Science

Science

Ancient Fish Fossil Sheds Light On Modern Jaws

5:06am September 26, 2013

by Rhitu Chatterjee

A newly discovered fossil of a fish in China changes what scientists know about the origins of jaws. It turns out, human jaws are remarkably similar to the jaw of this 419-million-year-old fish. That suggests jaws evolved much earlier than previously thought.

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Science

Quake In Central Pakistan Makes New Island

5:52pm September 24, 2013

A large earthquake shook a remote part of central Pakistan Tuesday, and so far local authorities have only reported a few dozen fatalities so far. But according to estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey, the death toll could be far higher. The quake also gave rise to a mysterious island off the coast of Pakistan. The island was likely created by frozen methane that was shaken loose by the shaking. It pushed its way to the surface and created a muddy piece of land that will soon be washed away.

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An iceberg floats through the water in Ilulissat, Greenland, in July. Researchers are studying how climate change and melting glaciers will affect the rest of the world.

How Many Scientists Does It Take To Write A Climate Report?

10:53am September 24, 2013

by Richard Harris

Scientists are about to deliver another major assessment of climate change. The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change involved hundreds of scientists from around the world and has left some of them wondering whether there's a more effective way to put the document together.

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Science

Don't Try To Clean That Messy Desk

8:38pm September 23, 2013

by Adam Frank

Writer and astrophysicist Adam Frank says: Make friends with science, and the ordinary, everyday stuff will transform into the extraordinary. Now look around you — the mail, the kids' toys, the mess on your desk, the constant daily chaos? It's inevitable, and science proves it.

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Nature writer Jackson Landers kept a black widow alive in a jar on his desk for months.

Black Widow Spider Fan Gets Dangerously Close To His Subject

8:07pm September 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

The first time nature writer Jackson Landers spotted a black widow spider on his front porch, he was transfixed. He grew curious about the spiders and kept one for months as a pet. One day, he got bit.

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EPA Wants To Limit Greenhouse Gases From New Coal Power Plants

8:11pm September 20, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

Under the proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency, new plants that run on coal would be permitted to emit only about half as much carbon dioxide as the average coal plant puts into the air today. Emissions from the electricity industry are already declining as utilities turn to natural gas and wind farms.

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The wild population of the golden lion tamarin, which lives only in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, fell to just 200 in the 1970s. Conservationists have helped the species rebound, but the monkeys are still at risk as development encroaches on their remaining h

Beloved Brazilian Monkey Clings To A Shrinking Forest

11:15am September 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

Brazil's Atlantic Forest, home to the golden lion tamarin, was once a massive ecosystem stretching along the Brazilian coast. But centuries of human activity have encroached upon the forest, leaving the future of this tiny, lion-maned monkey in doubt.

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Black soldier flies mate and lay eggs inside these cages at EnviroFlight.

Making Food From Flies (It's Not That Icky)

9:14pm September 19, 2013

by Dan Charles

One of the really big challenges facing our world is how to grow more food without using up the globe's land and water. One company in Ohio says we've been ignoring one solution: insects. It's using larvae of the black soldier fly to convert waste into feed for fish or pigs.

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Oracle Team USA heads to the waterfront after winning the ninth race of the America's Cup with a 47-second victory over Emirates Team New Zealand.

Calculated To Win: Supercomputers Power America's Cup

5:34pm September 17, 2013

by Aarti Shahani

The 2013 America's Cup isn't just about speed demons racing faster than the wind. These days, the 162-year-old international sailing competition is being powered by supercomputers. Tech teams are crunching the numbers to make small changes that mean a big difference in speed.

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Natural Gas May Be Easier On Climate Than Coal, Despite Methane Leaks

7:11pm September 16, 2013

by Richard Harris

Some scientists have argued that so much gas leaks out during production that it is actually worse for the environment than coal. But a new nationwide study shows that methane leaks from natural gas production aren't as bad as some feared.

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