Science

This week in science: shared rhythm, electric fish and a methane-tracking satellite

4:31pm March 07, 2024

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Regina Barber and Anil Oza about rhythms and the brain, how electric fish sense their environment, and a new methane-detecting satellite.

Caecilians are amphibians that look superficially like very large earthworms. New research suggests that at least one species of caecilian also produces "milk" for its hatchlings.

Researchers have found an amphibian that makes milk for its babies

2:33pm March 07, 2024

by Geoff Brumfiel

The snake-like amphibian is native to Brazil. Researchers say the milk in many ways resembles that produced by mammals.

Most Americans also say women should be allowed to travel for medical care – including an abortion, a new KFF poll finds.

Most Americans support abortion for pregnancy-related emergencies

5:39am March 07, 2024

by Maria Godoy

The majority of American voters, including Republicans, support protecting access to abortion for women who are experiencing pregnancy-related emergencies, such as miscarriages, a KFF poll finds.

Massive project aimed at diversifying genetic data reports first results

9:49pm March 06, 2024

by Rob Stein

Researchers have found more than 275 million previously unreported genetic variants from data shared by nearly 250,000 volunteers. Half of the data are from participants of non-European ancestry.

Queue Listen Now

A flare burns off methane and other hydrocarbons as oil pumpjacks operate in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas is the main driver of global warming.

Corporate America has new climate rules to follow, but will they cut global warming?

4:59pm March 06, 2024

by Michael Copley

The Securities and Exchange Commission is requiring publicly-traded companies to disclose information about the risks they face from climate change. Industry is expected to sue to stop the rules.

Could woolly mammoths walk again among humans? Scientists are working to resurrect the extinct species.

Science

Scientists take a step closer to resurrecting the woolly mammoth

4:24pm March 06, 2024

by Rob Stein

Scientists at a biotech company say they have created a key stem cell for Asian elephants that could help save the endangered species and become a steppingstone for bringing back the woolly mammoth.

This artist's impression shows one of the Voyager spacecraft moving through the darkness of space.

Science

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is talking nonsense. Its friends on Earth are worried

5:51am March 06, 2024

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Voyager 1 has been traveling through space since 1977, and some scientists hoped it could keep sending back science data for 50 years. But a serious glitch has put that milestone in jeopardy.

Queue Listen Now

A digital illustration of a circle of hands extending from the edge of the image, each holding a sheet of paper. The papers overlap in the center and, like a puzzle, come together to reveal a drawing of a handgun.

Meet the public health researchers trying to rein in America's gun violence crisis

5:00am March 06, 2024

by Christine Spolar

After the 1996 Dickey Amendment halted federal spending on gun violence research, a small group of academics pressed on, with little money or support. Now a new generation is taking up the charge.

Researchers start studying traumatic brain injury from domestic violence

5:40pm March 05, 2024

by Jon Hamilton

Researchers may one day be able to identify biomarkers that could indicate when a patient's brain is showing signs of assault, even when they themselves are unable or too afraid to report it.

Queue Listen Now

A dance contest let this grad student share his research and celebrates his identity

5:22pm March 05, 2024

by Ari Daniel

Science magazine's annual contest "Dance Your PhD" invites grad students to present their research through dance. This year's winner, Weliton Menário Costa, showcased his work on kangaroo behavior.

Queue Listen Now