Science

Primatologist Jane Goodall is honored for her lifetime achievements at a ceremony on her 85th birthday at City Hall in Los Angeles on April 3, 2019.

Jane Goodall encourages all to act to save Earth in 'The Book of Hope'

7:40am October 19, 2021

by Barbara J. King

The primatologist says it's crucial that young people know how positive action can still shift the frightening trajectories of climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and the ongoing global pandemic.

Fewer cars on the road during lockdowns was good news for frogs and salamanders

5:07pm October 18, 2021

Fewer cars were on the road during pandemic lockdowns. And for Maine's frogs and salamanders, that translated to far fewer roadkill deaths.

California's farmers are pumping billions of tons of extra water from underground aquifers this year, because of the drought. But new restrictions on such pumping are coming into force.

Satellites reveal the secrets of water-guzzling farms in California

3:40pm October 18, 2021

by Dan Charles

California wants to limit the water that farmers can pump from depleted aquifers. To enforce those limits, regulators are turning to remote sensing satellites.

Science

The dinosaur extinction led to lots of new mammals and birds — and snakes to eat them

5:43pm October 14, 2021

After the dinosaurs disappeared, the world saw an explosion of birds and mammals. But a study suggests a burst of new snakes appeared, too, with diets to match the newly expanding array of animals.

Hospitals in Idaho, like St. Luke's Boise Medical Center in Boise, remain full after the summer delta surge pushed many to their limits.

With hospitals crowded from COVID, 1 in 5 American families delays health care

5:13pm October 14, 2021

by James Dawson

Putting off surgeries or routine treatments for serious illnesses has become common during the pandemic, a new NPR/Harvard poll finds.

A scenic view of a lake against the sky at night in British Columbia. Earlier this month, a resident of Golden, B.C., woke up to the sound of a crash and found that a meteorite had landed in her bed.

A meteorite crashes through a home in Canada, barely missing a woman's head

1:41pm October 14, 2021

by Scott Neuman

British Columbia resident Ruth Hamilton had a rude awakening earlier this month when a large meteorite plunged from space, through her roof and landed in her bed.

Science

Scientists discover sweet white flower is really a sneaky carnivore

5:55am October 14, 2021

Botanists discovered what some insects may have known for a long time: the false asphodel has an appetite for meat. The small hairs on the flower secrete an enzyme that traps and digests flies.

WHO's new team will investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic

5:26pm October 13, 2021

by Jason Beaubien

The World Health Organization is setting up a new committee to investigate the origins of the current pandemic and potential outbreaks in the future.

A study by the National Institutes of Health this week suggests people who got the J&J vaccine as their initial vaccination against the coronavirus may get their best protection from choosing an mRNA vaccine as the booster.

A study of COVID vaccine boosters suggests Moderna or Pfizer works best

5:26pm October 13, 2021

by Rob Stein

Should people who get a COVID booster get a different vaccine from their original shot? The results of a highly anticipated study suggest that in some cases the answer may be yes.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a news conference on the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Geneva, in March 2020.

WHO launches a new group to study the origins of the coronavirus

2:17pm October 13, 2021

by Scott Neuman

The World Health Organization advisory group will include scientists from the U.S., China and two dozen other countries and will study various hypotheses, including the possibility of a lab leak.