Science

Does heat make us more aggressive? Researchers put it to the test

4:40pm August 07, 2023

by Nurith Aizenman

Periods of sweltering temperatures like the current global heat wave seem to drive up civil conflicts. But why? To find out, researchers put thousands of people in hot rooms - with surprising results.

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Science

A landmark study opens a new possible way for Black Americans to trace their ancestry

8:07am August 06, 2023

by Scott Maucione

Researchers have connected the DNA from enslaved individuals buried in a Maryland village to nearly 42,000 present-day descendants.

A grizzly sow and cubs forage along Obsidian Creek in Yellowstone National Park.

Fatal grizzly attack renews debate over how many bears are too many

8:26am August 05, 2023

by Nick Mott

Authorities have been unable to find the bear that killed a woman near Yellowstone National Park late last month. The attack has renewed calls to take grizzlies off the endangered species list.

Science

The evidence on remote work is changing

4:42pm August 04, 2023

New evidence suggests working from home, at least full time, may not be as productive as we once thought.

The famous Ring Nebula is seen in brilliant new clarity, thanks to a new James Webb Space Telescope image released by researchers in the JWST Ring Nebula Imaging Project.

Science

The Ring Nebula comes into focus, and it's astounding

1:40pm August 04, 2023

by Bill Chappell

Thanks to the James Webb telescope, we can now see the nebula with more clarity. As one expert says, "We always knew planetary nebulae were pretty. What we see now is spectacular."

The remains of Catoctin Furnace in Maryland as seen in 2020. Researchers have now analyzed the DNA of enslaved and free Black workers there, connecting them to nearly 42,000 living relatives.

A landmark study opens a new possible way for Black Americans to trace their ancestry

11:28am August 04, 2023

by Scott Maucione

Researchers have compared the DNA of 27 Black people who lived at the Catoctin furnace between 1774 and 1850, finding a link between these enslaved Americans and nearly 42,000 living relatives.

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Shaimaa Ali Ahmed, 12, lost her leg at age 6 after happening upon an unexploded rocket. Yemeni children like her bear an outsized burden from the civil war, where land mines and ordnance litter the landscape.

At Yemeni prosthetics clinic, the patients keep coming even though the war has slowed

7:15am August 04, 2023

The civil war in Yemen seems to be cooling off, but its deadly legacy of land mines will be felt for decades. At a prosthetics clinic near the the front line, children bear a disproportionate burden.

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Science

People need to put in the work to keep romantic relationships energized

5:01am August 04, 2023

Actress Michelle Yeoh just married her fiancé — after a 19-year engagement. A relationship expert reveals the secret to making a long-term relationship exciting and new.

Ambassador-at-Large John Nkengasong, who will lead the State Department's Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, speaks to the press about the new agency. He told NPR that the pandemic "taught us three key lessons. We are collectively more connected than we thought. We are more vulnerable than we thought. And we have [vast] inequities" when it comes to disease threats.

A new U.S. agency is a response to the fact that nobody was ready for the pandemic

7:31pm August 03, 2023

by Sacha Pfeiffer

The Bureau of Global Health, Security and Diplomacy, housed in the State Department, will plan for the next pandemic. We interviewed its director, virologist and global health leader John Nkengasong.

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When humans interact with dogs, the feel-good hormone oxytocin increases — in the person and the dog.

Petting other people's dogs, even briefly, can boost your health

3:41pm August 03, 2023

by Maria Godoy

You don't even have to own one. Research shows just 5 to 20 minutes interacting with other people's pooches can reduce stress hormones and increase well-being.

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