Study Suggests Neanderthals Enjoyed Long Childhoods
The study of a 49,000-year-old skeleton of a Neanderthal boy discovered in Spain indicates that he may have matured at about the same rate as children of modern homo sapiens.
Science
Gassy Cows Warm The Planet. Scientists Think They Know How To Squelch Those Belches
Researchers have won a prize for discovering that a cow's genetics determine which microbes populate its gut. Some of those microbes produce the greenhouse gas methane that ends up in the atmosphere.
(Legally) Selling Weed While Black
As Oakland's legal cannabis industry grows, the biggest players seem to have two things in common: They're white, and they have lots of money.
Do Letters Show You How They Sound?
It is a principle of most modern thought about language that the relation between signs and meanings is arbitrary. But a new study finds a connection between sounds and ink on "paper," says Alva Noë.
How Prepared Is The U.S. For Earthquakes?
Mexico has had an earthquake early-warning system for decades, and other countries that get earthquakes — Japan, Taiwan — have them, too. The U.S. does not. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones, who spent years working with the U.S. Geological Survey to create a system.
Are We About To See A Black Hole?
A project called the Event Horizon Telescope is analyzing data taken earlier this year using interferometry — and we may be remarkably close to "seeing" a black hole, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.
Shellfish Surprise: Common 'Herbivore' Dinosaur Found To Snack On Crustaceans
"I immediately said, 'Oh, no, no, it can't be crustaceans.' That was my knee jerk reaction," a paleontologist said. The prehistoric snacking was likely intentional and linked to mating behaviors.
Mexico City Doomed By Its Geology To More Earthquakes
The problem is that just to the west, a huge slab of the Earth's crust called the Cocos Plate is grinding relentlessly toward North America. And it's running under another slab to the north.
Editing Embryo DNA Yields Clues About Early Human Development
Researchers disabled a gene that they think helps determine which human embryos will develop normally. The technique they used is controversial because it could be used to change babies' DNA.
Cassini's Spectacular Legacy — And Nod To The Future
Following on Cassini's discoveries, NASA aims to probe Jupiter's Europa for potential life. With every new world we discover, we should look back at our own planet with awe, says Marcelo Gleiser.