NPR News: After Fauci Senate hearing, experts worry about 'chilling effect' on public health

After Fauci Senate hearing, experts worry about 'chilling effect' on public health
The accusations against Dr. Anthony Fauci, once the nation's leading infectious disease expert, have some experts worrying that these events may further erode public health staffing in the U.S.

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NPR News: Here's how 'parasite' went from a laughing matter to a serious biological threat

Here's how 'parasite' went from a laughing matter to a serious biological threat
Odysseus did not face the parasite Cyclospora in his 10-year journey home. But the word "parasite" originated as a popular character trope in Greek literature.

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NPR News: Animal spillover? Lab leak? What the science says about the origins of COVID-19

Animal spillover? Lab leak? What the science says about the origins of COVID-19
The release of Dr. Anthony Fauci's pandemic diaries has rekindled the debate over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Here's how scientists have weighed in.

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NPR News: How to catch this week's meteor showers, despite the full moon

How to catch this week's meteor showers, despite the full moon
Two annual meteor showers are reaching their peak this week. It will be harder to see them this year due to the moon - but an astronomer shared tips with us on how to still view the lights.

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NPR News: In France and Spain, the battle to contain wildfires faces another heatwave

In France and Spain, the battle to contain wildfires faces another heatwave
Authorities in France and Spain say some of their wildfires are mostly contained, but others are blazing on and a new wave of extreme heat is raising fears of more fires to come.

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NPR News: Death toll rises to 18 as rescuers comb through quake rubble in southwestern Japan

Death toll rises to 18 as rescuers comb through quake rubble in southwestern Japan
Soldiers and emergency workers combed through a badly damaged shopping mall and collapsed houses looking for trapped survivors Wednesday after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 18 people, including a foreigner, in southwestern Japan.

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NPR News: Rand Paul released Fauci's pandemic-era 'diary.' Now they'll face off on Capitol Hill

Rand Paul released Fauci's pandemic-era 'diary.' Now they'll face off on Capitol Hill
At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Anthony Fauci is likely to face questions from Sen. Rand Paul related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's what you need to know

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NPR News: Rand Paul releases Anthony Fauci's pandemic-era diary notes. Here's what they tell us

Rand Paul releases Anthony Fauci's pandemic-era diary notes. Here's what they tell us
Sen. Rand Paul has released a tranche of Dr. Anthony Fauci's diary entries from the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci is set to appear before a Senate committee Wednesday on the origins of the coronavirus.

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NPR News: How researchers discovered a new monkey species deep in the rainforest

How researchers discovered a new monkey species deep in the rainforest
In the jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a team of researchers discover a new species of monkey, and form a deep friendship along the way.

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NPR News: France continues to fight devastating wildfires, while progress is made in Spain

France continues to fight devastating wildfires, while progress is made in Spain
In southern France a wildfire in the region of Gironde is still active, while two major fires in central Spain are finally coming under control, ahead of the fourth heat wave of the summer.

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NPR News: Climate change is now threatening a pillar of childhood: summer break

Climate change is now threatening a pillar of childhood: summer break
When summer rolls around, many parents scramble to sign up their young kids for outdoor activities. But what do you do when extreme heat and wildfire smoke increasingly make the outdoors dangerous?

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NPR News: Trump officials herald a 'golden age' of science. Critics say it's a distraction

Trump officials herald a 'golden age' of science. Critics say it's a distraction
White House officials say they are ushering in a new "golden age" of science, with changes to grantmaking and priorities like AI and quantum computing. Democrats say it masks damage to U.S. science.

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NPR News: Video: Scientists watch orcas ram a sunfish so hard it explodes

Video: Scientists watch orcas ram a sunfish so hard it explodes
Marine biologists off of Baja California recorded one orca teeing up another to smash a sunfish into pieces. Scientists say there could be a reason for this behavior — or it could be just for entertainment.

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NPR News: Invasive species cause more harm in the Global South

Invasive species cause more harm in the Global South
Invasive species can wreak havoc on ecosystems. A new study in Science suggests low- and middle-income countries in the Global South experience greater harms.

