Animals

There are variations in the appearance of severely bleached corals. Here, the coral displays pink fluorescing tissue signalling heat stress.

Science

Climate Change Is Killing Coral On The Great Barrier Reef

4:46pm April 18, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

The ecosystem has collapsed for 29 percent of the 3,863 reefs in the giant coral reef system, according to new research. Scientists are learning which corals are the "winners" and "losers."

Eddies behind an A. salina shrimp swimming

Swarms Of Tiny Sea Creatures Are Powerful Enough To Mix Oceans, Study Finds

2:59pm April 18, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

Each night, the organisms gather in a "vertical stampede" to feed at the ocean's surface. Research suggests the columns of swimming animals can create large downward jets that help churn the waters.

Moke, a western lowland gorilla, was born on Sunday to great delight at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

Welcome, 'Little One': Critically Endangered Gorilla Born At National Zoo

12:35pm April 17, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

He's named "Moke," which is a Lingala word meaning "little one." He's the first of his kind to be born at the National Zoo in nine years, perfect and wrinkly and clinging to his mother.

A chick embryo, sealed inside its egg, must find a way to get oxygen without its mom — and long before it has working lungs.

Science

How Birds-To-Be Get Oxygen Inside Eggs

5:45am April 17, 2018

Unlike humans, bird embryos don't have an oxygen pipeline from their mothers. They develop inside eggs in a nest. Skunk Bear's latest video explains why these pre-hatchlings don't suffocate.

Biological specimens are worthless without a record of when and where they were collected. But with that information, specimens like this Eastern Red Bat from Jones County, Ga. become time capsules.

Old Animal Specimens May Hold The Key To New Discoveries

6:12pm April 13, 2018

by Grant Blankenship

A long-lost trove of preserved animal specimens recently turned up at a university in Georgia. Those old squirrels and muskrats could hold the answers to questions we haven't even thought to ask yet.

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Loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings are packed into containers at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center before being taken to a U.S. Coast Guard vessel for release in Boca Raton, Fla.

Science

Magnetic Fields Are A Big Predictor Of A Loggerhead Turtle's Genes

1:43pm April 12, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

You might expect turtles that live near each other or in similar environments would be genetically similar. But new research shows that magnetic fields actually have more to do with genetic likeness.

Barbara J. King points to some of her favorite science commentaries she has written for NPR.

A Thank You To NPR's Science Commentary Readers

1:29pm April 12, 2018

by Barbara J. King

For 6 1/2 years, Barbara J. King has written commentaries for NPR on everything from animals and anthropology to gender and higher education. Here, she offers up some of her favorite pieces.

A whistleblower captured footage from five voyages of the Awassi Express.

World News

Australia Investigates After 2,400 Sheep Die On Ship To Qatar

12:24pm April 10, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

"They just died in front of us," said a whistleblower to 60 Minutes Australia. "You are just putting live animals into the oven." The government is investigating the summer live export industry.

Animal Tracks Indicate Spring Has Sprung But You Might Not Have Noticed

7:29am April 10, 2018

by Natasha Haverty

Wildlife interpreter David Brown says reading an animal track is like uncovering a secret; you just need the eyes to see it. We go to the woods with Brown to decode trails and find evidence of spring.

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Michigan Police Department Hires A Police Cat

6:57am April 09, 2018

The winning cat was chosen after five were auditioned at the Michigan Humane Society. The cat will promote pet adoptions and be used for therapeutic purposes and public appearances too.

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