Amid Stark Realities, How Do Climate Scientists 'Stay Positive?'
NPR's Melissa Block speaks with John H. Richardson about his recent Esquire piece, "When the End of Human Civilization Is Your Day Job."
Science
'New Yorker' Article Sparks Upsurge In Earthquake Survival Kit Sales
After a frightening article a few weeks ago in The New Yorker magazine about a potentially devastating earthquake in the Pacific Northwest, there's been a run on survival supplies there. NPR talks to the maker of survival kits about his business.
2 Gene Studies Suggest First Migrants To Americas A Complex Mix
Scientists assume a wave of people from what's now Siberia crossed into North America via Alaska, maybe 23,000 years ago. Genetics support that, but may also suggest another wave from Australasia.
Why The Pig Is The Most Loved And Most Loathed Animal On The Plate
As long as pigs have existed, humans have weighed desire for their meat against disgust for how the animals lived and what they ate. Today we have fresh cause for worry about how pigs are living.
Alzheimer's Drugs In The Works Might Treat Other Diseases, Too
By targeting the process that creates toxic clumps of protein in brain cells, scientists hope to help not just Alzheimer's patients, but perhaps also people with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's.
Marking 40 Years Since Apollo-Soyuz Mission And The First Handshake In Space
The joint U.S.-Soviet mission was a stepping stone to today's International Space Station.
A 3-D Food Lab And Restaurant Wants To Turn Yuck Into Yum
A group of top chefs, food scientists and tech geeks have set up a lab in Belgium to master 3-D food printing. Their goal: to create nutritionally enhanced foods that appeal to the pickiest palates.
A Strengthening El Nino Could Mean Wet Winter On The West Coast
NPR's Melissa Block speaks to Mike Halpert, deputy director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center, about a strengthening El Nino season.
Screaming For Science: The Secrets Of Crying Babies And Car Alarms
Why do screams demand our attention like no other sound? The answer seems to involve an acoustic quality called roughness that triggers fear circuits in the brain.
Nice Kids Finish First: Study Finds Social Skills Can Predict Future Success
A study finds that children who demonstrate more "pro-social" skills — those who share more and who are better listeners — are more likely to have jobs and stay out of trouble as young adults.