Environment

We're all a confusing mixture of an array of impulses...our nature is to be context dependent on our behavior. - Robert Sapolsky

Robert Sapolsky: How Much Agency Do We Have Over Our Behavior?

9:13am August 25, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky says nearly all aspects of human behavior are explained by biology: from developments millions of years in the past to microscopic reactions happening in the present.

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Brian Little: Are Human Personalities Hardwired?

9:13am August 25, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Are you introverted or extroverted? It depends. When it comes to personality, psychologist Brian Little says we can actually act against our biology — especially if we pursue a "core life project."

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Moshe Szyf: How Do Our Experiences Rewire Our Brains And Bodies?

9:13am August 25, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Many think genetic makeup is fixed from the moment we're born. But Moshe Szyf says this understanding is incomplete because our experiences and environment have the power to change our basic biology.

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25 Years Later: Hurricane Andrew's Devastation Lingers

8:01pm August 24, 2017

by Alicia Zuckerman

Twenty-five years ago, Hurricane Andrew slammed into south Florida. It was the last Category 5 storm to hit the U.S., and its impact is still felt today by those who survived the hurricane.

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25 Years Later: How Hurricane Andrew Impacted Emergency Response

6:56pm August 24, 2017

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate about the important changes inspired by the historic Category 5 storm, in computer modeling, housing codes and insurance.

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Trump Administration Moves To Shrink National Monuments

6:33pm August 24, 2017

by Kirk Siegler

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says some National Monuments protecting federal public land designated during the Obama administration will be downsized, including a big reduction of Utah's Bears Ears.

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Texas Coast Prepares For Strengthened Hurricane Harvey

5:06pm August 24, 2017

by Laura Isensee

The National Hurricane Center now says Harvey will be a major hurricane when it arrives in Texas late Friday. The overnight escalation surprised planners who were told it would be a tropical storm.

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Farmer Kevin Sullivan put solar panels on a portion of his property in Suffield, Conn.

For New England Farmers Looking To Make Ends Meet, The Sun Provides A Harvest

3:42pm August 24, 2017

by Patrick Skahill

Farmers in New England are renting parts of their land to solar energy developers, allowing the farmers to earn some much-needed extra money. But not everyone is happy about the trend.

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Aboard the fishing vessel Marathon, Nicholas Cooke (left) and Nathan Cultee unload 16 farm-raised Atlantic salmon into a container on Tuesday in Bellingham, Wash.

National

'Environmental Nightmare' After Thousands Of Atlantic Salmon Escape Fish Farm

1:02pm August 24, 2017

Officials blame the failure of a pen near Washington's Cypress Island on high tides caused by the eclipse, but that is being questioned. Fishing boats are scrambling to catch as many as possible.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry had called for the study that says that a grid reliability problem could develop if more coal and nuclear power plants shut down.

Coal, Nuclear Power Would Benefit From Energy Department's Power Grid Study

11:10am August 24, 2017

by Jeff Brady

A controversial Energy Department report says the U.S. power grid could become less reliable if too much electricity comes from renewable energy and natural gas. Environmentalists doubt the report.

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