Science

A Drug Might Heal Spinal Injuries By Sparking Nerve Growth

2:56pm January 04, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

A neurologist's unorthodox thinking led to an experimental drug that allows trapped nerve fibers to grow again. And that growth helps amplify signals that restored movement in laboratory rats.

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Science

Faith And Aquarium Pumps: The Stuff Of Science In 2014

12:20pm January 04, 2015

It may seem scientists are aloof geniuses who churn out discoveries. Joe Palca's NPR series, Joe's Big Idea, shows us how science really works. He reviews 2014 highlights with NPR's Rachel Martin.

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Science

Despite Last Year's Failures, Many Still Make Resolutions

12:20pm January 04, 2015

Did you make a New Year's resolution? If you did, our data expert Mona Chalabi says you're in the 44 percent of Americans who did. She tells NPR's Rachel Martin that keeping to them is another story.

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Ecologists found signs of Ebola in a Rousettus leschenaultii fruit bat. These bats are widespread across south Asia, from India to China.

Where Could Ebola Strike Next? Scientists Hunt Virus In Asia

12:45pm January 03, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

A handful of ecologists knew for years that West Africa was at risk for an Ebola outbreak. Now they're figuring out where else in the world the virus could be hiding. Many signs point to Asia.

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Science

Orca Calf Shows Signs Of Whale Midwifery

11:59am January 03, 2015

by Eric Westervelt

A whale researcher has a new hypothesis about orca whales: Whale "midwives" may be assisting births.

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NASA Hopes A Hack Will Overcome Mars Rover's Memory Gap

11:59am January 03, 2015

by Eric Westervelt

The Mars rover Opportunity is getting on in years. It has been on Mars' surface for over a decade, and now it's having memory problems. NASA has come up with a plan to fix it.

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Congress Could Find Energy Compromise With Hydropower

6:23pm January 02, 2015

by Dan Boyce

With the Republicans in the majority in both the House and Senate in Washington, there will be changes in energy policy in the next few years. Republicans are pledging to approve the Keystone XL pipeline and to delay or derail the Obama administration's clean air proposals.

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Researchers at the University of Oxford have been looking for a link between sound and taste.

Science

Want To Enhance The Flavor Of Your Food? Put On The Right Music

5:24pm January 02, 2015

by NPR Staff

Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered a link between what you taste and what you hear.

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One teaspoon of pure caffeine powder delivers about the same jolt as 25 cups of coffee.

Potent Powdered Caffeine Raises Safety Worries

7:32am January 02, 2015

by Rob Stein

With two young men dead, the Food and Drug Administration is considering banning sales to consumers of a highly concentrated form of pure caffeine. It's too easy to overdose, officials warn.

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The newly described L. larvaepartus (male, left, and female) from Indonesia's island of Sulawesi. Odd, sure, but at least they don't use their stomachs as breeding chambers, as some other frogs do.

These Froggies Went A Courtin' And Gave Birth To Live Tadpoles

10:34pm January 01, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Who needs eggs? Scientists have discovered an unusual frog species that gives birth to live tadpoles.

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