Science

Science

How A Russian Nerve Agent Got To The U.K.

8:13am March 17, 2018

How was a nerve agent of a group called Novichok manufactured and sent into the U.K. to poison a former Russian spy? Richard Guthrie, a U.K.-based chemical weapons expert, talks with Scott Simon.

Former Coal Lobbyist On Tap For No. 2 Spot At EPA

5:00am March 17, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

The man hoping to help lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, is a former lobbyist for coal and natural gas companies. As a young EPA lawyer, he worked on hazardous chemical rules.

NASA Study Finds Astronaut's Genes Changed While In Space

10:05pm March 15, 2018

A study shows that not only do astronaut's genes change in space, but they have the potential to remained changed even months after the astronaut is back on Earth.

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Jim Barrett stands next to a well pad on his farm in Bradford County, Pa. He accuses Chesapeake Energy of cheating him out of royalty money.

Millions Own Gas And Oil Under Their Land. Here's Why Only Some Strike It Rich

4:16pm March 15, 2018

Gas and oil companies pay royalties to millions of American landowners. But a growing number accuse energy companies of cheating them out of their fair share.

Barbara J. King considers risk on playgrounds from an evolutionary perspective.

Is It Time To Bring Risk Back Into Our Kids' Playgrounds?

3:26pm March 15, 2018

by Barbara J. King

Are playgrounds in the U.S. too sterile and risk-averse to help our kids thrive? Anthropologist Barbara J. King considers play and child development in evolutionary perspective.

Colored transmission electron micrograph of a section through an Escherichia coli bacterium. This rod-shaped bacterium moves via its hair-like flagellae (yellow).

Biologists Trace Genetic Roots Of Evolution, One Cell At A Time

2:29pm March 15, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

E.coli bacteria, each cell trapped in a tiny tube, are giving researchers the chance to study the pace and effects of single genetic mutations. Most mutations, the scientists find, aren't harmful.

This artist's-concept illustration depicts NASA's Psyche spacecraft which will carry a deep-space laser communications system.

Science

Live High Definition Video From Mars? NASA Is Getting Ready

6:06pm March 14, 2018

by Joe Palca

NASA is building a new space-based laser communication that will allow live, high-definition video from Mars and beyond — something that's not possible with standard radio equipment.

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Science

The Universe According To Albert Einstein: Relativity

3:28pm March 14, 2018

by Marcelo Gleiser

When Einstein, born 139 years ago on Wednesday, came onto the science scene, physics was in crisis. New ideas were badly needed — it was the perfect moment for a trailblazer, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik puts final touches on a sculpture in honor of Stephen Hawking at Puri Beach near Bhubaneswar, India, on Wednesday.

Mourners Honor Stephen Hawking, Whose Mind Blazed Bright

2:25pm March 14, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

His mental genius and physical disability made the renowned British physicist a household name. On Wednesday, people around the world grieved Hawking's death.

Hawking gives a talk titled "A Brief History of Mine" to workers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on April 9, 2013.

Stephen Hawking, Who Awed Both Scientists And The Public, Dies

9:45am March 14, 2018

by Joe Palca

Hawking was a theoretical physicist who changed how scientists think about gravity. He also wrote the best-selling book A Brief History of Time and lent his machine-aided voice to TV shows. He was 76.

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