Russian Rocket Poised For Crucial Supply Run To Space Station
After a string of launch failures, NASA says astronauts have just four months of supplies left. A Russian rocket launching early Friday could provide relief.
Science
Flood Maps Can Get Much Sharper With A Little Supercomputing Oomph
Entrepreneurs are turning to Oak Ridge National Lab's supercomputer to make all sorts of things, including maps that are much more accurate in predicting how a neighborhood will fare in a flood.
How Newbie Gardeners Can Safely Grow Food On Urban Land
More and more city dwellers are trying their hand at urban gardening. Most know to be wary of lead in their soil, but fewer are aware of how to avoid other types of contaminants.
Millions Of Mummified Dogs Found In Ancient Egyptian Catacombs
Researchers have uncovered 8 million mummified animals dating back 2,500 years. Most are dogs. Archaeologist Salima Ikram says the huge number points to the likely existence of ancient puppy mills.
Don't Blame The Sharks For 'Perfect Storm' Of Attacks In North Carolina
The state's beaches usually see one shark attack a summer, if any. This year, there have already been seven. But this uptick in attacks is likely not tied to shark populations so much as to our own.
Russian Supply Capsule Successfully Docks With Space Station
The Progress M-28M spacecraft delivered tons of food, water, oxygen, fuel and other supplies after previous attempts had ended in failure.
Aphrodisiacs Can Spark Sexual Imagination, But Probably Not Libido
Going on a picnic with someone special? Make sure to pack watermelon, a food that lore says is an aphrodisiac. No food is actually scientifically linked to desire, but here's how some got that rep.
Wildlife Forensics Lab Uses Tech To Sniff, Identify Illegal Wood
International timber trafficking is an estimated $100 billion business. A lab that usually focuses on endangered animal cases is using a sophisticated machine to identify contraband wood shipments.
A Rock Band And A Moon, United In Name
Members of the classic rock band Styx visited NASA mission control for New Horizon, the space probe that discovered Pluto's smallest moon, Styx.
Strontium Nitrate And Barium Nitrate, The Fuel In Fireworks
How do they get the brilliant sparks of red, white and blue in fireworks displays? NPR's Eric Westervelt talks with Harry Gilliam, founder of Skylighter, a supplier for pyrotechnics in Round Hill, Va.