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NPR News: In a first, Chinese woman wins the prestigious Fields Medal

In a first, Chinese woman wins the prestigious Fields Medal
Despite criticisms of a brain drain from China to the U.S., the awards come at a time when several high-profile Chinese scholars have returned home, some citing an increasingly hostile academic environment in America.

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NPR News: How a Northwest tribe and an endangered sea creature are helping each other

How a Northwest tribe and an endangered sea creature are helping each other
Scientists are starting to reintroduce a 20-legged predator to kelp beds off Washington state after an underwater pandemic nearly wiped it out.

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NPR News: A strange transmissible cancer is spreading through the catfish in this lake

A strange transmissible cancer is spreading through the catfish in this lake
For more than a decade, there's been something fishy going on in a lake that straddles Vermont and the province of Quebec. It involves cancer, a kind of catfish, and — possibly — clues about how tumors metastasize.

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NPR News: Greetings from Jerusalem, whose holy sites host some of the oldest colonies of nesting swifts

Greetings from Jerusalem, whose holy sites host some of the oldest colonies of nesting swifts
The scythe-winged birds have nested in the cracks of the Western Wall and other holy sites in Jerusalem for thousands of years.

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NPR News: Pets need a place to go during wildfire evacuations. This shelter is trying to help

Pets need a place to go during wildfire evacuations. This shelter is trying to help
Evacuees from fire zones often scramble to find shelter for pets, and some are just found wandering. A shelter in Colorado is busy trying to help.

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NPR News: How researchers found a new species of monkey deep in the rainforest

How researchers found a new species of monkey deep in the rainforest
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a team of researchers discovered a new species of monkey and formed deep friendship along the way.

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NPR News: An unlikely hero is saving a telescope from falling to earth

An unlikely hero is saving a telescope from falling to earth
An unprecedented rescue mission is underway to save a valuable space observatory before it burns up in Earth's atmosphere.

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NPR News: An Israeli paraglider tries to save migrating swifts that nest in the Western Wall

An Israeli paraglider tries to save migrating swifts that nest in the Western Wall
Swifts have nested in Jerusalem's Western Wall since biblical times. Now one Israeli paraglider is trying to save them.

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NPR News: What we can learn from the unique smell of wildfire smoke

What we can learn from the unique smell of wildfire smoke
NPR's Adrian Ma speaks with Derek Mallia, professor University of Utah's Department of Atmospheric Sciences, about why wildfire smoke in the northeast has a distinctive smell.

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NPR News: 'Superworms' help scientists with a vexing task: Cleaning animal specimens

'Superworms' help scientists with a vexing task: Cleaning animal specimens
The larvae of a beetle native to South and Central America, the critters are the perfect solution to sticky problem: How to prepare an animal skeleton for scientific use.

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NPR News: Dangerous wildfire smoke continues to blanket parts of the U.S.

Dangerous wildfire smoke continues to blanket parts of the U.S.
Orange skies and heavy smoke covered large parts of the U.S. on Thursday as Canada and Minnesota grapple with wildfires. Hazardous air quality is expected to continue.

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NPR News: Fear and hope in Utah in the shadow of America's largest wildfire

Fear and hope in Utah in the shadow of America's largest wildfire
The biggest wildfire in the country has been threatening Monticello, Utah for more than two weeks. Residents are anxious as it continues creeping closer to town

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NPR News: Cancer disparities researchers say federal funding changes have disrupted their work

Cancer disparities researchers say federal funding changes have disrupted their work
In a survey, 93% of cancer researchers who study disparities said federal policy changes have affected them. Funding is harder to come by and they worry it's slowing progress in their field.

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NPR News: Trump again shrinks Utah national monuments

Trump again shrinks Utah national monuments
President Trump reduced by 90% the size of two national monuments in Utah that were established by Presidents Clinton and Obama.

