Animals

"Success for me is having a significant impact on dengue disease in communities," says Scott O'Neill, holding a container of mosquitoes.

EPA Approval Of Bacteria To Fight Mosquitoes Caps Long Quest

5:40pm November 08, 2017

by Joe Palca

Scientists have long sought a way to fight mosquito-borne viruses without pesticides. For researchers like Scott O'Neill, the Wolbachia bacteria offered that chance. But they had to prove it.

A waitress serving shark fin soup in a restaurant in Guangzhou, in southern China's Guangdong province. Environmental and animal rights groups have campaigned for decades against consumption of shark fin, arguing that demand for the delicacy has decimated

Shark Fin Trade Faces Troubled Waters As Global Pressure Mounts

5:44pm November 07, 2017

Congress is once again considering a federal ban on shark fins, used in soup. But scientists are divided about whether a ban is the best way to protect the creatures, which are imperiled worldwide.

A piglet gets a shot of antibiotic at a farm in Illinois. The World Health Organization is calling for strict limits on antibiotic use in animals raised for food. The guidelines could push many countries, including the U.S., to restrict drug use on farms.

WHO To Farmers: Stop Giving Your Animals So Many Antibiotics

2:06pm November 07, 2017

by Dan Charles

The World Health Organization is calling for strict limits on antibiotic use in animals raised for food. The guidelines could push many countries, including the U.S., to restrict drug use on farms.

Hippo Gives Up On A Chance To See What's Outside Zoo's Gates

6:36am November 06, 2017

A young hippo at the Ramat Gan Safari in Israel walked out after a gate was left open. Instead of making a break for it, she returned to the center before security guards could chase her down.

Parno, one of the pigeon racers, gives his birds water from a tiny handmade paper cup.

World News

The Pigeon Racers Of Indonesia

5:54pm November 03, 2017

Racing requires a pair of pigeons. The male is the racer, and he flies back to the female during the race. But some Indonesian men love this sport so much, it's been blamed for a rise in divorce.

From Fire Hydrants To Rescue Work, Dogs Perceive The World Through Smell

2:58pm November 03, 2017

Dogs can sniff out people, drugs, bombs, cancer and much more. In her book Being A Dog, Alexandra Horowitz explores the mysteries and mechanics of canine noses. Originally broadcast Oct. 4, 2016.

Queue Listen Now

The Pacific walrus is facing "extinction from climate change" after the White House refused to list the species as endangered, one conservation group says.

On Thin Ice: Walruses Threatened After U.S. Declines To List As Endangered

4:19pm November 02, 2017

by Samantha Raphelson

The Trump administration refused last month to put the Pacific walrus on the endangered species list, spelling a "death sentence" for the species that lives in the seas between Alaska and Russia.

A Bird, A Beak And A 3-D Printer

5:04am November 02, 2017

by Neda Ulaby

A bird at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., had a beak that was so worn down that he could not catch bugs to eat. The skeleton of an ancestor and a 3-D printer came to the rescue.

A new book suggests encouraging vegan meals rather than vegan identities could work to act faster at uniting meat reducers.

Science

When More Vegan Meals Are The Goal, What Is The Strategy?

2:18pm November 01, 2017

by Barbara J. King

Activist Tobias Leenaert counsels vegans and vegetarians to focus on vegan meals rather than vegan identities — and to talk encouragingly with meat reducers, says anthropologist Barbara J. King.

The Mexican long-tongued bat is one of the species that pollinates agave, but its ecosystem is being disrupted by large-scale, cheaper methods of making tequila.

Bats And Tequila: A Once Boo-tiful Relationship Cursed By Growing Demands

8:07am October 29, 2017

by Neda Ulaby

As the tequila industry surges, the early harvesting and cloning of agave are disrupting the ecosystem of some species — leading some groups to go to bat for the hardworking nighttime pollinators.