Research News

Ash the cat selects the Kanizsa square stimulus — in other words, the illusion of a square — in a new study in which pet owners provided the data.

Science

Cats Take 'If I Fits I Sits' Seriously, Even If The Space Is Just An Illusion

4:58pm May 10, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

If you've spent any time around cats, you've seen them curl up in cozy spaces. A new study on feline cognition shows that they also like to sit in snug squares created by a kind of optical illusion.

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Carlene Knight, 54, is one of the first patients in a landmark study designed to try to restore vision in those who have a rare genetic disease that causes blindness.

Blind Patients Hope Landmark Gene-Editing Experiment Will Restore Their Vision

12:30pm May 10, 2021

by Rob Stein

The unprecedented study involves using the gene-editing technique CRISPR to edit a gene while it's still inside a patient's body. In exclusive interviews, NPR talks with two of the first participants.

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News Brief: COVID-19 Vaccine, Clashes In Jerusalem, Gene-Editing Experiment

5:34am May 10, 2021

The FDA is expected to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds. Security ramped up for Jerusalem Day parade. Experiment could restore vision for some patients with genetic disorders.

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Scientists once compared the abilities of humans versus canines in tracking a trail of chocolate essential oil laid down in an open field. Though the humans weren't nearly as proficient as the dogs, they did get better with practice.

Will My Sense Of Smell Ever Return? Olfactory Insights From COVID And Beyond

4:31pm May 08, 2021

by Joanne Silberner

COVID-19 has renewed interest in a key way humans perceive the world. A reporter who hasn't been able to tell the scent of a rose from a sweaty gym shoe for decades takes heart in the latest science.

Even after full vaccination against COVID-19, people who have had organ transplants are urged by their doctors to keep wearing masks and taking extra precautions. Research shows the strong drugs they must take to prevent organ rejection can significantly

Vaccination Against COVID 'Does Not Mean Immunity' For People With Organ Transplants

7:45pm May 07, 2021

by Maria Godoy

For most people, COVID-19 vaccines promise a return to something akin to normal life. But for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have a transplanted organ, it's a different story.

Suzanne Simard is a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia. Her own medical journey inspired her research into, among other things, the way yew trees communicate chemically with neighboring trees for their mutual defense.

Trees Talk To Each Other. 'Mother Tree' Ecologist Hears Lessons For People, Too

1:17am May 05, 2021

by Dave Davies

Ecologist Suzanne Simard says trees are "social creatures" that communicate with each other in remarkable ways — including warning each other of danger and sharing nutrients at critical times.

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Carolyn Freiwald speaks at TEDxUniversityofMississippi 2020. Photo courtesy of TED.

Science

Carolyn Freiwald: What Can Our Teeth Tell Us About Where We Come From?

8:19am April 30, 2021

Much of our ancestral histories can be found in our bones. Archaeologist Carolyn Friewald traces the story of human migration through the hidden clues in our bones and our teeth.

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The newly sequenced Canada lynx genome has already offered hints of how the North American wildcat might adapt — or not — to climate change, researchers say.

25 Down And 71,632 To Go: Scientists Seek Genomes Of All Critters With A Backbone

4:46pm April 28, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Biologists say newly efficient and accurate gene sequencing techniques have allowed them to fairly quickly detail full genomes and find overlooked genes in a broad range of 25 important species.

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These 6,000-year-old remains found buried alongside humans are believed to be the earliest example of dog domestication on the Arabian Peninsula.

Science

Man's Ancient Friend: 6,000-Year-Old Dog Remains Found On Arabian Peninsula

6:45pm April 23, 2021

by Anna Sirianni

As archeologists in Saudi Arabia excavated an ancient tomb last year, they were surprised to find what's believed to be the earliest example of dog domestication in the region.

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Researchers search for a bottle filled with seeds that was buried 142 years ago as part of a seed germination study.

Science

The Secret Mission To Unearth Part Of A 142-Year-Old Experiment

4:10pm April 21, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists in Michigan went out in the dead of night to dig up part of an unusual long-term experiment. It's a research study that started in 1879 and is handed from one generation to the next.