Talking about monkeypox? Then you should be talking about sex
Despite the possibility of stigmatizing queer sex, experts say it's important to keep sex at the center of the conversation around monkeypox.
Science
Some spiders might experience REM sleep and even dream
Jumping spiders appear to move their eyes during sleep, similar to the way humans do during REM sleep — raising the question of whether spiders might dream as well.
It's summer and people are hot. We answer some questions about sweat
As part of our summer series on sweat, we get answers to the questions: Do we need to sweat during sleep? And, why does a warm bath help you sleep, even if it makes you sweat?
Millions of Americans will soon be able to buy hearing aids without a prescription
A new FDA rule allows adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss to buy hearing aids over the counter. Efforts to make them more affordable and accessible have been in the works for years.
An astronomer's plan to trawl the ocean floor for signs of extraterrestrial life
NPR's Juana Summers talks with astrophysicist Avi Loeb about his plan to retrieve fragments of a potential interstellar meteor from the ocean floor.
How can we help humans thrive trillions of years from now? This philosopher has a plan
William MacAskill's book, What We Owe the Future, urges today's humans to protect future humans — an idea he calls longtermism. Here are a few of his hardly modest proposals.
The U.K. approved omicron-specific booster shots. They're coming to the U.S. soon
In the U.S., officials have asked vaccine makers to target BA.5, rather than the original omicron strain. That has delayed the boosters' development — but officials hope they will be more effective.
A python challenge hasn't done much to reduce impact of Florida's invasive species
Florida's annual python challenge awards hunters who capture the invasive snakes from the wild. A decade later, it's done little to reduce the impact of the species on the Everglades ecosystem.
The importance of sweat: We need it to keep cool
NPR begins a celebration of sweat — what it's made of, where it comes from and what it smells like. Spoiler alert: most of the time it doesn't have any smell at all.
Why scientists have pumped a potent greenhouse gas into streams on public lands
A 30-year, nationwide study of ecological changes — including the effects of climate warming — has been releasing a powerful greenhouse gas, and critics want it to stop.