Ants treat certain leg injuries with lifesaving amputations
A new study suggests ants therapeutically amputate the limbs of injured buddies to save them. (Story aired on All Things Considered on July 2, 2024.)
Science
How noise pollution from planes, trains and automobiles can harm human health
When's the last time you were in a place that was quiet — really quiet? No roadway noise, construction work or even the hum of a refrigerator. Our world is full of sounds, some of which are harming our health. The World Health Organization says "noise is an underestimated threat." Today, host Emily Kwong talks to health reporter Joanne Silberner about those health costs, what is too loud and some of the history of legislation to limit noise pollution in the United States.
Read Joanne's full article in Undark Magazine here.
Curious about other health stories? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Read Joanne's full article in Undark Magazine here.
Curious about other health stories? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
16,000 people remain evacuated due to Thompson Fire in northern California
Nearly 16,000 people in northern California are still evacuated due to the Thompson Fire. Those staying at local shelters say they're fearful of what they may find when they're allowed to return.
A bridge for wildlife could help get grizzlies off the endangered list
The 2021 infrastructure bill assigned $350 million for highway wildlife overpasses to lower human and animal deaths. One in Montana may be key to getting grizzly bears off the endangered species list.
To save spotted owls, officials plan to kill a half-million of another owl species
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service strategy is meant to prop up declining spotted owl populations in Oregon, Washington and California by killing barred owls that have encroached into their territory.
A New Mexico city faces drinking water crisis following torrential rains and mudslides
Federal officials are hopeful a temporary drinking water system will be in place this week for the city of Las Vegas, N.M. The 13,000 people there have been rationing water for two weeks now.
Thousands evacuate as Northern California wildfire spreads. More hot weather is expected
Firefighters are battling a growing wildfire in Northern California that has forced at least 26,000 people to evacuate. The fire's cause is being investigated.
'We’re not stuck.' Why Boeing’s Starliner isn’t returning to Earth (yet)
The return of Starliner has been indefinitely delayed, but NASA and Boeing say the astronauts will use the spaceship to get home — eventually.
How do painted lady butterflies travel such long distances?
Painted lady butterflies are flying more than 2,600 miles over the Atlantic Ocean without stopping, one of the longest recorded journeys ever taken by a flying insect.
Researchers are figuring out how African ancestry can affect certain brain disorders
Black Americans have been underrepresented in most genomic studies of neurological disorders. As a result, scientists don't know much about whether African ancestry affects a person's risk for these disorders or their response to a particular treatment. To help close this gap, the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, African American community leaders in Baltimore, and researchers from Duke University and Morgan State University created the African Ancestry Neuroscience Research Initiative in 2019. The team found that genes associated with African ancestry appear to affect certain brain cells in ways that could increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and stroke.
Read science correspondent Jon Hamilton's full story here.
Curious about brain science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Read science correspondent Jon Hamilton's full story here.
Curious about brain science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.