Animals

Part of your brain doesn't sleep as deeply when you're in a new place.

Half Your Brain Stands Guard When Sleeping In A New Place

6:46pm April 21, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

No wonder we don't feel rested after a first night in a new place: Half of our brain has stayed alert while the other half enjoyed deeper sleep, a study finds. We really have been half-asleep.

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Parrot In Britain Flew The Coop; Then Hails Taxi Home

7:23am April 19, 2016

Evie left after a noise in the garden scared her. A taxi driver says the bird landed outside his cab and said, "Hello." He went on Facebook to look for someone missing a parrot, and Evie made it home.

A grizzly bear fends off ravens from a bison carcass in Grand Teton National Park.

Is Yellowstone National Park In Danger Of Being 'Loved To Death'?

5:32pm April 18, 2016

Each year, the park attracts millions of visitors and provides a home to countless animal species. But journalist David Quammen warns that balancing tourism and preservation can be tricky.

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Science

Ethiopian Monkey Study Offers Clues Into How Human Speech Evolved

4:59pm April 18, 2016

by Gregory Warner

A new study of the speech patterns of gelada monkeys in the Ethiopian Highlands suggests that linguistically humans aren't as unique as we think. So why has it taken us thousands of years to realize that? NPR has the story of how we listen to noises we don't understand.

World News

Inky The Octopus's Great Escape

8:40am April 16, 2016

by Scott Simon

Inky the octopus escaped from the National Aquarium of New Zealand and into Hawke's Bay. NPR's Scott Simon celebrates his ingenuity, and second-guesses the octopus's inclusion on his dinner plate.

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The Tampa Bay Times spent two months investigating where local eateries were really getting their ingredients. Many of their "farm to table" claims proved to be bogus.

'Farm To Fable'? Tampa Probe Finds Many Restaurants Lie About Sourcing

3:30pm April 15, 2016

by NPR Staff

Food critic Laura Reiley of the Tampa Bay Times spent two months investigating where her local eateries were really getting their ingredients. Many of their "farm to table" claims proved bogus.

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Field technicians at Mara Conservancy install a mobile camera unit to help nab poachers.

Stalking Poachers With High-Tech Cameras And Old-Fashioned Smarts

8:39am April 14, 2016

by Gregory Warner

Infrared thermal cameras have revolutionized the way rangers can see into the dark. But sometimes, experience trumps technology.

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At the Iowa State University Beef Nutrition Farm, the cattle eat carefully formulated rations. Researchers there are trying to test new types of animal feed.

Taking Cues From Human Nutrition To Reduce Antibiotic Use In Livestock

7:38pm April 13, 2016

by Amy Mayer

Researchers are trying to figure out whether probiotics — the stuff we like to eat in yogurt to keep our guts healthy — could also help pigs, cows and chickens thrive.

The goat did not order a latte. But when it escaped from home and entered a nearby Starbucks in the Northern California town of Rohnert Park, it did have a hankering for cardboard.

So A Goat Walked Into A Starbucks ...

6:32pm April 12, 2016

by Marc Silver

And it didn't drink any coffee but it LOVED the cardboard! Until a police officer took the goat into custody.

A bee gathers pollen from a park in Kensington, Md. With bee health in mind, home and garden products giant Ortho has announced it will phase out neonics, a class of pesticides, from its outdoor products.

Home And Garden Giant Ditches Class Of Pesticides That May Harm Bees

3:21pm April 12, 2016

by Allison Aubrey

Ortho is part of the Miracle-Gro family. The company says it decided to phase out neonics from its home and garden products after reviewing possible threats posed to bees and other pollinators.