Science

Neanderthals are believed to have relied on dangerous close range hunting techniques, using non-projectile weapons like the thrusting spears depicted in this artist's rendition.

Science

Maybe Neanderthals Weren't Quite So Nasty And Brutish

3:44pm November 14, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

New research finds they sustained skull injuries at about the same rate as early modern humans. "I definitely think that it's evidence these guys were not beating each other up," one expert says.

This bright meteor was seen in the sky above Wrightwood, Calif., during the Leonid meteor storm of 1966. Storms are more intense than showers, but every year Leonid meteors streak across the night sky in November.

Science

Watch The Leonid Meteor Shower This Weekend

5:27pm November 13, 2018

by Ruben Kimmelman

Hopefully you don't have anything planned between midnight Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday because with a clear calendar and clear skies you should be able to catch a glimpse of a few meteors.

Forged in 1879 and sanctioned by the General Conference on Weights and Measures at its first meeting, Le Grand K, the international prototype of the kilogram, has been kept under lock and key in a vault outside Paris.

Say Au Revoir To That Hunk Of Metal In France That Has Defined The Kilogram

5:02pm November 13, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A small cylinder called Le Grand K has defined the kilogram for more than a hundred years. But if a scratch ever rendered it lighter, the definition of the kilo literally shifted. Time for a change.

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Rapidly-Spreading Wildfire In California's Butte County Prompts Evacuations

"The New Abnormal": Wildfires And Climate Change

2:06pm November 13, 2018

Human activity is making wildfires more frequent and more severe.

Full front view of an old student desk on white; copy space

Science

How Can Schools Better Persuade Students To Show Up For Class?

7:58am November 13, 2018

by Shankar Vedantam

Many schools give attendance awards to motivate students. A study found students who were awarded for perfect attendance went on to have more absences than their peers who weren't given the award.

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Helping a spouse or parent who has dementia steer clear of hazards can include ridding the home of all guns.

Firearms And Dementia: How Do You Convince A Loved One To Give Up Their Guns?

7:23am November 13, 2018

by Melissa Block

It's estimated that nearly half of all Americans over 65 own a gun or live with someone who does. And 7 million in the U.S. have dementia, a number that's expected to double within two decades.

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Chris and Nancy Brown embrace Monday while looking over the remains of their burned residence after the Camp Fire tore through the region in Paradise, Calif. Dozens of people have been killed in the latest fires to hit the state.

Megafires More Frequent Because Of Climate Change And Forest Management

7:12pm November 12, 2018

Dry weather and strong winds mean that what would have been small blazes in the past are now monster fires. And more people live in harm's way.

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North Korean rockets, such as these shown drilling near Pyongyang on March 7, 2017, launch from mobile trucks.

Commercial Satellites Reveal North Korean Missile Base

5:48pm November 12, 2018

by Geoff Brumfiel

The previously undisclosed base contains networks of tunnels used to hide and fuel mobile missiles. Intelligence agencies believe there are some 20 similar bases scattered throughout North Korea.

Humans would do better to accept many of the life forms that share our space, than to scrub them all away, says ecologist Rob Dunn.

Counting The Bugs And Bacteria, You're 'Never Home Alone' (And That's OK)

2:16pm November 12, 2018

by Terry Gross

Ecologist Rob Dunn's new book describes the tiny life forms, helpful and risky, that live in different parts of the home, including on floors and in water faucets, basements and heating systems.

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"Our data suggests that something about baking seems to be changing the hands of the people who do the baking," says ecologist Rob Dunn.

Sourdough Hands: How Bakers And Bread Are A Microbial Match

11:37am November 12, 2018

In Robert Dunn's new book, Never Home Alone, he explores our symbiotic relationship with food: Not only do we impact the bacteria in our food, but the microbes in our food imprint our bodies.