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NPR News: Environmental groups sue government to stop a big change to the Endangered Species Act

Environmental groups sue government to stop a big change to the Endangered Species Act
By altering the definition of the word "harm" as used by the Endangered Species Act, the Trump administration may limit how wildlife is protected in the United States. Environmental groups are suing.

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NPR News: The White House aims to give political appointees more power over research funding

The White House aims to give political appointees more power over research funding
Under Trump, the Office of Management and Budget has proposed a rule change that would shift authority for grant making to political appointees. Experts say it could negatively affect U.S. science.

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NPR News: Pythons' extreme biology may hold clues for treating human disease

Pythons' extreme biology may hold clues for treating human disease
These snakes can go for months without eating, grow and shrink the size of their hearts and jump start their metabolism on a dime.

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NPR News: EV battery recycling has an economics problem. Colorado has a solution

EV battery recycling has an economics problem. Colorado has a solution
For some electric vehicle batteries, it costs more to recycle them than they're worth. That creates all kinds of problems, which a new Colorado law aims to solve.

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NPR News: Want to own a real T. rex? It could cost you $30 million

Want to own a real T. rex? It could cost you $30 million
The Tyrannosaurus rex fossil known as "Gus" will go up for auction on Tuesday. It's not the first time dinosaur bones have been sold to the highest bidder.

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NPR News: Trump administration rolls back a key protection for imperiled wildlife

Trump administration rolls back a key protection for imperiled wildlife
The Trump administration finalized a rule Friday that changes how agencies enforce the Endangered Species Act. The administration narrowed the definition of "harm" under the landmark law.

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NPR News: This week in science: California wolves, the world's bugs, and the earliest quasars

This week in science: California wolves, the world's bugs, and the earliest quasars
NPR's science podcast Short Wave talks about why wolves are thriving in California, a new estimation of the world's insect species and the universe's earliest quasars.

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NPR News: EPA proposes weakening heavy-duty truck pollution rules

EPA proposes weakening heavy-duty truck pollution rules
The Trump EPA calls Biden-era rules for cutting pollution from heavy trucks "unworkable." The proposed changes have been celebrated by trucking groups and denounced by environmental groups.

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NPR News: A new kind of robot swims the seas and soars the skies

A new kind of robot swims the seas and soars the skies
Inspired by diving birds, roboticists built the lightweight machines to move from water to air. The design may one day lead to robots that can monitor and sample the coastal ocean.

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NPR News: Extreme heat on Independence Day will be America's new normal, experts say

Extreme heat on Independence Day will be America's new normal, experts say
In cities across the U.S., parades were canceled and events were delayed because of the heat. Meanwhile, emergency rooms saw a high number of people with heat-related illnesses.

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NPR News: A rare flower is in a superbloom in the Rocky Mountains

A rare flower is in a superbloom in the Rocky Mountains
Green gentian wildflowers are in a major superbloom in the alpine meadows of Colorado. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to David Inouye, a researcher who has been studying these magnificent flowers for decades.

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NPR News: Scientists are using 'superworms' as a safer, efficient way to clean animal skeletons

Scientists are using 'superworms' as a safer, efficient way to clean animal skeletons
To clean animal skeletons used for research and education, scientists are turning to a new type of beetle larva. These "superworms" provide an efficient solution to a difficult challenge.

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NPR News: Researchers have created a synthetic cell that can adapt and learn survival skills

Researchers have created a synthetic cell that can adapt and learn survival skills
Scientists have created the most advanced synthetic cell yet made in a laboratory. They've dubbed it "Spudcell," echoing Sputnik, the first artificial satellite.

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NPR News: Scientists volunteer their time to document biodiversity in the Smokey Mountains

Scientists volunteer their time to document biodiversity in the Smokey Mountains
Volunteer scientist spend their time tracking living things in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's all part of an important science project.

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NPR News: Lone star ticks are covering much of the U.S. Here's what you need to know

Lone star ticks are covering much of the U.S. Here's what you need to know
It's a tick that hunts you down and transmits a potentially dangerous allergy to red meat. The New Yorker writer Burkhard Bilger discusses the lone star tick and the risks of alpha-gal syndrome.

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