A First Glimpse of the Great American Eclipse

Making landfall in Oregon, the Moon's dark umbral shadow toured the United States on August 21. Those gathered along its coast to coast path were witness to a total eclipse of the Sun, possibly the most widely shared celestial event in history. But first, the Moon's shadow touched the northern Pacific and raced eastward toward land. This dramatic snapshot was taken while crossing the shadow path 250 miles off the Oregon coast, 45,000 feet above the cloudy northern Pacific. Though from a shorter totality, it captures the eclipse before it could be seen from the US mainland. With the eclipsed Sun not far above, beautiful colors appear along the western horizon giving way to a clear, pitch-black, stratospheric sky in the shadow of the Moon. via NASA http://ift.tt/2wUvjFu

NPR News: Coral Reef Fish Are More Resilient Than We Thought, Study Finds

Coral Reef Fish Are More Resilient Than We Thought, Study Finds
Ocean acidification can cause reckless behavior in coral reef fish. But researchers say that coral reef environments have large chemical variations daily, which can offer recovery time for fish.

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NPR News: Chemical Plant Fire Raises Environmental Concerns In Wake Of Harvey

Chemical Plant Fire Raises Environmental Concerns In Wake Of Harvey
A fire at a chemical plant near Houston has raised concerns about the environmental consequences of the storm.

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NASA Television to Air Return of Three International Space Station Crew Members

Record-breaking NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Expedition 52 crewmates are scheduled to depart the International Space Station and return to Earth Saturday, Sept. 2. NASA Television and the agency’s website will provide complete coverage of their departure and landing.

August 31, 2017
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NPR News: What To Do When Facing A Floating Ball Of Fire Ants

What To Do When Facing A Floating Ball Of Fire Ants
"Avoid, avoid, avoid," one fire ant expert says. The ants, common in areas flooded by Harvey, can't be submerged underwater. But if you have a bottle of soapy water, you might be able to drown them.

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NPR News: Ants, Seaweed, Chocolate Beer And (Maybe) Less Meat: The Future Of Food

Ants, Seaweed, Chocolate Beer And (Maybe) Less Meat: The Future Of Food
When it comes to finding and preparing food, we're a continually inventive species. Anthropologist Barbara J. King asks: What are the food trends of the future?

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NPR News: From Hawk To Horse: Animal Rescues During Hurricane Harvey

From Hawk To Horse: Animal Rescues During Hurricane Harvey
A storm of this magnitude affects many animals in addition to pets. Uplifting videos show people rescuing all kinds of animals from Hurricane Harvey's floodwaters, says anthropologist Barbara J. King.

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Lunar View, Solar Eclipse

Orbiting above the lunar nearside on August 21, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter turned to look back on a bright, Full Earth. As anticipated its Narrow Angle Camera scanned this sharp view of our fair planet, catching the shadow of the Moon racing along a path across the United States at about 1,500 miles per hour. In fact, the dark lunar shadow is centered over Hopkinsville, Kentucky at 1:25:30 Central Daylight Time. From there, the New Moon blocked the Sun high in clear skies for about 2 minutes and 40 seconds in a total solar eclipse. via NASA http://ift.tt/2wHTJRS

NPR News: Riding With A Rescue Mission In The Surreal, Perilous Texas Floods

Riding With A Rescue Mission In The Surreal, Perilous Texas Floods
Nearly a week since Harvey struck Houston, many people remain stranded by high water in their neighborhoods. NPR rode along on a citizen water-borne rescue operation.

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NPR News: Researchers Explore New Methods To Quantify Power Of Storms After Harvey

Researchers Explore New Methods To Quantify Power Of Storms After Harvey
As Harvey continues to dump damaging rain on the south, some researchers are looking at new ways to quantify the power of a big storm.

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NPR News: Whatever Happened To ... Those Farmers Who Needed Shoes?

Whatever Happened To ... Those Farmers Who Needed Shoes?
It was a mystery: How did farmers in Uganda contract a nightmare illness? A researcher found the answer. What's the best way to help them?

