Science

The U.S. government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars hunting down new viruses in animals in hopes of stopping a pandemic. Those efforts failed to find – and stop — the virus that causes COVID-19 before it spread around the world.

How Do We Stop The Next Pandemic? Here's A New Strategy

4:07pm April 22, 2021

by Michaeleen Doucleff

For decades, the U.S. has spent many millions hunting down viruses in hope of stopping a pandemic. Yet the efforts failed. A group of researchers thinks there's a better strategy for the future.

Children make an image of the Earth with green materials at a kindergarten on the 52nd Earth Day on April 22 in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province of China.

Looking For A Way To Mark Earth Day? Try These Movies, Songs, Books And More

2:45pm April 22, 2021

by NPR Staff

When you come back inside after celebrating Earth with a walk or by planting some trees, check out these ways NPR's Arts & Culture team has connected with our Mother Earth via the arts.

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.

President Biden greets Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry in January.

On Climate, U.S. And China Pledge Cooperation, But Competition Will Also Be Prominent

3:40pm April 21, 2021

by John Ruwitch

Bilateral ties are at a low and while Washington and Beijing agreed on climate cooperation, details are unclear. Competition with China is key to the Biden administration's response to climate change.

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European Union Regulator Says Benefits Outweigh Risks Of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

11:58am April 20, 2021

by Jason Beaubien

The European Medicines Agency says there is a possible link between the J&J vaccine and rare blood clotting. It says a warning should be added to the label, but says benefits outweigh the risks.

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An oil and gas processing plant in Lake Charles, La. in October 2020. The Biden administration is expected to announce aggressive new targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Science

FAQ: America's New Promise On Climate

6:32pm April 19, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

The U.S. is planning to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is America's return to the international climate stage. We break it down for you.

NASA's 4-pound, experimental helicopter Ingenuity lands on the surface of Mars on Monday.

Success! NASA's Ingenuity Makes 1st Powered Flight On Mars

5:10pm April 19, 2021

by Joe Palca

The tiny helicopter took off and hovered briefly — the first such flight on another planet. The Perseverance rover kept tabs on the mission from a viewing point about 60 yards away.

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Science

How Spiders Can Improve 3D Printing Technology

12:26pm April 19, 2021

Markus Buehler at MIT is learning from spiders. His lab turned the structure of spiderwebs into music, and could be on their way to "communicating" with them.

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NASA's experimental Mars helicopter Ingenuity hovers above the surface of Mars on Monday.

WATCH: The Moment NASA Controllers Learn That Ingenuity Is '1st In Flight' On Mars

11:15am April 19, 2021

by Scott Neuman

Jet Propulsion Laboratory project manager MiMi Aung gave an enthusiastic two thumbs-up and then clenched fists before a roomful of engineers erupted in applause.

Humpback whales, working in teams, circle herring with disorienting curtains of bubbles off Alaska's coast, then shoot up from below with their mouths open. This innovation developed among unrelated groups of humpbacks but is now a widely adopted practice

Photos: The Culture Of Whales

7:40am April 19, 2021

by Taylor Haney

Belugas play, a sperm whale nurses, and orcas teach their pups to hunt in a series of photographs from National Geographic photographer and explorer Brian Skerry.

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