Science

Sorry arachnophobes, you have more in common with spiders than you thought

4:55pm October 27, 2021

Although spiders are sometimes thought of as being creepy crawly animals, new evidence suggests some get scared and assess danger in almost the same way as humans.

A military police officer walks near a destroyed gate in Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on Oct. 12, 2018. The Pentagon says climate change is a national security concern.

Climate change is a risk to national security, the Pentagon says

6:24pm October 26, 2021

by Noel King

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks says the effects of climate change are already being felt. Storms have damaged U.S. bases and rising seas could submerge U.S. installations in the Pacific.

In this 30 second exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 10, 2021, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.

Science

Scientists may have found a planet outside of the Milky Way galaxy for the first time

12:17pm October 26, 2021

by Sharon Pruitt-Young

While researchers have found more than 4,000 planets in our own galaxy, this is the first time anyone has found what could be a planet that exists outside the Milky Way.

Pumpkins stacked up at Tulleys farm in Crawley, England, on Friday. The U.S. celebrates National Pumpkin Day every Oct. 26.

Science

Here's why the smell of pumpkin spice moves us, according to science

11:47am October 26, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

The appeal of pumpkin spice has a lot to do with how we associate smells and flavors with fall — despite the fact that the flavoring doesn't contain any actual pumpkin.

The Voyager spacecraft have ventured far outside our solar system. Now a team of scientists is hoping to take the next interstellar mission even farther.

Science

If NASA greenlights this interstellar mission, it could last 100 years

10:48am October 26, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists who want to understand what's beyond our solar system have designed an interstellar spacecraft that could go out farther and faster than the famous Voyager probes.

Los Angeles International Airport and SoFi Stadium employers spoke with potential job applicants at a job fair in Inglewood, Calif., in September. About 19% of all households in an NPR poll say they lost all their savings during the COVID-19 outbreak, and

Black and Latino families continue to bear pandemic's great economic toll in U.S.

5:06pm October 25, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

A new poll finds more than 55% of Black and Latino households have faced serious financial problems in recent months. And more than a quarter have depleted their savings.

Artists paint a mural on a wall near Scottish Events Centre (SEC) in Glasgow, which will host the U.N. climate summit starting Sunday.

The COP26 summit to fight climate change is about to start. Here's what to expect

2:23pm October 25, 2021

by Dan Charles

A major climate meeting is about to get underway in Glasgow, Scotland. It's a pivotal moment in the struggle against climate change. But it's taking place in the midst of political tensions.

A fisherman sails with his son in an outrigger. They live in a village on the Willaumez Peninsula on New Britain Island, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea.

Science
Arts

A photographer marries the worlds above and below the water in a single frame

12:22pm October 25, 2021

by Cathy Newman

Photographer David Doubilet first dove below the surface at age 8 and has spent a lifetime making underwater images. He talks to NPR about his new book: Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea.

"This parasite detaches the fish's tongue, attaches itself to the fish's mouth, and becomes its tongue," the Galveston Island State Park says, describing the parasitic tongue-eating louse.

Science

The tongue-eating louse does exactly what its name suggests

5:15pm October 23, 2021

by Bill Chappell

It's the stuff of nightmares, or science fiction: a parasite that wants to get inside an animal's mouth, where it attacks — and replaces — the tongue.

Former science teacher Berna Gómez played a pivotal role in new research on restoring some sight to blind people. She is named as a co-author of the study that was published this week.

Science

Scientists used a tiny brain implant to help a blind teacher see letters again

3:34pm October 23, 2021

by Bill Chappell

A former science teacher who's been blind for 16 years became able to see letters, discern objects' edges — and even play a Maggie Simpson video game.