NPR News: Craig Venter, pioneering human genome decoder, dies at 79

Craig Venter, pioneering human genome decoder, dies at 79
Pioneering scientist J. Craig Venter has died at 79. His "whole genome shotgun method" helped genome sequencing become faster and cheaper.

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NPR News: How Trump's EPA head has transformed the agency — and sided with polluters

How Trump's EPA head has transformed the agency — and sided with polluters
New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert says EPA chief Lee Zeldin has rescinded regulations, cut or eliminated departments and terminated the jobs of many scientists. Trump calls Zeldin "our secret weapon."

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NPR News: Like soap operas, 75 feet up: How bald eagle nest cams hook online communities

Like soap operas, 75 feet up: How bald eagle nest cams hook online communities
Across the country, some 50 bald eagle nests fitted with cameras broadcast up-close views of raptor family life. Every spring, as eggs hatch and eaglets grow, these cameras rake in millions of views.

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NPR News: Could this conference be a 'turning point' for the world's use of fossil fuels?

Could this conference be a 'turning point' for the world's use of fossil fuels?
Against the backdrop of an energy crisis and a warming planet, more than 50 countries have come to Santa Marta, Colombia, to discuss concrete ways to phase out oil, gas, and coal.

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NPR News: Scientists see Trump's firing of the National Science Board as an attack on research

Scientists see Trump's firing of the National Science Board as an attack on research
The move follows an administration push for cuts to the NSF and raises concerns in the scientific community that it could jeopardize a tradition of independent decisions about federal science grants.

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NPR News: Lawsuits accuse State Farm of secretly working to cut insurance payouts

Lawsuits accuse State Farm of secretly working to cut insurance payouts
Lawsuits allege that State Farm tries to avoid paying what it owes for hail damage. The litigation is happening as homeowners face soaring insurance costs, partly due to threats from climate change.

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NPR News: What baby teeth reveal about developing baby brains

What baby teeth reveal about developing baby brains
A new study examined baby teeth and found there are critical windows early in a child's life when their developing brains are particularly vulnerable to exposures to metals in the environment.

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NPR News: Why rattlesnake bites are on the rise in California

Why rattlesnake bites are on the rise in California
California sees maybe one fatal rattlesnake bite a year. So far this year, there've been three.

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NPR News: A free diver visited the Strait of Hormuz. Here's what he saw

A free diver visited the Strait of Hormuz. Here's what he saw
The Strait of Hormuz is being blockaded. But a couple weeks ago, one small boat visited and found something surprising below the waves.

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NPR News: A fast-growing Georgia wildfire tops 31 square miles, with evacuations possible

A fast-growing Georgia wildfire tops 31 square miles, with evacuations possible
One of two large wildfires in southeastern Georgia continues to grow and now exceeds 31 square miles.

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NPR News: Former MIT president says the US is losing the innovation race to China

Former MIT president says the US is losing the innovation race to China
NPR's Rob Schmitz speaks with L. Rafael Reif, former president of MIT, about his recent essay in Foreign Affairs, "America Is Losing the Innovation Race: Why the Future of Science Might Be Chinese."

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NPR News: Before sci-fi was everywhere, this pioneering magazine championed 'scientifiction'

Before sci-fi was everywhere, this pioneering magazine championed 'scientifiction'
The name didn't stick. The fan communities did.

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NPR News: Some Planned Parenthood clinics are using Botox to smooth over federal cuts

Some Planned Parenthood clinics are using Botox to smooth over federal cuts
After President Trump and Congress cut certain Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood in last year's budget, some clinics have started offering aesthetic services, including Botox, to stay afloat.

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NPR News: A real-life Kraken stalked the seas of the late Cretaceous

A real-life Kraken stalked the seas of the late Cretaceous
Researchers discovered evidence of enormous Kraken-like creatures who hunted in the seas some 100 million years ago, competing with large apex predators.

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NPR News: 'Self-aware' robots can learn complex tasks by watching humans. Is that a good thing?

'Self-aware' robots can learn complex tasks by watching humans. Is that a good thing?
Scientists say they've made a key breakthrough that would allow robots to figure out complex tasks on their own — but experts say it raises questions about how much risk comes with letting robots be in charge of their own learning. 

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NPR News: In cities, wild things are hiding everywhere — if you put on your 'nature eyes'

In cities, wild things are hiding everywhere — if you put on your 'nature eyes'
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Amy Jaecker-Jones of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County about a worldwide community science project happening this weekend — the City Nature Challenge.

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NPR News: Sycophantic AI flatters and suggests you are not to blame

Sycophantic AI flatters and suggests you are not to blame
The AI models and chatbots that we interact with tend to affirm our feelings and viewpoints — more so than people do, with potentially worrisome consequences.

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NPR News: Caracas' iconic macaws threatened by vanishing palm trees

Caracas' iconic macaws threatened by vanishing palm trees
In the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, flocks of colorful macaws that once brightened city skies now face disappearing nest sites — and with them, a unique urban bond.

