Animals

Spring Blooms, And So Do The Creepy Crawlies

7:49am April 09, 2013

Springtime means bug time. Michael Raupp, professor of entomology at the University of Maryland, has the story of a big brood of cicadas that is set to emerge up and down the East Coast. We can also expect the largest infestation of stink bugs this year. USDA entomologist Tracy Leskey talks about the bugs with guest host Jacki Lyden.

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African Leopard Tortoise Cashew Was Never Stolen

10:09am April 08, 2013

The National Mississippi River Museum announced last week that Cashew had been stolen. Instead, the animal had gotten wedged behind a museum wall. Embarrassed about losing track of a tortoise, a staff member popped Cashew into the elevator to make it appear she'd been returned by a thief.

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Science

Searching For The Roots of 'Right' And 'Wrong'

4:54pm April 05, 2013

In The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates, primatologist Frans de Waal explores traits like empathy and fairness in our closest relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees, and argues that human morality is not the product of rational thought or religion, but evolved long ago.

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This bacterium-like microbe, Archaeoglobus fulgidus, seen here in a false-color image, can live in the high temperatures found near deep-sea vents. They can also survive by consuming perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel.

Science

Some Deep-Sea Microbes Are Hungry For Rocket Fuel

9:36am April 05, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

Some of the tiniest critters inside the harsh, otherwordly vents at the bottom of sea are unlike almost anything on Earth. They don't need oxygen to thrive — they can use rocket fuel. The discovery is a hint that our planet's first microbes probably sucked up whatever chemicals they could to survive.

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The Buzz On Bees: Why Many Colonies Are Collapsing

2:57pm April 02, 2013

Bees have been dying off in increasing numbers over the past few years. Experts say that habitat loss and disease are the biggest culprits, and some believe that pesticides are to blame. NPR science correspondent Dan Charles explains the possible causes and what is being done to stop this trend.

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European bison, or wisents, keep a safe distance from human visitors to their enclosure on the property of Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in Germany's densely populated state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

German Prince Plans To Put Bison Back In The Wild

5:17pm April 01, 2013

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

The prince's dream of reintroducing European bison, or wisent, into Germany's most densely populated state will soon be reality. It will be the first time in nearly 300 years that these creatures will roam Western Europe. But not everyone is as excited as the prince.

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The Secret Life Of the Sonoran Desert

9:26am March 30, 2013

The Sonoran Desert, which spans some 100,000 square miles in southwestern North America, is one of the most diverse desert ecosystems in the world. Host Ira Flatow and guests discuss some lesser known desert creatures, and explore the secret life of that American southwest icon, the saguaro cactus.

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A rescued manatee suffering from exposure to an algae bloom called red tide in southwest Florida comes up for air as it swims into a critical care tank at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.

National

Algae Bloom Kills Record Number Of Florida Manatees

6:38pm March 28, 2013

by Ashley Lopez

More than 200 manatees have died in Florida's waterways this year from an algae bloom called red tide. The deaths come as wildlife officials try to remove the marine mammal — whose biggest killer is usually boat propellers — from the endangered species list.

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Workers clear honey from dead beehives at a bee farm east of Merced, Calif.

Are Agriculture's Most Popular Insecticides Killing Our Bees?

10:42am March 28, 2013

by Dan Charles

Neonicotinoids are pesticides widely used to coat the seeds of agricultural plants, especially corn. But some evidence suggests these chemicals may also be poisoning bees. A tell-tale clue: reports of massive bee die-offs that all took place during corn-planting season.

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Science

Project Seeks To Bring Extinct Species Back

1:47pm March 22, 2013

Although the gastric brooding frog became extinct in the mid-1980s, the genome of that Australian amphibian species is alive again thanks to modern biotech techniques. Michael Archer, leader of the 'Lazarus Project,' describes early efforts to resurrect extinct species.

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