Research News

Science

Bilingual Studies Reveal Flaw In How Info Reaches Mainstream

1:04pm February 10, 2015

by Shankar Vedantam

A host of studies and popular reports tout the cognitive benefits of being bilingual. Is that because being bilingual has mental benefits, or because the science is biased?

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Dealer Omar Abu-Eid adjusts a stack of chips before the first day of the World Series of Poker's main event in Las Vegas last July. Humans still reign in most versions of poker. Whew.

Look Out, This Poker-Playing Computer Is Unbeatable

9:20pm February 09, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

Forget chess. Poker may be even harder for a computer. But a software program has now "solved" a variant of Texas Hold'em, the bot's creators say. And nothing can keep it from winning.

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How would you sound in front of an NPR microphone?

How A Position Of Power Can Change Your Voice

6:37pm February 09, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Once you become the boss, it's likely that you'll start to speak quite differently. The pitch, resonance and intensity of your speech change in ways that listeners can detect as signs of power.

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The Pseudomonas stutzeri bacterium, commonly found in soil, was the most prevalent subway microbe. Lower Manhattan was its prime hangout.

What Microbes Lurk In The Subways Of New York? Mysteries Abound

1:53pm February 09, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Think expedition to the rain forest, but one where you'll need a MetroCard to get around. The microbial life of the New York subways turns out to be as rich, odd and confounding as the city itself.

Science

Medical Research And The End Of Privacy

9:29pm February 07, 2015

Scientists can no longer guarantee privacy for patients donating tissue and DNA for medical research. NPR's Arun Rath talks with Jennifer Couzin-Frankel of Science Magazine.

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A visualization of the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background, or CMB, as detected by ESA's Planck satellite over the entire sky.

Science

First Stars Fired Up 140 Million Years Later Than Previously Thought

5:01pm February 05, 2015

by Scott Neuman

New data collected from the European Space Agency's Planck telescope shows that the first starlight in the universe occurred about 560 million years after the Big Bang.

Ready to feel the burn? Check out our tips for tiptoeing into hot sauce.

Science

Love Hot Sauce? Your Personality May Be A Good Predictor

11:05am February 05, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

Personality seems to play a key role in our lust for heat in our food. Research has found that thrill seekers tend to like the burn of a spicy meal, and the lure may be different for men and women.

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Juniper Russo walks her dogs with her daughter Vivian (left).

Once A Vaccine Skeptic, This Mom Changed Her Mind

8:16am February 05, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

Juniper Russo wants what is best for her daughter, Vivian, and she sometimes questions mainstream medicine. But after three years of soul-searching, she decided vaccination was best.

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Larkin Carey, an optical engineer with Ball Aerospace, examines two test mirror segments designed for the James Webb Space Telescope. The mirror for the scope is extremely powerful, but heavy and pricey.

Could Glitter Help Solve NASA's Giant Telescope Problem?

1:16am February 05, 2015

by Joe Palca

NASA's next big space telescope costs $8 billion and is very heavy. New York scientists think they may have found the makings of a cheaper, lighter answer for future space scopes — in a crafts store.

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Science

Solving The Mystery Of Why Rock Ants Avoid Right Turns

1:15am February 05, 2015

by Richard Harris

Ants that live in a rocky maze-like setting prefer to turn left when they enter a space. Ants aren't as symmetrical as they appear. Their left eye may be better than the right for detecting predators.

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