Animals

A Butterball turkey for sale in November 2014, in Centreville, Va. Terms like "premium" and "raised without hormones" tell you little about the quality of the turkey or how it was raised.

Premium, Young And Natural: The Turkey Labels We Cluck-Cluck Over

2:58pm November 18, 2015

by Anders Kelto

Turkeys these days are often plastered with an array of terms that can confuse and even mislead consumers. Here's a glossary of jargon for the wannabe informed Thanksgiving turkey buyer.

Modeled after Manhattan, Conch Bay is a massive development project in northern China. But at least for now, it's more ghost town than bustling metropolis.

We Know China Has Ghost Cities, But Where Are They Hiding?

2:07pm November 18, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

The locations of the infamous empty housing complexes have been secret, but ghost city hunters are now using smartphones and GPS receivers to track them down.

Environment

Calif. Drought Adds To The Perils Of Endangered Chinook Salmon

6:07am November 18, 2015

by Richard Gonzales

For the second year, there's a diminishing count of juvenile salmon migrating downstream away from their spawning grounds in northern California. The drought isn't the only problem the salmon face.

An illustration of rinderpest in the Netherlands in the 18th century. Europeans once feared the cattle virus as much as they did the Black Death.

Rounding Up The Last Of A Deadly Cattle Virus

7:42pm November 12, 2015

by Dan Charles

Rinderpest, or cattle plague, was declared eradicated in 2011. But many research institutes still have samples of the rinderpest virus in storage. Disease experts want those samples destroyed.

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SeaWorld Reinvents Itself In Face Of Growing 'Blackfish' Scrutiny

7:03pm November 11, 2015

by Greg Allen

Facing continued pressure from activists and lawmakers over its shows featuring captive killer whales, SeaWorld is addressing its problems by putting an emphasis on conservation and education.

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A hollow log hive in the Cevennes region of France reveals the details of circular comb architecture of the Western honeybee. New research shows the partnership between humans and bees goes back to the beginnings of agriculture.

Science

Farmers Have Been Enjoying The Fruits Of Bee Labor For 9,000 Years

4:10pm November 11, 2015

by Jeremy Cherfas

Bees play a vital role in pollinating the crops we eat. Turns out, that relationship with agriculture began shortly after the rise of settled farming, new research shows.

Tang Xiong Xiong, a Bichon Frise, came into the salon as a ball of fluff and emerged with her head shaped like a square. "She's getting used to it," says her owner.

For Taiwanese Dogs, Being Square Is Stylish

7:41pm November 10, 2015

by Elise Hu

These days, owners are asking for their four-legged friends to be styled as spheres and squares. We visit the Taiwanese grooming shop where the geometric grooming trend took root.

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Brazilian Toddler Takes On Snake; Hair Dresser Takes On Alligator

7:44am November 10, 2015

A toddler mistook a black snake that slithered into his crib for a toy, and bit down on it. A Texas dental hygienist and licensed alligator wrangler subdued a gator heading for a hair salon.

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Visitors watch a killer whale swim in a tank at SeaWorld in San Diego in 2006. A SeaWorld executive says orca shows at the San Diego park will be replaced with a more natural presentation by 2017.

National

SeaWorld To Change Its Criticized Orca Show After Next Year

6:32pm November 09, 2015

by Alexandra Starr

The company's market value has plunged after complaints about its treatment of killer whales. The CEO says in 2017 SeaWorld in San Diego will switch to an "informative" show in a more natural setting.

Goats and Soda Editor Marc Silver tried to interview the rescued hen, but she wouldn't make a peep.

NPR Rescued A Chicken That Tried To Cross The Road...

6:31pm November 09, 2015

by Marc Silver

And that led us to interview a chicken expert who shared some exciting news about chickens in the developing world.