Animals

Canadian Cat Cafe Closes Temporarily

11:12am January 06, 2016

The Catfe in Vancouver no sooner opened its doors than it had to close temporarily because of a cat shortage. Due to the overwhelming success of adoptions in the first few weeks, it ran out of cats.

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Cheryl Woolnough, director of training at Patriot PAWS in Rockwall, Texas, works with Papi, a Labrador retriever.

Veterans Say Trained Dogs Help With PTSD, But The VA Won't Pay

6:05pm January 04, 2016

by Lauren Silverman

Service dogs help veterans with physical disabilities, and there's increased interest in using dogs for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, too. A study is underway to see whether that helps.

Jeffrey Iliff (left), a brain scientist at Oregon Health & Science University, has been studying toxin removal in the brains of mice. He'll work with Bill Rooney, director of the university's Advanced Imaging Research Center, to enroll people in a similar

Lack Of Deep Sleep May Set The Stage For Alzheimer's

8:29am January 04, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

A mouse's brain clears out toxins during periods of deep sleep — including toxins that form the sticky plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. Could the same hold true for people?

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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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