny afternoon after the private company's plans to fly Friday were scrubbed.

Underwater Volcano Inflating 'Like a Balloon' Will Blow 'Soon'

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 21:55:00 +0000

Over the last eight centuries, a huge underwater volcano 300 miles off the coast of what's now Oregon has erupted dozens of times, its last outburst registered a decade ago. Now, researchers predict another eruption "soon" from the massive Axial Seamount, though they stress that we don't really have to...

'It's Horrible,' Resident Says of Stream Turned Blood Red

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Residents of a suburb of Buenos Aires are waiting for answers about why a stream that flows through their neighborhood suddenly turned crimson red. Images and videos posted on social media show the change that occurred Thursday in the Sarandí stream on its way to an estuary, the Rio de...

Scientists Solve Perplexing Question About Sea Turtles

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 17:00:00 +0000

Using satellite trackers, scientists have discovered the whereabouts of young sea turtles during a key part of their lives. For decades, scientists have wondered about what happens during the so-called lost years between when tiny hatchlings leave the beach and when they return to coastlines nearly grown—a span of...

NIH announces new funding policy that rattles medical researchers

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 16:45:51 +0000

The National Institutes of Health has dramatically changed its grant-making terms by limiting how much it will disperse for costs such as equipment and administration.

(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

A Toilet Helps Solve a Bayeux Tapestry Mystery

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Even if you can't recall the particulars of the story it tells, you're likely familiar with the Bayeux Tapestry, which recounts the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. That's when William, Duke of Normandy, challenged Harold Godwinson, England's last Anglo-Saxon King, for the throne—and won. The 230-foot tapestry is...

"I don't think we're stuck up here...": Sunita Williams after nearly a year in space says she still feels at home

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 11:25:02 +0000

Two NASA astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, have been on the ISS for nearly ten months due to technical issues with their Starliner return capsule. Despite the extended mission and initial setbacks, the astronauts remained productive, conducting crucial maintenance and scientific research. Their optimistic outlook highlights the importance of their extended stay on the space station.

During fires, L.A. burn centers braced for crisis that never came

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 11:00:11 +0000

When the fires erupted Jan. 7, burn centers across the Los Angeles region braced for an influx of patients, updating one another on the beds and staff available for critically injured people.

These researchers have found a scientifically perfect way to cook eggs

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

An Italian study published this week has found the way to cook a perfect egg — you'll just need to spend 32 minutes to make it happen.

(Image credit: Veni vidi... shoot)

Why the Odds of an Asteroid Striking Earth in 2032 Keep Going Up (and Down)

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 10:02:29 +0000

NASA and European scientists explain how they calculate the probability of the space rock 2024 YR4 impacting our planet, and why it’s not yet time to worry.

San Mateo County cat diagnosed with bird flu as CDC deletes evidence on possible feline-human transmission

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 23:56:20 +0000

San Mateo County public health officials reported finding H5N1 bird flu in a pet cat and a backyard poultry flock.

In Greenland, the Ice Doesn’t Just Flow, It Quivers and Quakes

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 19:57:59 +0000

By using a fiber-optic cable to detect tiny vibrations a mile below the surface, scientists discovered a surprising way that ice sheets move.

A Fungus That Turns Spiders Into Zombies Is a Discovery to Haunt Your Nightmares

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:52:43 +0000

A BBC documentary crew in Northern Ireland stumbled upon a fungus that hijacks spiders in an arachnid version of “The Last of Us.”

'Unprecedented': White House moves to control science funding worry researchers

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:37:49 +0000

If the Trump administration continues targeting DEI in science and seeking to slash funding, American science will look fundamentally different.

(Image credit: Bryan Allen/Getty Images)

How a Leftist Activist Group Helped Torpedo a Psychedelic Therapy

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 17:22:55 +0000

The fallout from the F.D.A.’s rejection of MDMA-assisted treatment for PTSD worries researchers and experts who fear other psychedelic drugs in the pipeline could be jeopardized.

SpaceX set to launch 21 Starlink satellites Saturday after delay

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 16:49:43 +0000

SpaceX will launch a new round of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station into lower Earth orbit on Saturday afternoon after its plans to fly on Friday were scrubbed.

Dozens of Clinical Trials Have Been Frozen in Response to Trump’s USAID Order

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:57:32 +0000

The stop-work order on U.S.A.I.D.-funded research has left thousands of people with experimental drugs and devices in their bodies, with no access to monitoring or care.

Surgeons Transplant Engineered Pig Kidney Into Fourth Patient

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:58:05 +0000

A 66-year-old man from New Hampshire became the fourth person to receive a pig’s kidney.

February or April? Experts warn of disappearing seasons amid climate shifts

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:08:11 +0000

India is seeing January temperatures akin to early spring, marking January 2024 the third-warmest on record. The lack of winter rainfall raises concerns, with experts attributing the shifting seasons to climate change. This trend impacts agriculture, biodiversity, and traditional spring celebrations, with northern regions particularly dry and temperatures above normal.