How Investing In Preschool Beats The Stock Market, Hands Down
A new study on high-quality early learning programs shows a robust long-term return on investment. The most potent ingredients? Parental engagement and empathy.
Science
Discoveries Give New Clues To Possible Neanderthal Religious Practices
Barbara J. King, a professor emerita of anthropology at William and Mary, discusses whether Neanderthals had "religious capacity."
Why People Believe Conspiracy Theories
After a man took a gun to a pizzeria to investigate a fake conspiracy theory, psychology professor Viren Swami of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, U.K. discusses why people are susceptible.
Behold A Robot Hand With A Soft Touch
Using light-conductive materials, researchers have built a robot hand that can sense shapes and textures. Soft robotics holds promise for better prosthetics or machines with a more "human" touch.
Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters Vow To Fight Through Fierce Winter
The teeth of winter are closing on the makeshift camp in North Dakota where demonstrators are trying to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Some are heeding tribal calls to leave, while others are digging in. But the company building the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline was in federal court Friday, trying to overturn a decision by the Army Corps of Engineers blocking the project.
Adding A Funny Form Of Carbon To Silly Putty Creates A Heart Monitor
Graphene comes in sheets barely an atom thick and is extremely good at conducting electricity. By adding the unusual form of carbon to Silly Putty, scientists created flexible sensors.
Japan Sends Long Electric Whip Into Orbit, To Tame Space Junk
A cable that's as long as six football fields has been launched into orbit — and when it's deployed, it'll test an idea to knock out debris that threatens astronauts and spacecraft.
Encore: Astronaut John Glenn Recalls Historic Orbit Of Earth
Astronaut John Glenn — who was one of NASA's original Mercury Seven — was the first American to orbit Earth. He flew the mission in just under five hours, circling the globe three times in a capsule named Friendship 7. Glenn, who says he recalls the mission as if it were just last week, told NPR's Audie Cornish he doesn't want the U.S. to lose sight of the future and America's role in outer space. This story originally aired on Feb. 20, 2012 on All Things Considered.
Say, What? Monkey Mouths And Throats Are Equipped For Speech
Monkeys weren't thought to have the right sort of vocal tracts to speak. But a study finds they can make many sounds common in human speech; it's just that their brains aren't "language ready."
Pets Help People Manage The Pain Of Serious Mental Illness
People living with schizophrenia or other serious mental illnesses say a pet can be not just a comforting companion but a reason to stay engaged with other people — and with life.