Science

Researchers say that inside the head of the worm C. elegans, an antenna-like structure at the tip of the AFD neuron (highlighted in green) is the first identified sensor for Earth's magnetic field.

Science

Worms Know What's Up — And Now Scientists Know Why

6:03pm June 17, 2015

by Bill Chappell

In what researchers say is a first, they've discovered the neuron in worms that detects Earth's magnetic field. They say the worms have microscopic antenna-shaped sensors to help orient themselves.

Ryo Ishikawa, one of Japan's biggest golf stars, demonstrates his swing on the pro tour in February.

Take A Swing At This: Golf Is Exercise, Cart Or No Cart

1:29pm June 17, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

American adults play more golf than any other sport. So how much exercise do you get from an afternoon on the links? Players clipped on pedometers and Fitbits to help us find out.

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When health care providers have the latest information on various birth control methods, research suggests, more of their patients who use birth control choose a long-acting reversible method, like the IUD.

Updated Training Of Birth Control Counselors Boosts Use Of IUDs

9:35pm June 16, 2015

by Lisa Aliferis

And when the use of intrauterine devices and hormonal implants by young women goes up, the number of unplanned pregnancies sharply drops, researchers find.

Primal posture: Ubong tribesmen in Borneo (right) display the perfect J-shaped spines. A woman in Burkina Faso (left) holds her baby so that his spine stays straight. The center image shows the S-shaped spine drawn in a modern anatomy book (Fig. I) and th

Lost Posture: Why Some Indigenous Cultures May Not Have Back Pain

6:08pm June 16, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

There are a few populations in the world where back pain hardly exists. One woman thinks she has figured out why, and she's sharing their secrets. Have Americans forgotten how to stand properly?

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Science

Disagreeable Teens Fail To Understand Their Blind Spots, Research Reveals

7:59am June 16, 2015

by Shankar Vedantam

Disagreeable teens tend to grow up into disagreeable adults. A 10-year study finds that disagreeable teens often have no awareness that their behavior is harming their relationships.

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Chris Tremblay, a member of the Passive Acoustics group at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, deploys an underwater recording device along the Eastern Seaboard to listen for the mating sounds of Atlantic cod.

Scientists, Fishing Fleet Team Up To Save Cod — By Listening

7:50pm June 15, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Atlantic cod have become scarce along the coast, though catch limits have been reduced by 80 percent. Researchers are now tracking the sound of mating cod, hoping to help fishing boats avoid them.

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Upon injury, juvenile jellyfish reorganize their bodies to regain symmetry.

Instead Of Replacing Missing Body Parts, Moon Jellies Recycle

6:39pm June 15, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

If a starfish loses a limb, a new arm buds and grows in its place. But young moon jellies have a different strategy for self-repair: Existing limbs rearrange themselves to regain symmetry.

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Science

'Hello Earth! Can You Hear Me?'

5:31pm June 15, 2015

That was the tweet sent by the European Space Agency's Philae space lander on Sunday morning. Last November, after touching down on Comet 67P, Philae went silent. On Saturday night, it communicated with scientists for the first time since. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with Mark McCaughrean of the European Space Agency about Philae's wakeup.

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Pacific bluefin tuna for sale for $2.99 per pound at the fish market in San Diego. That shockingly low price does not reflect the deeply threatened state of the bluefin population.

Why Is This Fisherman Selling Threatened Bluefin Tuna For $2.99 A Pound?

4:07pm June 15, 2015

by Clare Leschin-Hoar

That low price doesn't reflect the true state of Pacific bluefin: Scientists say it's in deep trouble. But fishermen who catch it say they're just trying to make a living — and obeying the law.

Joy (left, voiced by Amy Poehler) and Sadness (voiced by Phyllis Smith) catch a ride on the Train of Thought in Pixar's Inside Out. The movie opens in theaters nationwide June 19.

Science Of Sadness And Joy: 'Inside Out' Gets Childhood Emotions Right

2:26pm June 15, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

Pixar's animated fantasy takes viewers inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley. Psychologists say the film offers an accurate picture of how emotions and memories help make us who we are.

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