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NPR News: Instead of civil war, a naked mole rat colony changed queens peacefully

Instead of civil war, a naked mole rat colony changed queens peacefully
These matriarchal rodents often have bloody succession wars to replace their queen. But in a colony in California, Queen Tere ceded the throne to her daughter, Arwen, without violence.

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NPR News: Animal activists celebrate their first global 'Sanctuary Day'

Animal activists celebrate their first global 'Sanctuary Day'
It's been 40 years since animal advocates founded a sanctuary for farm animals in New York and California, and they say April 17 is their first global sanctuary day.

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NPR News: A mine despoiled the beauty of the rainforest. This Goldman Prize winner took action

A mine despoiled the beauty of the rainforest. This Goldman Prize winner took action
"We women are the land guardians and keepers," says Theonila Roka Matbob of Papua New Guinea, recognized for her efforts to repair the environmental and social harms caused by a copper and gold mine.

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NPR News: The Little Probe That Could: Why Voyager 1 Matters, and Why NASA Just Switched Part of It Off

The Little Probe That Could: Why Voyager 1 Matters, and Why NASA Just Switched Part of It Off
This week, NASA announced it had shut down one of that spacecraft's remaining science instruments — not because the mission has failed, but to keep it alive a little longer.

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NPR News: Photos: How overfishing in Southeast Asia is an ecological and human crisis

Photos: How overfishing in Southeast Asia is an ecological and human crisis
A rare look at one of the world's most critical and understudied environmental crises. Southeast Asia produces more than half of the world's fish, yet its waters are among the most depleted and contested.

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NPR News: How a Japanese poet's diary helps scientists reconstruct solar cycles

How a Japanese poet's diary helps scientists reconstruct solar cycles
Researchers used a Japanese poet's diary to track solar events that took place over 800 years ago.

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NPR News: This week in science: Small talk, more human lobster killing, and an ancient flood

This week in science: Small talk, more human lobster killing, and an ancient flood
NPR's Short Wave team talks about the surprising benefits of small talk, more humane ways to kill lobsters, and an ancient flood that may have helped create the Grand Canyon.

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NPR News: How seals' whiskers make them master underwater hunters

How seals' whiskers make them master underwater hunters
Their sensitive facial hair may be the harbor seals superpower for tracking fish, scientists are learning.

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NPR News: New species of glass frog identified in Ecuador

New species of glass frog identified in Ecuador
A new type of glass frog has been discovered in Ecuador, and researchers have named it after weightlifter Neisi Dajomes, the first Ecuadorian woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

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NPR News: In the brain, objects seen and imagined follow the same neural path

In the brain, objects seen and imagined follow the same neural path
New evidence finds that sight and imagination rely on the same neurons and use the same neural code.

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NPR News: What a chimpanzee 'civil war' can teach us about how societies fall apart

What a chimpanzee 'civil war' can teach us about how societies fall apart
A long-term study of the world's largest known community of chimpanzees has documented a rare event: what the researchers describe as the primate equivalent of a "civil war."

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NPR News: The real space science behind 'Project Hail Mary'

The real space science behind 'Project Hail Mary'
The science fiction blockbuster wowed audiences with its depiction of space travel and more. Here's what NASA staff and other scientists say about the basis for the amazing events of the film.

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NPR News: Artemis II mission inspires the next generation of space scientists

Artemis II mission inspires the next generation of space scientists
Most of the world's population was not alive during the days of the Apollo moon program. What do young people make of this latest moonshot?

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NPR News: After a whirlwind mission to the moon, astronauts are back home. Here's what's next

After a whirlwind mission to the moon, astronauts are back home. Here's what's next
The Orion crew module containing the four Artemis II astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Friday evening.

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NPR News: After more than 9 days in flight, NASA's Artemis II is set to return to Earth

After more than 9 days in flight, NASA's Artemis II is set to return to Earth
The four astronauts on NASA's Artemis II lunar mission are set to return to Earth Friday evening. The crew is wrapping up a journey around the moon with a planned splashdown off San Diego, Calif.

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NPR News: WATCH LIVE: Artemis II astronauts return to Earth

WATCH LIVE: Artemis II astronauts return to Earth
The four astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis II mission are about to plunge through the atmosphere toward Earth, after a successful visit to the moon.

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NPR News: Artemis II astronauts are set to return to Earth today. Here's what to expect

Artemis II astronauts are set to return to Earth today. Here's what to expect
After swooping around the moon, viewing an eclipse, breaking an Apollo distance record and testing out a space toilet, NASA's Artemis II mission is about to return to Earth. Here's what the astronauts must face to make it safely home.

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NPR News: A new study helps explain how the brain creates mental images

A new study helps explain how the brain creates mental images
A new study finds that looking at something and imagining it triggers the same exact process in the brain. It's also very similar to the process artificial intelligence uses to create an image.

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NPR News: Artemis II astronauts have fitness lessons for everyone

Artemis II astronauts have fitness lessons for everyone
The Artemis II astronauts don't have a lot of space to exercise. That's why they've got the flywheel — a small device that can be used for strength and cardio workouts.