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NPR News: Why The Toxin Trouble With Tiny Turtles Continues

Why The Toxin Trouble With Tiny Turtles Continues
The government is warning people not to handle tiny turtles because of the risk of contracting salmonella. The problem is, they've been warning us for 40 years and we're still getting sick.

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NPR News: When Nature Teaches Us How To Be Human

When Nature Teaches Us How To Be Human
As global warming changes the planet, we will experience many severe weather events; how we fare will largely depend on how well we preserve our best qualities — and community, says Marcelo Gleiser.

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NASA and Iconic Museum Honor Voyager Spacecraft 40th Anniversary

NASA and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum will celebrate 40 years of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft -- humanity's farthest and longest-lived mission -- with a public event at 12:30 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 5.

August 30, 2017
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NPR News: Houston's Susceptibility To Flooding

Houston's Susceptibility To Flooding
Sam Brody, a professor at Texas A&M at Galveston, talks with Ailsa Chang about how Houston area levees, reservoirs, dams and bayous have been holding up during the storm.

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NPR News: Flooded Texas Chemical Plants Raise Concerns About Toxic Emissions

Flooded Texas Chemical Plants Raise Concerns About Toxic Emissions
Houston is home to hundreds of petrochemical plants and some of them are damaged by flooding. Environmental groups worry about toxic emissions, and one plant is at risk of a possible explosion.

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Panoramic Eclipse Composite with Star Trails

What was happening in the sky during last week's total solar eclipse? This featured little-planet, all-sky, double time-lapse, digitally-fused composite captured celestial action during both night and day from a single location. In this 360x180 panorama, north and south are at the image bottom and top, while east and west are at the left and right edges, respectively. During four hours the night before the eclipse, star trails were captured circling the north celestial pole (bottom) as the Earth spun. During the day of the total eclipse, the Sun was captured every fifteen minutes from sunrise to sunset (top), sometimes in partial eclipse. All of these images were then digitally merged onto a single image taken exactly during the total solar eclipse. Then, the Sun's bright corona could be seen flaring around the dark new Moon (upper left), while Venus simultaneously became easily visible (top). The tree in the middle, below the camera, is a Douglas fir. The images were taken with care and planning at Magone Lake in Oregon, USA. via NASA http://ift.tt/2gmKrnN

NASA’s Johnson Space Center Closes Through Labor Day for Tropical Storm Harvey

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will remain closed to all but mission essential personnel through Labor Day due to the effects of now-Tropical Storm Harvey.

August 30, 2017
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NASA Cancels Planned Media Availabilities with Astronauts

Due to the ongoing effects of Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, NASA has canceled an in-flight question and answer session with astronaut Peggy Whitson aboard the International Space Station.

August 29, 2017
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NPR News: Trump Texas Visit Highlights Federal Response Effort

Trump Texas Visit Highlights Federal Response Effort
The president said he waited to visit until he could do so "without causing disruption." He sidestepped Houston and instead stopped in Corpus Christi, where Harvey made landfall, and then in Austin.

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NPR News: Trump's Proposed Budget Cuts Could Undermine Harvey Relief Efforts

Trump's Proposed Budget Cuts Could Undermine Harvey Relief Efforts
President Trump pledged to rebuild Houston and Texas bigger and better than ever. However, earlier this month, he rescinded an Obama executive order that required flood-damaged property to be rebuilt higher and stronger. Trump also has proposed eliminating federal flood mapping and the federal government's top disaster agency.

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NPR News: Warren Buffett Backs Nuclear Fuel Bank In Kazakhstan

Warren Buffett Backs Nuclear Fuel Bank In Kazakhstan
An unusual bank will open Tuesday in Kazakhstan. The deposits will be nuclear fuel, low-enriched uranium. The customers withdrawing low-enriched uranium will be nations which lack enrichment facilities. The idea is to convince such nations not to build their own. Warren Buffett is among the bank's founders.

