Science

Your Online Avatar May Reveal More About You Than You'd Think

10:49am January 13, 2015

by Alison Bruzek

Even if your avatar for games and social media doesn't look at all like you, it still says a lot about your personality, a study finds. Want to look friendly? Skip the shades; wear a sweater.

The first case of white-nose syndrome was found in Schoharie, N.Y. This map shows the cases detected since then. To enlarge, click here.

Good News For Bats! Things Are Looking Up For Stemming Disease Spread

8:01am January 13, 2015

by Brian Mann

The disease known as white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats, but scientists are seeing hopeful signs that some bat colonies are recovering.

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Future Of Keystone XL Pipeline Back In Obama's Hands

5:06pm January 12, 2015

by Jeff Brady

The U.S. House passed legislation to approve the pipeline on Friday and the Senate is expected to take up the issue in coming weeks. President Obama has threatened a veto. In the meantime, a legal challenge over the route the pipeline would take through Nebraska has been resolved — for now.

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Men play a struck beau while women and children sing behind them at an Mbenzele Pygymy village.

Why Pygmies Aren't Scared By The 'Psycho' Theme

12:46pm January 12, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Deep in the Congolese rain forest, a group of Pygmies lives in near isolation from Western music. When a team of scientists played them music from Star Wars and Psycho, the results were surprising.

Science

DNA, It Turns Out, Is A Lot More Loopy

6:58pm January 11, 2015

There's another image for DNA that goes beyond the double helix — bundles and bundles of loops. NPR's Arun Rath talks to researcher Suhas Rao about how this discovery could help fight disease.

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'Blood Of The Tiger': Shedding Light On China's Farmed-Tiger Trade

6:47pm January 10, 2015

by NPR Staff

The endangered animals are bred for luxury items, like tiger bone wine and tigerskin rugs. By raising the demand for these goods, the farms pose a threat to wild tigers, says author J.A. Mills.

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The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Saturday.

SpaceX Launch Successful; Recovery Attempt 'Close, But No Cigar'

6:46pm January 10, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The private launch contractor resupplying the ISS said a plan to recover the rocket's spent first stage at sea hit a snag.

Rocket Landing At Sea Was 'Close But No Cigar'

11:31am January 10, 2015

An experimental rocket launched by SpaceX Saturday was a partial success. A cargo capsule will reach the International Space Station, but the spent rocket failed to land on a barge in the Atlantic.

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Science
Arts

'Theory Of Everything' Probes Stephen Hawkings' Love, Not Theory

11:31am January 10, 2015

The Theory of Everything actor Eddie Redmayne tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer about the challenges of portraying a genius. This story originally Nov. 8 on Weekend Edition Saturday.

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Women with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health demonstrate Wednesday outside the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. A federal appeals court in New Orleans is considering whether a Texas law puts up an unconstitutional obst

Texas Abortion Case May Hinge On Definition Of 'Undue Burden'

6:53pm January 08, 2015

by Carrie Feibel

A federal appeals court this week is once again weighing whether Texas restrictions on clinics that perform abortions are too onerous for women who seek the procedure. How far is too far to drive?