Animals

National

Congress Poised To Approve Bill Designating Bison As National Mammal

4:29pm April 28, 2016

Move over bald eagles, there's a new animal in town — bison! The National Bison Legacy Act, which designated the magnificent beasts as the national mammal, passed the House on Tuesday. The Senate is expected to pass the act later this week. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to Germaine White, cultural specialist for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes in northwest Montana.

Cybil Preston, chief apiary inspector for the Maryland Department of Agriculture, does a training run with Mack: She sets up fake beehives and commands him to "find." He sniffs each of them to check for American foulbrood. If he detects the disease, he is

Keeping Bees Safe: It's A Ruff Job, But This Doggy Detective Gets It Done

2:53pm April 28, 2016

by Jodi Helmer

Mack is the newest addition to the Maryland Department of Agriculture's apiary inspection team. He uses his superior sniffer to find hives infected with a contagious disease that kills bee colonies.

A hummingbird perches at a bird feeder at the El Dorado sanctuary. Colombia is home to 147 species of hummingbird.

World News

As Colombia Grows Safer, Tourists — Especially Bird Lovers — Flock Back

4:17pm April 27, 2016

by John Otis

A half-century of guerrilla conflict is coming to an end in Colombia. In its wake, tourists are returning — especially birders. Colombia is home to 1,900 bird species, more than any other country.

Sauropods were one of the most successful groups of dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth. New research helps explain why.

Science

Superhearing And Fast Growth ... Scientists Learn Why Sauropods Ruled

8:05pm April 26, 2016

by Christopher Joyce

A nearly complete fossilized skull from Argentina helps explains the success of these giant dinosaurs that roamed some 95 million years ago.

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Which one's which? Two eaglets were born in Washington, D.C., last month; they've now been named Freedom and Liberty.

National

Freedom And Liberty: Month-Old Eaglets Get Names In D.C.

3:02pm April 26, 2016

by Bill Chappell

More than 36,000 online votes were cast in the competition to name the two young eagles, the American Eagle Foundation says. Names such as Cherry and Blossom lost out.

A map of the Amazon shelf showing the newly discovered reef structures in yellow.

Reef Larger Than Delaware Found At The Mouth Of The Amazon River

3:37pm April 23, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The reef is unusual because it lies in muddy waters, and scientists had only seen hints of its existence until recent research expeditions. They say it's already in danger because of oil drilling.

Science

How Do Ants Survive Floods? Rafts Of Course

9:36am April 23, 2016

Scott Simon talks with entomologist Jessica Purcell about her research into the ingenious strategy one kind of European ant uses to stay safe in floods: joining their bodies to form floating rafts.

U.S. Proposes Removing Yellowstone Grizzly Bears From Endangered Species List

6:19pm April 22, 2016

by Eric Whitney

Grizzly bears in Yellowstone may soon lose protection from the federal government. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed taking the bears off the endangered species list, saying the population has recovered to a self-sustaining number. Opponents dispute that, in part because they say federal biologists aren't sufficiently accounting for climate change threatening their food sources.

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Earlier this week, NIH temporarily halted work in the cell therapy lab of Dr. Steven Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the National Cancer Institute, pending a review of safety standards there.

Task Force Calls For More Safety Oversight At NIH Research Hospital

2:10pm April 22, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

NIH Director Francis Collins has stopped research at two leading labs for now. But an independent board of experts wants even more oversight to ensure that patient safety is the top priority.

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Books
Arts

Flights Of Fancy: Exploring The Songs And Pathways Of 'The Living Bird'

1:31pm April 22, 2016

Wildlife photographer Gerrit Vyn and essayist Scott Weidensaul share bird calls and discuss some of the remarkable abilities of birds. Originally broadcast Oct. 20, 2015.

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