Science

A worker cuts a cluster of grapes in the Burgundy region of France during the harvest period. Global warming has made conditions historically associated with great wines more frequent in Bordeaux and Burgundy, a study finds. But things look less bright fo

An Upside To Climate Change? Better French Wine

3:53pm March 21, 2016

by Alastair Bland

Global warming has made conditions historically associated with great wines more frequent in Bordeaux and Burgundy, a study finds. But things look less bright for California vineyards.

Mature death caps in West Marin's Point Reyes National Seashore in December.

In California, Poisonous Death Cap Mushrooms Are The Forager's Bane

10:28am March 20, 2016

by Gabriela Quirós

Death caps, which are abundant throughout California, can easily be confused for edible mushrooms. But just one of these unassuming, greenish caps contains enough poison to kill someone.

Science

'Blackfish' Director Calls New SeaWorld Policy 'A Defining Moment'

8:25am March 20, 2016

Sea World is shutting down its controversial Orca shows. In light of this, Rachel Martin revisits a conversation with Gabriela Cowperthwaite, director of the documentary Blackfish.

The Story Pitch We Caught And Released: The 'Assfish'

8:25am March 20, 2016

Each week, some story ideas make it on air while others die at the pitch meeting. Editor Ed McNulty gets a second chance to sell Rachel Martin on a story about a bony-eared fish with a funny name.

Tina Buechner da Costa (left) hopes to become Germany's female astronaut. Claudia Kessler (right), CEO of HE Space, is organizing a campaign to send the first German woman into space.

Wanted: Female German Astronauts

9:44pm March 18, 2016

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Aerospace engineer Claudia Kessler is searching for Germany's first female astronaut. The country's previous 11 astronauts were all men, which she says highlights German sexism in the sciences.

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Despite the ongoing drought in California, the Folsom Lake reservoir is kept at only 60 percent capacity in the winter to prevent major flooding if a winter storm occurs. Some hope to prevent the waste of water by relying on more accurate weather predicti

In California, Dealing With A Drought And Preparing For A Flood

6:08pm March 18, 2016

by Lauren Sommer

Why are some California reservoirs releasing water even though the state is going through an extreme drought? Turns out it's to prevent an even bigger disaster. But the strategy may change soon.

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Early Friday afternoon, the baby bald eagle was lifting its own head — and its parent was attempting to feed it pieces of fish (at far right).

Hatched! Eaglet Emerges From Its Egg On D.C. Eagle Cam

1:49pm March 18, 2016

by Bill Chappell

A little wing flap came more than 24 hours after the first "pip" — a hole in eggshell — was spotted, bringing sighs of relief and joy to the baby bird's fans.

Holstein cows at Homestead Dairy in Plymouth, Ind.

Gigi The Cow Broke The Milk Production Record. Is That Bad For Cows?

1:35pm March 18, 2016

by Luke Runyon

Cows are being bred to be larger, hungrier, and more productive. But this drive to raise ever-larger, hulking Holsteins has some prominent livestock advocates ringing alarm bells.

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"There's more history in the deep sea than all the museums in the world combined." — Robert Ballard

What Hidden Underwater Worlds Are Left To Discover?

12:00pm March 18, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

Ocean explorer Robert Ballard makes the case for exploring the deep oceans, where he is discovering new species, resources and mountain ranges.

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"Really tiny motions or really fast motions — these are things that we don't typically see with our eyes." — Abe Davis

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Arts

How Can Hidden Sounds Be Captured By Everyday Objects

9:51am March 18, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

Computer scientist Abe Davis explains how you can turn a plant or a bag of chips into a microphone, and capturing the hidden sound vibrations on a high-speed camera.

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