Animals

Cage-free chickens in a barn near Hershey, Pa., get to roam and perch on steel rods (but they don't go outside). In September, McDonald's said it would buy only cage-free eggs, inspiring several other food companies to follow suit.

Science

The Year In Eggs: Everyone's Going Cage-Free, Except Supermarkets

5:21pm December 30, 2015

by Eliza Barclay

Egg producers who for years said they couldn't give up cages for egg-laying hens made the switch to cage-free in 2015. Big egg buyers, including McDonald's, Nestle and Subway, made commitments, too.

The Biggest Threats To Birds And How You Can Help

8:29am December 26, 2015

It's not easy being a bird. There are windows, cell towers, wind farms, habitat destruction and especially cats. NPR's Linda Wertheimer speaks with Talkin' Birds host Ray Brown about avian dangers.

After Killing Of Cecil, White House Enacts Protections For Lions

7:49pm December 21, 2015

by Brian Naylor

Months after an American dentist shot and killed a beloved African lion named Cecil, the Obama administration moves to protect lions in Africa through the Endangered Species Act.

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Large Snake Hops A Ride On MTA Bus In Brooklyn

7:30am December 18, 2015

Forget about snakes on a plane. A photo on social media showed the snake crawling along the edge of a window last weekend. MTA workers were able to remove the snake.

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Tasmanian Devils Return To Los Angeles Zoo

7:15am December 15, 2015

After 20 years without a devil, the LA Zoo has welcomed a pair of the marsupials. Generations of U.S. children first were introduced to Tasmanian devils through Taz, a Looney Tunes animated character.

A fisherman shovels grey sole, a type of flounder, out of the hold of a ship at the Portland Fish Pier in Maine, September 2015. New research finds the ability of fish populations to reproduce and replenish themselves is declining across the globe. The wo

Fish Stocks Are Declining Worldwide, And Climate Change Is On The Hook

4:24pm December 14, 2015

by Clare Leschin-Hoar

Fish populations aren't replenishing themselves like they used to. Researchers say there's not enough food for young fish, and it's directly linked to changing temperatures.

Starlings migrating in huge numbers come to roost this time of year in Rome. In the past, the city used special speakers that emit sounds of predators and starling distress calls to make the birds fly elsewhere. This year, falcons have been enlisted to dr

World News

Dodging Droppings, Romans Cope With Massive Influx Of Starlings

7:29am December 14, 2015

by Sylvia Poggioli

Every year, the Eternal City plays host to millions of migrating starlings. That creates problems — slippery, splattery problems. Falcons have been enlisted to drive them away, but have failed.

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The team behind this project tweaked the IVF process to increase its success rate.

Science

7 Bundles Of Scientific Joy: 'Test Tube Puppies' Prove IVF Can Work In Dogs

7:44pm December 09, 2015

by Camila Domonoske

While in vitro fertilization has been successfully used in many species (including humans) for decades, scientists have never managed to use the procedure with dogs — until this summer.

Science

Scientists Strike Giant Archaeological 'Gold'

12:13pm December 05, 2015

by Joe Palca

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have found a field of dinosaur footprints on the Isle of Skye. The footprints were made by giant dinosaurs 50 feet long that weighed nearly 20 tons.

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An artist's rendering of sauropods that once roamed in a lagoon area on Scotland's Isle of Skye.

Science

Before There Were Tourists, Dinosaurs Strolled Scotland's Isle Of Skye

3:54pm December 01, 2015

by Joe Palca

On a recent fossil-hunting trip to the island, researchers stumbled across a cache of dinosaur footprints in what was once a lagoon.