Science

The Gap Between The Science On Kids And Reading, And How It Is Taught

3:57pm February 12, 2018

by Claudio Sanchez

Two-thirds of the nation's schoolchildren struggle with reading. Neuroscientist Mark Seidenberg says teachers need a better understanding of what science knows about how kids learn to read.

For many people, checking their smartphone can be addicting.

Smartphone Detox: How To Power Down In A Wired World

2:36pm February 12, 2018

In an era when many kids get a first smartphone at age 10, psychologists say the devices have turned us into Pavlov's dogs — drooling for the next notification, buzz or text. Ready to dial back?

Queue Listen Now

Warmer temperatures are making canola and possibly other brassica seedpods open too early, reducing crop yields.

What Canola Can Tell Us About Crops And Climate Change

12:01pm February 12, 2018

by Angus Chen

When canola seedpods shatter prematurely, farmers can lose a lot of their crop. Scientists have now figured out how this happens, and it has implications for similar crops facing global warming.

Starting from the assumption that you are wrong may help push scientific research forward, says Tania Lombrozo.

Science

A New Goal: Aim To Be Less Wrong

8:41am February 12, 2018

by Tania Lombrozo

When beginning from the assumption that you are wrong, a criticism may be easier to construe as a helpful pointer, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.

These false-color images of Kuiper Belt objects now occupy a place in history: Never before have images been captured as far from Earth as these.

Science

PHOTOS: These Images Were Captured Nearly 3.8 Billion Miles From Earth

5:02pm February 11, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

The distance marks a record: the farthest from Earth an image has been taken. Before NASA's New Horizons probe caught these glimpses in December, the 1990 "Pale Blue Dot" image had held the record.

I Didn't Think There Were Many African Women Scientists. Then I Checked Twitter

8:17am February 11, 2018

by Esther Ngumbi

The author, a woman scientist from Africa, was stumped by a survey asking her to name women scientists from Africa.

Science

Finding Planets Outside The Milky Way

8:02am February 11, 2018

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with University of Oklahoma postdoctoral researcher Eddie Guerras about how his team detected planets outside of our galaxy.

Teens And Gender

8:02am February 11, 2018

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Nic Rider, post-doctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota whose research shows more teens in the U.S. are identifying as transgender or gender nonconforming.

Religious leaders are uniquely positioned to recognize the early signs of people contemplating suicide.

More Religious Leaders Challenge Silence, Isolation Surrounding Suicide

6:00am February 11, 2018

by Cheryl Platzman Weinstock

Many faith leaders are looking past suicide as a sin to help spot and support those suffering from mental health issues in their communities.

Beloved by thousands, Sue the Tyrannosaurus rex is moving from her home in the main exhibition hall of Chicago's Field Museum to her own private suite on the second floor.

Science

Sue The T. Rex Is Making Big Moves With Her Big Bones

3:28am February 10, 2018

The famous fossil calls the Chicago Field Museum home and is moving from the main exhibit hall to a private suite on the second floor.

Queue Listen Now