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NPR News: Fishermen Caught With 6,600 Sharks In Galapagos, Now Headed To Prison

Fishermen Caught With 6,600 Sharks In Galapagos, Now Headed To Prison
The dead sharks — mostly endangered hammerheads — were part of a 300-ton haul of fish found on their boat off the Galapagos Islands. An Ecuadorean judge fined and jailed the crew for up to four years.

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NPR News: How Moldy Hay And Sick Cows Led To A Life-Saving Drug

How Moldy Hay And Sick Cows Led To A Life-Saving Drug
The blood thinner warfarin, which prevents blood clots, owes its existence to some cows who got very sick after eating the wrong hay. That and a chemist who spent years trying to figure out why.

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NPR News: How Moldy Hay And Sick Cows Led To A Life-Saving Drug

How Moldy Hay And Sick Cows Led To A Life-Saving Drug
The blood thinner warfarin, which prevents blood clots, owes its existence to some cows who got very sick after eating the wrong hay. That and a chemist who spent years trying to figure out why.

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NPR News: Sea Shepherd Says This Year It Won't Send Ships To Disrupt Japanese Whalers

Sea Shepherd Says This Year It Won't Send Ships To Disrupt Japanese Whalers
The U.S.-based environmental activist group says it will not send ships because Japan has improved technology to avoid the vessels and has toughened its anti-terrorism laws.

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NPR News: Trump In Texas To Inspect Storm Damage

Trump In Texas To Inspect Storm Damage
The president says he waited to visit until he could do so "without causing disruption." He will sidestep Houston and instead visit the Corpus Christi area, where Harvey made landfall on Friday.

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NPR News: What Does It Take To See Gentrification Before It Happens?

What Does It Take To See Gentrification Before It Happens?
The great hope of urban advocates is to democratize data, allowing residents to see more clearly how a neighborhood is changing — but knowledge of those changes may accelerate them, says Adam Frank.

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NPR News: Trump Heads For Texas To Inspect Storm Damage

Trump Heads For Texas To Inspect Storm Damage
The president says he waited to visit until he could do so "without causing disruption." He will sidestep Houston and instead visit the Corpus Christie area, where Harvey made landfall on Friday.

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Saturn in Blue and Gold

Why is Saturn partly blue? The featured picture of Saturn approximates what a human would see if hovering close to the giant ringed world. The image was taken in 2006 March by the robot Cassini spacecraft now orbiting Saturn. Here Saturn's majestic rings appear directly only as a thin vertical line. The rings show their complex structure in the dark shadows they create on the image left. Saturn's fountain moon Enceladus, only about 500 kilometers across, is seen as the bump in the plane of the rings. The northern hemisphere of Saturn can appear partly blue for the same reason that Earth's skies can appear blue -- molecules in the cloudless portions of both planet's atmospheres are better at scattering blue light than red. When looking deep into Saturn's clouds, however, the natural gold hue of Saturn's clouds becomes dominant. It is not known why southern Saturn does not show the same blue hue -- one hypothesis holds that clouds are higher there. It is also not known why Saturn's clouds are colored gold. Next month, Cassini will end its mission with a final dramatic dive into Saturn's atmosphere. via NASA http://ift.tt/2wLbroe

NASA Awards $400,000 to Top Teams at Second Phase of 3D-Printing Competition

NASA is making progress and awarding prizes in its competition to build a 3-D printed habitat for deep space exploration.

August 28, 2017
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NPR News: Louisiana, Texas Prepare For More Rain From Tropical Storm Harvey

Louisiana, Texas Prepare For More Rain From Tropical Storm Harvey
Texas and Louisiana are steeling for more rain from now tropical storm Harvey. Rising temperatures factored into the size and impact of the storm.

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NPR News: Hurricane Harvey's Size And Impact Points To Climate Change

Hurricane Harvey's Size And Impact Points To Climate Change
Hurricane Harvey bears the marks of climate change. Warmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico and rising sea levels make rain heavy storms like Harvey more likely in the future.

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NPR News: How A Warmer Climate Helped Shape Harvey

How A Warmer Climate Helped Shape Harvey
Rising temperatures factored into making the storm a watery giant. But other factors helped turn it into a catastrophe.

