Science

A recent deep sea expedition in the Indian Ocean revealed a plethora of new species

5:59pm February 01, 2023

Yi-Kai Tea recently returned from a 35-day expedition to explore the deep seas surrounding a new marine park in the Indian Ocean. They gathered thousands of specimens.

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility in March 2022.

The once-in-a-lifetime green comet threatens FOMO sufferers everywhere tonight

5:02pm February 01, 2023

by Manuela López Restrepo

For one night only! Meet C/2022 E3 (her friends call her the green comet for short).

In this photo provided by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, its members search for a radioactive capsule believed to have fallen off a truck being transported on a freight route on the outskirts of Perth, Australia, on Saturday.

A tiny radioactive capsule was lost on a 700-mile stretch of highway in Australia

4:57pm January 31, 2023

by Joe Hernandez

The round, silver capsule — measuring roughly a quarter of an inch wide by a third of an inch tall — is believed to have been lost somewhere along the road in Western Australia.

A "mysterious" flying spiral spotted by the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, early on Jan. 18, could be related to a SpaceX satellite launch earlier in the day, scientists speculated.

Science

A mysterious flying spiral above Hawaiian night sky likely caused by SpaceX launch

4:53pm January 31, 2023

by Kaitlyn Radde

A Japanese telescope captured images of the shape on Jan. 18. It was likely caused by the sun illuminating leftover fuel expelled from the rocket of a SpaceX launch.

A man boils raw date palm sap into molasses, a traditional delicacy in Bangladesh.

Trying to crack the Nipah code: How does this deadly virus spill from bats to humans?

12:05pm January 31, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Nipah virus, which can rapidly infect and kill members of a community, is carried by bats. Exactly how does it cross over into humans? Researchers in Bangladesh are trying to find out.

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Wegovy has been called "a major breakthrough" given how well it works to reduce body weight. But the injection drug is extremely expensive and when people can't afford to stay on it, they experience rebound weight gain that's hard to stop.

Wegovy works. But here's what happens if you can't afford to keep taking the drug

7:46pm January 30, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

The new weight-loss drugs can be life-changing for people facing health conditions worsened by obesity, but price and spotty insurance coverage may keep them out of reach.

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Illustration of a person and a virus at a bar. The person says, "I've kept up with the pandemic, so I'm pretty much a virus expert now!" The virus responds, "Wanna bet?"

QUIZ: Test your knowledge of spillover viruses, starting with ... what are they?

11:26am January 30, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

As we launch a series about spillover viruses — like SARS-CoV-2, which triggered a global pandemic, you may have a lot of questions. So do we — 7, to be exact, in the quiz below.

In the video game and HBO show The Last of Us, an infectious fungi turns humans into zombies.

Science

The zombie fungus from 'The Last Of Us' is real — but not nearly as deadly

5:38am January 30, 2023

by Giulia Heyward

This species of fungus, Ophiocordyceps, is known for using "mind control" on insect hosts. Humans, however, are immune.

On Jan. 23, 2020, as the coronavirus spread in China, residents of Wuhan, where it was first identified, donned masks to go shopping. The U.S. didn't officially endorse masks as a preventive measure for the public for a number of weeks.

COVID flashback: Here's how NPR reported on the coronavirus at a turning point

4:00pm January 29, 2023

by Carmen Drahl

On Jan. 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the "novel coronavirus" sweeping through China to be a global health emergency. Here's how NPR covered the story at that point in time.

Science

The rotation of Earth's inner core may be slowing down

7:57am January 29, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to John Vidale, professor of earth sciences at the University of Southern California, about new research suggesting the rotation of Earth's inner core may be slowing down.