Science

Elliot Berman, on the balcony of his New York City apartment, wears a boat jacket that he and his team donned for meetings with the boating industry about their solar panels. On the pocket is a drawing of a sundial and the Latin phrase Sine sole sileo —

How Big Oil Of The Past Helped Launch The Solar Industry Of Today

7:50pm September 30, 2019

by Andrea Hsu

The multibillion-dollar solar photovoltaic industry has roots in an unexpected place. More than 40 years ago, oil companies invested in solar research and development that have proved critical.

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After finishing up some household chores, Brody Knapp gets a chance to play with his mother, Ashley, at their home in Kansas City, Mo.

Pediatricians Stand By Meds For ADHD, But Some Say Therapy Should Come First

5:26pm September 30, 2019

by Alex Smith

New treatment guidelines don't assuage concerns that some children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are being prescribed medication too soon, before behavioral interventions are tried.

U.S. adults put on about a pound a year on average. But people who had a regular nut-snacking habit put on less weight and had a lower risk of becoming obese over time, a new study finds.

Just A Handful Of Nuts May Help Keep Us From Packing On The Pounds As We Age

5:06am September 30, 2019

by Patti Neighmond

U.S. adults put on about a pound a year on average. But people who had a regular nut-snacking habit put on less weight and had a lower risk of becoming obese over time, a new study finds.

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A prototype of SpaceX's Starship stands at the company's Texas launch facility on Saturday. The Starship spacecraft is a massive vehicle designed to eventually be able to take people to the moon, Mars and beyond.

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Elon Musk Unveils SpaceX's New Starship, Designed To Fly To The Moon, Mars And Beyond

5:27pm September 29, 2019

by Carmel Wroth

Calling it "the most inspiring thing" he's ever seen, SpaceX's CEO talked up his company's big innovation and plans to fast-track production of the spacecraft. He hopes to fly passengers by next year.

UCLA Opens World's 1st Institute To Study Kindness

5:03pm September 28, 2019

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with anthropology professor Daniel Fessler about UCLA's new Bedari Kindness Institute.

A team of scientists used a telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain to detect a gas giant orbiting a tiny red star some 30 light-years from Earth.

Science

A Peculiar Solar System Has Scientists Rethinking Theories Of How Planets Form

4:45pm September 26, 2019

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A surprisingly large planet orbiting a small star defies the conventional wisdom about how planets are born. But a dark-horse idea from more than 20 years ago could explain it.

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Triathletes who trained too much chose immediate gratification over long-term rewards, researchers found.

Too Much Training Can Tax Athletes' Brains

12:43pm September 26, 2019

by Jon Hamilton

Research finds that triathletes who train too hard can impair a brain area involved in achieving goals such as winning a race. Fatigued athletes choose immediate gratification over long-term rewards.

A selection of small feeding vessels dating back to the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. Researchers now say vessels like these were used as prehistoric baby bottles.

Prehistoric Babies Drank Animal Milk From Bottles

4:25pm September 25, 2019

by Emily Vaughn

The remnants of ruminant milk were found in tiny vessels buried with infants thousands of years ago. Scientists say the ancient baby bottles were sometimes shaped like "mythical animals."

No Plan B: Deciding Not To Have Children Because of Climate Change

3:32pm September 25, 2019

Faced with the prospect of severe climate disruptions, potential parents are rethinking that choice.

Salmon swim upstream in Seattle in 2017. A mass of abnormally warm water off the west coast of the U.S. that year contributed to a federal fishery disaster. Warming oceans and rising sea levels are threatening coastal economies as the world's climate chan

Earth's Oceans Are Getting Hotter And Higher, And It's Accelerating

1:14pm September 25, 2019

by Rebecca Hersher

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released its latest report on the oceans, and it's not good. The report also notes a relatively new phenomenon in the oceans: marine heat waves.

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