Science

Volunteers helped tally terrapin turtles for science

5:07pm June 06, 2023

by Kelly Kenoyer

Scientists are relying more and more on non-scientists to help them gather data. That was the case recently on North Carolina's coast, where volunteers spent a day counting terrapin turtles.

Lessons for living a happy life, according to science

4:58pm June 05, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Dr. Robert Waldinger, one of the authors of The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study on Happiness.

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Using sunscreen plays a key role in protecting skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

Picking the 'right' sunscreen isn't as important as avoiding these 6 mistakes

5:00am June 04, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

Sunscreen is crucial for skin protection and the SPF is important. But dermatologists say the key to good summer skin care is applying plenty of lotion and re-applying it often, even when it's cloudy.

Science

The power of lullabies

5:37pm June 03, 2023

We think of lullabies as a sweet way of easing children into sleep. But the power of a lullaby can go further — to comfort, and to heal, even under the most difficult circumstances.

Weekly Dose of Wonder: Why we get more genes from our moms

4:38pm June 02, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

We inherit more genes from our maternal side. That's because it's the egg, not the sperm, that hands down all of the mitochondrial DNA. In addition, the W chromosome has more genes.

In this handout image supplied by the European Space Agency on July 16, 2008, the Echus Chasma, one of the largest water source regions on Mars, is pictured from ESA's Mars Express.

Here is the first livestream from Mars — a rare, almost real-time look into space

1:36pm June 02, 2023

by Juliana Kim

On Friday afternoon, spectators had a chance to see the most current images of Mars possible — which take 3 to 22 minutes to reach Earth — courtesy of the European Space Agency.

A new study finds that stimulating the brain during sleep can improve memory.

Scientists zap sleeping humans' brains with electricity to improve their memory

10:36am June 02, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists have shown that deep brain stimulation during sleep can help people retain new information. The approach could help people with memory problems related to disorders like Alzheimer's.

This week in science: a paralyzed man walks again and a sticker-like vaccine patch

4:42pm June 01, 2023

Short Wave hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber talk about a paralyzed man that walked again, a sticker vaccine and the science behind a crop of new RSV vaccines.

By boosting memory consolidation, scientists may be able to help Alzheimer's patients

4:19pm June 01, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

During sleep, the brain strengthens memories it expects to use in the future. Now, scientists say they've found a way to enhance this process. This research might someday help people with memory loss.

Many medical students do not attend lectures in the first two years, instead opting to watch recorded classes on their own time.

Medical students aren't showing up to class. What does that mean for future docs?

5:01am June 01, 2023

Most first- and second-year medical students don't attend lectures. A student and a professor suggest it's a good time to think a lot about medical education, starting with "flipping the classroom."