Research News

Earth Scientists Pin Climate Change Squarely On 'Humanity'

8:12pm August 06, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

The federal government's top climate scientists announced Tuesday that 2012 was really hot — among the top 10 hottest years on record and the hottest ever in the U.S., with rising sea levels, less Arctic sea ice and warmer oceans. And the American Geophysical Union called humanity "the major influence" on global climate change.

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Sally O'Neill decided to have a double mastectomy rather than "do a wait-and-see."

When Treating Abnormal Breast Cells, Sometimes Less Is More

11:39am August 06, 2013

The question of how to treat ductal carcinoma in situ is roiling the medical profession, and making for tough choices for women. The condition may never become invasive cancer. But some women choose to have mastectomies rather than live with uncertainty.

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A nematode worm glows as it nears death in this screenshot from a YouTube video showing the work of researchers in London.

Worms' Bright Blue Death Could Shed Light On Human Aging

7:50pm August 03, 2013

by NPR Staff

Researchers are getting clues about the human life cycle from studying the death of tiny worms, which internally release a blue fluorescent dye in the waning hours of their lives. The glowing chemical travels from one end of the creature to the other. One researcher calls it "reminiscent of the soul departing the worm."

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A side view of the new ant species Eurhopalothrix zipacna. Mounting glue and paper appear beneath the ant, one of 33 new species discovered in Central America by Jack Longino, a biologist at the University of Utah.

Science

Jack Longino, 'The Astonishing Ant Man,' Finds 33 New Species

6:01pm August 02, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

All told, the scientist has discovered 131 new species of animals in his career, and some are so scary-looking, he's named them after demons. It's a task that's taken more than 30 years of crawling through rain forests to accomplish, and Longino says he's still only scratched the surface.

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Science

For Some Mammals It's One Love, But Reasons Still Unclear

11:11am July 30, 2013

by Richard Harris

Scientists are squaring off yet again on the question of why some mammals are monogamous. A new paper argues that monogamy is most likely the result of males trying to protect their youngsters from murderous rivals. A second study says monogamy in mammals evolved in species where females were scattered about.

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Echolocation is second nature to animals such as bats and dolphins. Can humans also find their way using sound as a tool?

'Batman' Style: How We Can See With Sound, Too

11:30am July 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

Echolocation: Birds do it, bats do it, and now even educated people do it. A team of researchers has devised an algorithm that could give the rest of us a way to discover our surroundings without using our eyes.

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Biologists normally look for the hellbender slamander, which is known by the nickname "snot otter," under rocks in streams. But now there's a gentler way: They can take water samples and look for traces of the animals' DNA.

What's Swimming In The River? Just Look For DNA

7:34pm July 24, 2013

by Richard Harris

Biologists have discovered they can track hard-to-see species in streams, ponds and even the ocean by sampling the water for DNA. Scientists say the technique is an important conservation tool: So far, it's been used to track declining giant salamanders and even locate a rare whale.

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Being In The Minority Can Cost You And Your Company

11:59am July 24, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

Social scientists recently made an interesting discovery: The wage gap between blacks and whites (working identical jobs) varies greatly by location.

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Bottle-nosed dolphins leap out of the water near Dana Point, Calif.

Science

We Call Him Flipper. But What Do The Dolphins Call Him?

9:02pm July 22, 2013

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Dolphins, like humans, are part of complex social networks. And research now indicates that they use their unique whistle sounds to identify and communicate with each other. "Every time a dolphin heard its signature whistle, it called back, sometimes multiple times," one researcher says.

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Pandoraviruses were discovered lurking in the mud of Chile and Australia, half a world apart.

World's Biggest Virus May Have Ancient Roots

6:14am July 20, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

The Pandoravirus is so big you can see it in an ordinary microscope. Scientists say its size may have helped fool amoebas and other potential hosts into eating it. But this virus doesn't pose a threat to humans. It's more of a Trojan virus than a surprise from Pandora's Box.

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