Science

Science

Scientists have found part of the brain that triggers out-of-body experiences

5:05am July 06, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists have pinpointed a special part of the brain that, when stimulated, appears to produce out-of-body experiences. (Story aired on All Things Considered on July 3, 2023.)

Joshua trees are dying. This new legislation hopes to tackle that.

6:19pm July 05, 2023

by Manuela López Restrepo

The iconic spindly plants are under threat from a variety of factors, including climate change and development, and the California legislature is stepping in to help.

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Scientists say they've found a special part of the brain that, when stimulated, can cause out-of-body experiences.

Having an out-of-body experience? Blame this sausage-shaped piece of your brain

3:37pm July 05, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

An obscure bit of brain tissue appears critical to both out-of-body experiences and our sense of being anchored to a physical self.

An electron microscopic image of mpox virus particles. The mpox emergency of last summer is over. Was it a passing threat? Or is there reason to believe another global outbreak could happen.

The doctor who warned the world of the mpox outbreak of 2022 is still worried

10:24am July 05, 2023

by Max Barnhart

Is the mpox emergency over or is there still cause for concern? Numbers are down, but some specialists are still concerned about the likelihood of another outbreak.

The role Supreme Court decisions may play in upcoming elections

5:05am July 05, 2023

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Carroll Doherty of the Pew Research Center about how recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings track with public opinion ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Japan plans to release more than a million tons of nuclear waste water into the Pacific.

The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog says Japan can release nuclear waste water into the ocean

10:46pm July 04, 2023

by Ashley Westerman

The International Atomic Energy Agency has approved a plan by Japan's government to dump nuclear waste water from the destroyed Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Maternal death rates have been consistently highest among Black women. But they are also rising among other racial groups.

U.S. maternal deaths keep rising. Here's who is most at risk

7:42pm July 04, 2023

The rate at which women in the U.S. are dying from pregnancy related causes more than doubled in recent decades. A new study, published in JAMA shows Black women and Native Americans are most at risk.

New PBS series tracks effects of humanity on the planet

4:10pm July 04, 2023

A new PBS miniseries explores the many effects the human species is having on the planet. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with its host, biologist and Princeton University professor Shane Campbell-Staton.

Scientists have found part of the brain that triggers out-of-body experiences

5:51pm July 03, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists have pinpointed a special part of the brain that, when stimulated, appears to produce out-of-body experiences.

Beekeeper Steven Reese inspects his hives at Bennett Orchards in Frankford, Del.

Honeybee deaths rose last year. Here's why farmers would go bust without bees

3:50pm July 03, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

Beekeepers lost nearly half of their honeybee colonies last year. Without bees, farmers can't grow the fruits and plants that feed us. So farmers are working harder to get their crops pollinated.

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