Science

Scientists say you shouldn't wear your shoes in your house

10:08am April 10, 2022

by Ayesha Rascoe

Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Mark Patrick Taylor of the Environmental Protection Authority of Victoria, Australia, about why he thinks everyone should remove their shoes before coming inside.

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Charles Darwin's notebooks return to Cambridge after being missing for 20 years

8:29am April 10, 2022

by Ayesha Rascoe

Last month, two of Charles Darwin's notebooks that had been missing from the Cambridge University Library for 20 years were returned.

Waterfowl and the raptors that dine on them, like this bald eagle and snow goose, have both been killed by the new bird flu virus.

A worrisome new bird flu is spreading in American birds and may be here to stay

3:09pm April 09, 2022

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists are tracking a deadly bird flu outbreak that has infected wild birds in more than 30 states. Purging the nation's poultry supply may not be enough to keep the virus from sticking around.

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Rosy, 6, gives COVID tests and vaccines to her stuffed animals. She herself has been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, multiple times and never tested positive. What's her secret?

Why hasn't my daughter caught COVID? 2 factors likely protect her — and maybe you too

7:48am April 08, 2022

by Michaeleen Doucleff

My 6-year-old has been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 at least four times and never tested positive. Many people fall into that category. Researchers have theories about why they've been able to ward it off.

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The at-home rapid COVID tests come in a double pack for a reason, says Dr. Celine Gounder. Use both tests that come in the box, she says. And use them a couple of days apart.

What to do if you test positive for COVID at this point in the pandemic

5:00am April 08, 2022

by Mary Louise Kelly

The coronavirus keeps evolving and so does the guidance for addressing it. As cases tick up in some parts of the country, here is the latest advice on everything from testing to treatment.

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A satellite image from the company Planet shows Russian vehicles and an encampment in the Chernobyl exclusion zone on March 16, 2022.

Satellite photo shows Russian troops were stationed in Chernobyl's radioactive zone

9:06pm April 07, 2022

by Geoff Brumfiel

The satellite image lends credence to the idea that Russia may have exposed its troops to unhealthy levels of radioactivity.

This satellite image taken on Sept. 8, 2021, shows Hurricane Larry in the Atlantic Ocean.

The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season will be more active than usual, researchers say

4:58pm April 07, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

At least nine hurricanes are predicted by researchers at Colorado State University. Four of those are expected to be Category 3 or higher.

Farmland is seen with standard solar panels from Cypress Creek Renewables, Oct. 28, 2021, in Thurmont, Md.

Solar panels that can generate electricity at night have been developed at Stanford

10:25am April 07, 2022

by Rina Torchinsky

While standard solar panels can provide electricity during the day, this device can be a "continuous renewable power source" during the day and at night.

Scientists have analyzed a huge number of brain scans to learn more about how the brain develops, from infancy all the way until the end of life.

Scans reveal the brain's early growth, late decline and surprising variability

7:42am April 07, 2022

by Jon Hamilton

A study of more than 120,000 brain scans shows rapid growth before age 2 and accelerating decline after age 50. The results may one day help pick up abnormalities in the developing brain.

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A new study suggests that mushrooms can communicate

6:06am April 07, 2022

A scientist at the University of the West of England inserted electrodes into four species of fungi, and discovered that the mushrooms seem to use electrical impulses to communicate internally.