Science

The James Webb telescope project manager says the words 'give up' were never used

5:40pm July 14, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Bill Ochs, the project manager for the James Webb telescope since 2011, on the trials and tribulations of the launch and what it's like having the images out in the world.

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Why don't woodpecker brains get damaged from pecking? They're tiny, scientists say

4:42pm July 14, 2022

by Jon Hamilton

A woodpecker's brain takes a big hit with every peck against a tree. Yet the animals don't get brain damage. A team of scientists says the reason is the brain's very small size.

Sam Van Wassenbergh and his team filmed this black woodpecker at Alpenzoo Innbruck, Austria, for their study.

A woodpecker's brain takes a big hit with every peck: study

3:47pm July 14, 2022

by Jon Hamilton

A new study refutes the popular idea that a woodpecker's brain is cushioned from the violent impacts of pecking. It offers a different reason the birds avoid brain damage.

This image released by NASA on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, combined the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope's two cameras to create a never-before-seen view of a star-forming region in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by the Near-Infra

Science

Scientists have picked up a radio signal 'heartbeat' billions of light-years away

5:06am July 14, 2022

by Ayana Archie

Scientists have not been able to pinpoint the exact location of the radio waves yet.

Drugmaker HRA Pharma has asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve an over-the-counter birth control pill called Opill. The agency's review process is estimated to take about 10 months.

Over-the-counter birth control pills are available worldwide. The U.S. may be next

5:00am July 14, 2022

by Allison Aubrey

Birth control pills are available in the U.S. only with a prescription. Now a drugmaker is asking the FDA to approve a progestin-only contraceptive that would be available without one at pharmacies.

Patricia Neves (left) and Ana Paula Ano Bom take a break at the institute in Rio de Janeiro where they work. The two scientists say they've been inseparable since they met in college. Now their friendship has made it possible to launch a remarkable partne

These Brazilian besties are inventing an mRNA vaccine as a gift to the world

6:20pm July 13, 2022

by Nurith Aizenman

Pfizer and Moderna have refused to divulge details of how to make their cutting-edge COVID shots. Here's what two scientists — and longtime best friends — are doing about it.

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The bright star at the center of NGC 3132, Southern Nebula Ring, while prominent when viewed by NASA's Webb Telescope in near-infrared light, plays a supporting role in sculpting the surrounding nebula. A second star, barely visible at lower left along on

Science

NASA's James Webb telescope captures groundbreaking images of distant galaxies

12:10pm July 12, 2022

Thanks to the telescope's deep and sharp infrared images, Earthlings are getting a more detailed look at distant galaxies than was ever possible.

The James Webb Space Telescope (shown here being tested on earth) is expected to reveal some of the most spectacular views of the Universe ever seen.

Science

NASA's James Webb telescope reveals the universe as we've never seen it before

9:24pm July 11, 2022

by Joe Palca

NASA's $10 billion new telescope showed the world something remarkable today: an image of some of the first galaxies to form in the universe.

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A Covid-19 testing site stands on a Brooklyn street corner in April.

A new dominant omicron strain in the U.S. is driving up cases — and reinfections

7:39pm July 11, 2022

by Allison Aubrey

BA.5 is now the dominant omicron strain in the U.S. It's good at evading the immune system, though doesn't appear to cause more serious illness.

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A pulse oximeter is worn by Brown University professor Kimani Toussaint. The devices have been shown in research to produce inaccurate results in dark-skinned people, and Toussaint's lab is developing technology that would be more accurate, regardless of

When it comes to darker skin, pulse oximeters fall short

1:19pm July 11, 2022

by Craig LeMoult

These devices measure blood oxygen levels and can help identify when patients are dangerously ill. But research shows they can deliver misleading results for people with darker skin.