Science

NASA spacecraft's asteroid crash offers insight in case one ever threatens Earth

6:17pm September 26, 2022

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

At 7:14 p.m. Eastern on Sept. 26, a NASA spacecraft will crash into a small asteroid. The impact will test whether the space agency could deflect asteroids, in case one ever threatens Earth.

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The Library of Congress has acquired the life's work of radio producer Jim Metzner, who has spent decades traveling the world to capture rich soundscapes. While he's honored that they will be archived, he says he wants to make sure people actually listen to them.

He spent decades recording soundscapes. Now they're going to the Library of Congress

11:35am September 26, 2022

by Rachel Treisman

Jim Metzner has traveled far and wide to record sounds of the world and share them with listeners. The Library of Congress will preserve thousands of tapes and other items dating back to the 1970s.

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An image released by the NASA Earth Observatory shows the volcanic eruption on Home Reef.

A new island has emerged out of the Pacific Ocean, but it may soon disappear

4:17pm September 25, 2022

by Joe Hernandez

The little atoll located southwest of Tonga's Late Island measured roughly 8.6 acres and stood at around 50 feet above sea level, Tonga's Geological Services said.

A view of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and turbulent southern hemisphere was captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft in 2019.

Science

Jupiter is coming its closest to Earth in decades

6:01am September 25, 2022

by James Doubek

Jupiter will be some 367 million miles from Earth on Monday, the closest it's been since 1963. It coincides with Jupiter being on the opposite side of Earth from the sun — when it'll be its brightest.

A woman from the Ho-Chunk Nation smiles as she touches the canoe. Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologists recovered a 3,000-year-old dugout canoe from Lake Mendota in Madison, Wis., on Thursday.

A second ancient canoe is found in Wisconsin — this time tracing back to 1000 B.C.

5:00am September 24, 2022

by Juliana Kim

The dugout canoe discovered most recently in a lake is believed to be the earliest direct evidence of water transportation used by native tribes in the Great Lakes region.

The world's biggest digital camera is almost ready to be installed on its telescope

5:14pm September 23, 2022

by Joe Palca

Technicians are putting the final touches on the world's largest digital camera at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The camera will be sent to Chile and installed on a telescope in the Andes.

This hi-tech buoy can detect whales and prevent large ships from colliding with them

4:51pm September 23, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Professor Douglas McCauley, director of the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory, about a new technology that protects whales from colliding with large shipping vessels.

Monkey thieves, drunk elephants — Mary Roach reveals a weird world of animal 'crime'

1:25pm September 23, 2022

by Dave Davies

Roach researched animal misbehaviors for her book, Fuzz. She says animals tend to ignore the rules we try to impose on them — and they often have the last laugh. Originally broadcast Sept. 14, 2021.

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With so many undiscovered mushrooms, citizen scientists find new species all the time

5:14pm September 22, 2022

by Rae Solomon

Mushroom experts are vastly outnumbered by fungi they study. That means amateur mushroom hunters discover lots of new species, adding significantly to scientific knowledge.

How much water do you actually need? Here's the science

5:14pm September 22, 2022

Many feel tethered to a water bottle, having heard that hydration is key to being healthy. Here's what the science says about how much water to drink and when.