Science

In this false-color image, the blue and purple show the hole in Earth's protective ozone layer over Antarctica on Oct. 5. Earth's ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing.

The ozone layer is on track to recover in the coming decades, the United Nations says

4:25pm January 10, 2023

by Jaclyn Diaz

The ozone layer is a thin shield in the stratosphere that protects humans and the environment from harmful levels of the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

An Anolis cristatellus lizard stands on a gate in Rincon, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 22, 2018.

Science

Forest lizards have genetically morphed to survive life in the city, researchers say

1:03pm January 10, 2023

by The Associated Press

The Puerto Rican crested anole has sprouted special scales to better cling to smooth surfaces like walls and windows and grown larger limbs to sprint across open areas, scientists say.

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

A bright green comet may be visible with the naked eye starting later this month

10:35am January 08, 2023

by Juliana Kim

Comet C/2022 E3 was first spotted last year and will draw nearest to the Earth in early February. The brightness of comets tends to be unpredictable, but astronomers say this one is promising.

Science

New research finds why humans walk with a 'double bounce'

8:01am January 08, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

A new study out of the Technical University of Munich sheds new light on the "double bounce" in the human gait. NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to mechanical engineer Daniel Renjewski who led the study.

Science

A new vaccine will protect honeybees from a bacterial disease affecting their larvae

8:01am January 08, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

The Department of Agriculture has conditionally approved a new vaccine meant to protect honeybees from a bacterial disease that can affect the bee's larvae.

U.S. infectious disease experts fear that a winter surge of respiratory illness — like the one that overloaded emergency rooms with COVID-19 patients in January 2021 — could yet materialize this winter, with several circulating viruses wreaking havoc. So far, though, it looks like early peaks of RSV and the flu are receding.

RSV recedes and flu peaks as a new COVID variant shoots 'up like a rocket'

8:38pm January 06, 2023

by Rob Stein

RSV and the flu appear to be receding in the U.S., but COVID is on the rise, new data suggests, driven by holiday gatherings and an even more transmissible omicron subvariant that has become dominant.

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U.S. health officials approved Leqembi, a new Alzheimer's drug that modestly slows the brain disease. The FDA granted accelerated approval Friday for patients in early stages of Alzheimer's.

FDA approves Alzheimer's drug that appears to modestly slow disease

5:58pm January 06, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

An Alzheimer's drug that removes the substance amyloid from the brain has received a conditional approval from the FDA. A large study found the drug decreased the loss of thinking and memory by 27%.

Heavier, curvy stones can give surprising results in skipping, physicists say

8:49pm January 05, 2023

A new study suggests larger, curvy rocks can yield impressive throws when skipping stones on water.

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Many glaciers are set to vanish more quickly than previously thought, study says

6:21pm January 05, 2023

by Rebecca Hersher

A new study suggests that mid-latitude glaciers, including those in western Canada, the Rocky Mountains and central Europe, will be gone by the end of the century.

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A pile of debris from Hurricane Ian rises behind a line of people waiting to vote in Fort Myers, Fla., in November 2022. Research suggests support for some climate policies increases immediately after climate-driven disasters such as Ian.

How our perception of time shapes our approach to climate change

10:39am January 04, 2023

by Rebecca Hersher

Climate goals can feel distant. But climate change is happening right now. Speed up the benefits for taking action, psychologists say, if you want leaders and others to pay attention and act.

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