Science

Science

A sweeping new study sheds light on butterflies' origins

8:46am May 16, 2023

by Ari Daniel

A new study finds that butterflies probably originated in North or Central America around 100 million years ago. (Story originally aired on All Things Considered on May 15, 2023.)

Science

A sweeping new study sheds light on butterflies' origins

4:43pm May 15, 2023

by Ari Daniel

A new study finds that butterflies probably originated in North or Central America around 100 million years ago.

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Science

A sulfur cave in Colorado is a site of scientific discovery

4:43pm May 15, 2023

In Steamboat Springs, Colorado, there's a rare sulfur cave where people are normally forbidden to go. But Aaron Scott, the co-host of NPR's science podcast Short Wave, recently got a chance to go in.

Science

Why hammerhead sharks 'hold their breath' in deeper, colder waters

5:10am May 15, 2023

by Geoff Brumfiel

Research shows some hammerhead sharks hold their breath when diving deep under water. They do it to keep their bodies from getting too cold. (Story aired on All Things Considered on May 11, 2023.)

Fake studies in academic journals may be more common than previously thought

8:02am May 14, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with neuropsychologist Bernhard Sabel about his study estimating that more medical papers may be made up or plagiarized than previously thought.

A poster in Kolkata, India, from peak pandemic days sends a message to mask up. Now that the official COVID-19 global emergency is no longer in effect, some folks are thrilled to stop masking — but others wonder if it's a good idea to keep up certain precautions.

Coronavirus FAQ: 'Emergency' over! Do we unmask and grin? Or adjust our worries?

4:46pm May 12, 2023

by Fran Kritz

Now that official COVID emergency declarations have ended, how should people evaluate their risk of SARS-CoV-2? That's the subject of our frequently asked questions offering.

Scalloped hammerhead sharks can dive to depths of more than 2,600 ft (800 m) to hunt for squid and other food.

Science

Hammerhead sharks 'hold their breath' in deeper, colder waters, research shows

4:29pm May 11, 2023

Sharks are ectotherms and their internal body temperatures usually reflect the waters they swim in. Holding their breath helps them function in the frigid deep.

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This artist's impression shows a hazy sub-Neptune-sized planet recently observed with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Science

The James Webb Space Telescope reveals a mysterious planet to be weirdly shiny

4:39pm May 10, 2023

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Astronomers pointed the James Webb Space Telescope at a common kind of planet that's bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. What they saw wasn't what they expected.

Pando began with a single seed and now contains over 40,000 "stems."

Science

Listen to one of the largest trees in the world

4:39pm May 10, 2023

by Ari Daniel

A sound artist set out to capture the acoustic wonder of a famed swath of quaking aspens. It's one of the largest trees on the planet, known as Pando.

Construction workers build along State Road 836 in 2018 in Miami. HB 1191 would compel the Florida Transportation Department to study using phosphogypsum in paving projects.

Florida lawmakers want to use radioactive material to pave roads

12:54pm May 09, 2023

by Bill Chappell

Phosphogypsum, a byproduct in the fertilizer industry, contains uranium and radium — and as the EPA notes, it also forms radon, "a cancer-causing, radioactive gas."