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NPR News: A 500 million year old fossil could change what we understand about spiders

A 500 million year old fossil could change what we understand about spiders
Pincers found on a tiny fossil that lived 500 million years ago could change how scientists understand the origin of spiders.

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NPR News: NASA's Artemis II astronauts ready for their close-up view of the Moon

NASA's Artemis II astronauts ready for their close-up view of the Moon
Monday is an important day on NASA's Artemis II mission. The crew is preparing for its lunar flyby and setting a record along the way: the farthest that humans have ventured in space.

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NPR News: Astronauts suggest naming a moon crater 'Carroll' after their commander's late wife

Astronauts suggest naming a moon crater 'Carroll' after their commander's late wife
The Artemis II crew, led by Reid Wiseman, was the first to lay eyes on several craters on the far side of the moon. The astronauts want to name one of them after Carroll Wiseman, who died of cancer in 2020.

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NPR News: Photos: NASA releases first images from moon flyby

Photos: NASA releases first images from moon flyby
During the mission's loop around the moon, the crew took geological observations of places of interest on the lunar surface using their own eyes and snapping thousands of photos of the surface.

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NPR News: Artemis II astronauts swung by the moon, broke an Apollo record, and saw an eclipse

Artemis II astronauts swung by the moon, broke an Apollo record, and saw an eclipse
The NASA moon mission completed several key milestones as its crew looped around the lunar body. It's expected to splash down on Earth on Friday.

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NPR News: What can Artemis II astronauts see that satellites haven't captured?

What can Artemis II astronauts see that satellites haven't captured?
The astronauts on Artemis II will observe parts of the moon rarely seen by human eyes. A NASA planetary scientist said it will offer a vital perspective for lunar research.

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NPR News: NASA's Artemis II crew readies for Monday's lunar flyby. Here's what you need to know

NASA's Artemis II crew readies for Monday's lunar flyby. Here's what you need to know
At its closest point, the crew of Artemis II will loop about 4,000 miles from the lunar surface late Monday. The astronauts will also venture farther into space than any previous human mission.

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NPR News: These rock-climbing fish can shimmy up a 50-foot waterfall

These rock-climbing fish can shimmy up a 50-foot waterfall
New research from the Democratic Republic of Congo offers a behavioral and anatomical portrait of a species that can achieve surprising athletic feats.

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NPR News: NASA's Artemis II crew are quite the photographers. See what they've snapped so far

NASA's Artemis II crew are quite the photographers. See what they've snapped so far
Many of the photos that have come out of the moon mission so far were taken by crew members. NASA says the crew is getting guidance from scientists on what to capture when they get closer to the moon.

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NPR News: What's so cool about the far side of the moon? A NASA Artemis II scientist explains

What's so cool about the far side of the moon? A NASA Artemis II scientist explains
NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with NASA's Kelsey Evans Young, the Artemis science flight operations lead, about the rigors of space and the lunar slingshot to get home.

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NPR News: Big tech's next move is to put data centers in space. Can it work?

Big tech's next move is to put data centers in space. Can it work?
In orbit, power is free. But everything else is expensive.

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NPR News: This week in science: How much exercise you need, flu resistance and fortified food

This week in science: How much exercise you need, flu resistance and fortified food
NPR's science podcast Short Wave brings us stories on food fortification, why some people don't seem to get the flu, and a study on how much vigorous exercise you really need.

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NPR News: Artemis II's journey to the moon is just getting started. Here's what to expect

Artemis II's journey to the moon is just getting started. Here's what to expect
Astronauts are now heading to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Here's what they have planned over the course of their nearly 10-day flight.

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NPR News: EPA flags microplastics, pharmaceuticals as chemicals of concern in drinking water

EPA flags microplastics, pharmaceuticals as chemicals of concern in drinking water
There's been a lot of public is concerned about health risks from the chemicals, especially from the Make America Healthy Again movement. The agency's move doesn't in itself guarantee regulation.

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NPR News: Scientists' efforts to free whale stuck in the Baltic Sea cause online firestorm

Scientists' efforts to free whale stuck in the Baltic Sea cause online firestorm
German scientists face a social media firestorm as they try to save a humpback whale in the Baltic Sea.

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NPR News: Study links falling for corporate buzzwords with poor decision-making

Study links falling for corporate buzzwords with poor decision-making
NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with Shane Littrell of Cornell University, whose new study concludes that those who buy into corporate jargon may actually be worse at their jobs.

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NPR News: The oil industry is betting big on plastics. Here's what that means for the future

The oil industry is betting big on plastics. Here's what that means for the future
Journalist Beth Gardiner says the fossil fuel industry is increasingly reliant upon plastic products. Her book is Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet.

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NPR News: NASA's Artemis II astronauts are hours away from moon launch. Watch it here

NASA's Artemis II astronauts are hours away from moon launch. Watch it here
NASA's Artemis II mission aims to send four astronauts around the moon on a roughly 10-day journey that could help pave the way toward a future lunar landing.

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