Science

An illustration of the DART spacecraft approaching two asteroids; it will crash into the smaller one to try to change how this space rock orbits its larger companion.

Science

In a first test of its planetary defense efforts, NASA's going to shove an asteroid

12:21pm November 22, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

NASA is about to launch the first mission of its new planetary defense office. A spacecraft will attempt to knock a small asteroid off course by ramming into it.

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A nurse fills a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination site in Kansas City, Mo. on March 19, 2021.

Republicans are changing state laws to try and get out of federal vaccine mandates

11:27am November 22, 2021

Nationwide, conservative lawmakers have come together to propose and pass bills aimed at nullifying federal vaccine mandates. Public health experts worry exemptions make the workforce vulnerable.

Move over blink of an eye, the snap of a finger is the fastest human motion

4:49pm November 19, 2021

Researchers have determined that one of the fastest motions the human body can generate is a simple snap of the fingers.

The Super Blood Moon rises over a residential area in New Delhi during a total lunar eclipse on May 26, 2021.

Science

How you can see the nearly total lunar eclipse Friday morning

10:00pm November 17, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

It will be the second and final eclipse of the year. West Coast night owls and East Coast early risers could catch the peak of the cosmic event.

Davemaoite, the newly discovered mineral named after a prominent geophysicist, originated from the Earth's lower mantle.

Science

New mineral 'davemaoite' made an unlikely journey from the depths of the Earth

3:53pm November 17, 2021

A rare mineral from Earth's lower mantle has been discovered inside a diamond from Botswana. The find breaks open a window into deep-Earth chemistry.

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While a thermometer will tell you if oil is hot enough for frying, scientists say the sound a wet chopstick makes when dipped into the oil will, too.

Science
Arts

How do you know if your oil is hot enough to deep fry? Use your ears

11:00am November 17, 2021

Researchers in the field of fluid dynamics say understanding the sounds oil bubbles make at different temperatures has applications beyond the frying pan.

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Spider keeper Jake Meney holds the "megaspider" that was turned in to the Australian Reptile Park.

An Australian zoo acquires a venomous, fanged 'megaspider' and is searching for more

10:55am November 17, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

The Australian Reptile Park wants to find the anonymous donor of the megaspider, which may lead them to an area with more unusually large arachnids that could boost the zoo's antivenom program.

After two student suicides over one October weekend, UNC students created a makeshift memorial on the Chapel Hill campus. To reduce the risk of suicide contagion, any memorial sites or activities should be limited, experts say, and should not glorify, vil

Colleges are turning to science to limit suicide contagion and help heal campuses

4:08pm November 16, 2021

by Aneri Pattani

The new strategy is called "postvention." It means having a plan built on truth, compassion and counseling that quickly addresses the mental health needs of friends and classmates after a suicide.

Pfizer's agreement with a U.N. group to let other companies produce its new antiviral pill as a generic drug is meeting with a mixed reaction. In late summer, protesters at Pfizer's world headquarters in New York urged the drugmaker to broadly share the p

Pfizer agrees to license generic versions of its COVID-19 pill — in some countries

3:11pm November 16, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The agreement covers 95 nations, but it omits hard-hit countries such as Russia, Turkey, Brazil, and Mexico. Pfizer said it is seeking authorization for emergency use of the medication in the U.S.

The ringed antpipit (corythopis torquatus) was among the 77 species examined in the recent study.

Amazon birds are shrinking as the climate warms, prompting warning from scientists

7:43pm November 15, 2021

A new study examined 77 bird species in the Amazon over a 40-year period. It found they were rapidly evolving due to rising temperatures because smaller birds shed heat more efficiently.

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