Animals

A citizen-science project asks the public to identify the birds in your backyard

6:37pm February 21, 2023

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual citizen-science project that gathers data about wild birds. Participants go outside for at least 15 minutes and identify as many birds as they can.

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Botswana says it lost 138 rhinoceros to poachers over the past five years.

World News

Botswana has seen a huge spike in rhinoceros poaching over the past 5 years

12:29pm February 21, 2023

by Ish Mafundikwa

There's been increased demand for the endangered species' horn by some east Asians who believe it has medicinal properties.

Joan Brown's Joan + Donald, 1982, Oil enamel on canvas, 72 1/4 x 60 in. (183.5 x 152.4 cm), collection of Adam Lindemann

Arts

Mr. Whiskers is ready for his close-up: When an artist's pet is also their muse

5:00am February 20, 2023

by Chloe Veltman

Pablo Picasso made studies of Lump, an adored dachshund. And Frida Kahlo's catalogue is packed with self-portraits featuring her pet monkeys and parrots.

About a decade ago, Dr. Edwin Asturias looked out at a dirt parking lot in rural western Guatemala and envisioned a clinic and thriving research center.

A kid in Guatemala had a dream. Today she's a disease detective

8:02am February 19, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Neudy Rojop made a girlhood pledge. When family members fell ill, she says she decided to become a nurse "so I could change my community for good."

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Books
Arts

The human sensory experience is limited. Journey into the world that animals know

2:08pm February 17, 2023

by Terry Gross

Science writer Ed Yong recently won the Carnegie Medal for Excellence for An Immense World, his book about the diversity of perception in the animal world. Originally broadcast June 22, 2022.

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Plans are underway to unite a cat in Kansas with it owners in Florida

5:58am February 17, 2023

The cat was found in Prairie Village and the microchip revealed it belonged to a family in Miami. Police say Lucky had been missing for two years. How it made the 1,400 mile journey is unknown.

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Larry the Cat is seen in front of No. 10 Downing St. on July 5, 2022. He has now been on the job as Chief Mouser at the British prime minister's official residence for a dozen years.

World News

Larry the Cat celebrates 12 years of dutiful service at No. 10 Downing St.

3:10pm February 16, 2023

by Giulia Heyward

The Chief Mouser of No. 10, the London residence and home office of Britain's prime minister, began his lengthy term in February 2011.

National

An owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo is still loose — and hunting on his own

5:01am February 16, 2023

by Kaitlyn Radde

The owl escaped after its enclosure was vandalized nearly two weeks ago. Zoo officials were worried he wouldn't be able to hunt and eat because he's used to captivity, but that's no longer a concern.

World News

Encore: Killer whale moms are supporting their adult sons — and it's costing them

5:42pm February 15, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Killer whale moms spend a lot of energy and resources on their adult sons. Research shows that could impact their reproductive success long-term.

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A flock of wood storks mingles with egrets as they stand in a retention pond along a road in Atlantic Beach, Fla., on Aug. 12, 2015.

National

After a big recovery, the wood stork may soon fly off the endangered species list

6:08pm February 14, 2023

by The Associated Press

The ungainly yet graceful wood stork, which was on the brink of extinction in 1984, has rebounded dramatically in Florida and other Southern states, officials say.