Animals

Fisherman Bill Coppersmith named the rare lobster

Maine Fisherman Catches His Second Rare Lobster

8:23pm July 23, 2015

by Lucy Perkins

The Portland Press Herald reports that "Captain Eli," a rare orange lobster, will be kept at the Fisherman's Catch Café in Raymond, Maine, before Bill Coppersmith releases it back into the ocean.

Lee Perry-Gal measures chicken long bones at the zooarchaeology lab, Zinman Institute of Archaeology, University of Haifa.

The Ancient City Where People Decided To Eat Chickens

1:51pm July 23, 2015

by Dan Charles

Chicken bones unearthed in Israel may mark a turning point in human cuisine: They could be the earliest evidence of people raising chickens for food, rather than cockfighting or use in ceremonies.

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Ioanna Mattke holds Raven, one of six hens that her family owns. The Mattkes have raised Raven since she was a day old.

Chicken Owners Brood Over CDC Advice Not To Kiss, Cuddle Birds

2:25pm July 22, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

The health agency says kissing and cuddling chickens could be contributing to outbreaks of salmonella. But backyard chicken owners aren't about to lay off the birds.

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As useful and tasty as they are, swine have not been universally adored.

Science
Arts

Why The Pig Is The Most Loved And Most Loathed Animal On The Plate

2:10pm July 22, 2015

by Mark Essig

As long as pigs have existed, humans have weighed desire for their meat against disgust for how the animals lived and what they ate. Today we have fresh cause for worry about how pigs are living.

In this colorized image of a brain cell from a person with Alzheimer's, the red tangle in the yellow cell body is a toxic tangle of misfolded "tau" proteins, adjacent to the cell's green nucleus.

Alzheimer's Drugs In The Works Might Treat Other Diseases, Too

10:28am July 22, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

By targeting the process that creates toxic clumps of protein in brain cells, scientists hope to help not just Alzheimer's patients, but perhaps also people with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's.

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PETA activists demonstrated in 2013 against SeaWorld's planned float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

National

PETA Says Undercover SeaWorld Employee Posed As Animal Rights Activist

10:28am July 22, 2015

by NPR Staff

PETA says one of its supporters in California was actually a SeaWorld "agent" who infiltrated its activist network and tried to "incite illegal ... activity." SeaWorld has suspended the employee.

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World News

A Near Miss For A Surfer In South Africa

4:18pm July 20, 2015

A shark attacks a surfer, but he survives unscathed.

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Visual effects supervisor Jake Morrison wanted Ant-Man's titular insects to be both accurate and relatable.

Science
Arts

Little Hero, Big Screen: The Entomology Of 'Ant-Man'

11:56pm July 19, 2015

by Neda Ulaby

In Ant-Man, the latest Marvel Studios superhero movie, filmmakers had to portray the tiny insects as realistic, yet relatable. Two ant scientists weigh in on whether the attempt was successful.

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Australian surfer Mick Fanning narrowly escapes a shark attack.

WATCH: Surfer In South Africa Narrowly Escapes Shark

3:47pm July 19, 2015

by Scott Neuman

During a World Surf League competition in Jeffreys Bay that was broadcast live on television, Australian surfer Mick Fanning has a heart-stopping moment.

Birds, Bees And The Power Of Sex Appeal: The Ribald Lives Of Flowers

6:33pm July 18, 2015

by NPR Staff

They're billboards for sexual favors, says ecologist Stephen Buchmann. But get your minds out of the dirt: We're talking pollination — and it's played a surprising role in global trade and history.

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