Science

From 'Short Wave': magnetosphere music, Jupiter's icy moons and a runaway black hole

4:28pm April 20, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Short Wave hosts Regina Barber and Emily Kwong about the music of Earth's magnetosphere, a mission to Jupiter's icy moons, and a potential runaway supermassive black hole.

Lasers can measure mountain snowpack — important data for drought-stricken areas

4:28pm April 20, 2023

by Stephanie Maltarich

Laser technology is being used to more accurately measure mountain snowpack — crucial information for farmers and water managers in drought-stricken areas like the Colorado River Basin.

The seemingly simple act of reaching for a cup of coffee actually activates parts of the brain involved in motion, planning and emotions.

An overlooked brain system helps you grab a coffee — and plan your next cup

3:30pm April 20, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

Researchers have found a system in the brain that seems to integrate control of individual muscles with a person's intentions, emotions and entire body.

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Northern elephant seals can go long stretches with only small naps. Then they crash once they're on shore.

Science

Think you're tired? This animal goes for months with only two hours of sleep a day

2:25pm April 20, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Scientists have learned that northern elephant seals — massive creatures found along the Pacific Coast of North America — cobble together a couple hours of sleep using underwater power naps.

Science

SpaceX rocket explodes shortly after test-flight takeoff in Texas

10:55am April 20, 2023

SpaceX's new stainless-steel rocket named Starship exploded Thursday just four minutes after liftoff. In a statement, the company said, "with a test like this, success comes from what we learn."

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New data shows that an old model of the brain's motor cortex is incomplete

10:37am April 20, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists found evidence of two interleaved systems, which may help explain the connection between what's going on in our bodies and what's going on in brain areas involved in thoughts and emotions.

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The sun and moon are photographed near Exmouth, Australia, during a solar eclipse on Thursday, April 20, 2023. The lucky few in the path of the hybrid solar eclipse will either get plunged into the darkness of a total eclipse or they'll see a "ring of fire" as the sun peeks out from behind the moon.

Viewers in parts of Australia and Indonesia saw this rare hybrid solar eclipse

4:11am April 20, 2023

by The Associated Press

Under a cloudless sky, about 20,000 eclipse chasers watched a rare solar eclipse plunge part of Australia's northwest coast into brief midday darkness Thursday with an accompanying temperature drop.

The drug manufacturer GenBioPro received FDA approval for its generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone — the first dose in a widely-used, two-drug protocol — in 2019.

Generic abortion pill manufacturer sues FDA in effort to preserve access

1:49pm April 19, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

GenBioPro, which makes a generic form of mifepristone, is suing the FDA seeking to preserve access to the drug amidst ongoing federal litigation.

The planet's massive ice sheets are melting as temperatures rise. Scientists are finding that melt is having surprising and far-reaching effects.

The world's melting ice has surprising impacts. Can you guess them?

5:01am April 19, 2023

Melting glaciers and ice sheets are far from where most people live. But the impacts stretch across the planet. See if you can guess how.

Some of the fastest sea level rise in the world is happening in Galveston, Texas.

Why Texans need to know how quickly Antarctica's ice is melting

5:01am April 19, 2023

Ice in Antarctica is melting rapidly. That's driving sea level rise around the world. But some places are threatened more than others, and Texas is in the crosshairs.