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NPR News: What Should We Be Teaching Young Children?

What Should We Be Teaching Young Children?
Many things can be learned just as well later — so the focus should be on ones that really need to be early, like languages, music and communication, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.

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NPR News: Harvey Hits Hard

Harvey Hits Hard
Gulf Coast residents have been told to evacuate or ready themselves for torrential rain, high winds and flash flooding.

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NPR News: Need A Happiness Boost? Spend Your Money To Buy Time, Not More Stuff

Need A Happiness Boost? Spend Your Money To Buy Time, Not More Stuff
A recent study suggests that when people spend their extra cash to get help with time-consuming chores, they're likelier to feel better than if they use the money to buy more things.

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NPR News: Need A Happiness Boost? Spend Your Money To Buy Time, Not More Stuff

Need A Happiness Boost? Spend Your Money To Buy Time, Not More Stuff
A recent study suggests that when people spend their extra cash to get help with time-consuming chores, they're likelier to feel better than if they use the money to buy more things.

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A Fleeting Double Eclipse of the Sun

Last week, for a fraction of a second, the Sun was eclipsed twice. One week ago today, many people in North America were treated to a standard, single, partial solar eclipse. Fewer people, all congregated along a narrow path, experienced the eerie daytime darkness of a total solar eclipse. A dedicated few with fast enough camera equipment, however, were able to capture a double eclipse -- a simultaneous partial eclipse of the Sun by both the Moon and the International Space Station (ISS). The Earth-orbiting ISS crossed the Sun in less than a second, but to keep the ISS from appearing blurry, exposure times must be less than 1/1000th of a second. The featured image composite captured the ISS multiple times in succession as it zipped across the face of the Sun. The picture was taken in a specific color emitted by hydrogen which highlights the Sun's chromosphere, a layer hotter and higher up than the usually photographed photosphere. via NASA http://ift.tt/2wShbvy

NPR News: Houston Weather Forecast Update

Houston Weather Forecast Update
NPR's Michel Martin talks to meteorologist Eric Berger about the forecast for the city of Houston over the next few days.

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NPR News: Meteorologist On Hurricane Historical Texas Damage

Meteorologist On Hurricane Historical Texas Damage
Hurricane Harvey is causing much more damage than other hurricanes have in Texas. NPR's Michel Martin interviews Dr. Neil Frank, former director of the National Hurricane Center and longtime meteorologist, about why this storm is so bad.

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NPR News: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner On Hurricane Harvey Preparedness

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner On Hurricane Harvey Preparedness
Michel Martin talks to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner about the storm pummeling the region.

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NPR News: Coast Guard Update: Houston Search And Rescue Efforts

Coast Guard Update: Houston Search And Rescue Efforts
NPR's Michel Martin talks to a representative from the U.S. Coast Guard, Captain Kevin D. Oditt, about the how the search and rescue efforts are going in the city of Houston.

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NPR News: Eclipse 2017: One Nation Under The Sun

Eclipse 2017: One Nation Under The Sun
For many, witnessing the total solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, was the event of a lifetime.

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NPR News: The Consequences Of Anti-Vaccination In 'Keep You Safe'

The Consequences Of Anti-Vaccination In 'Keep You Safe'
Host A Martinez talks with Melissa Hill about her new novel, Keep You Safe, a story which takes on the heated topic of childhood vaccinations and the tragic repercussions of a parent's decision.

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The Heart Nebula in Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Sulfur

What powers the Heart Nebula? The large emission nebula dubbed IC 1805 looks, in whole, like a heart. The nebula's glow -- as well as the shape of the gas and dust clouds -- is powered by by stellar winds and radiation from massive hot stars in the nebula's newborn star cluster Melotte 15. This deep telescopic image maps the pervasive light of narrow emission lines from atoms of hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur in the nebula. The field of view spans just over two degrees on the sky, so that it appears larger than four times the diameter of a full moon. The cosmic heart is found in the constellation of Cassiopeia, the boastful mythical Queen of Aethiopia . via NASA http://ift.tt/2vg24fJ

NPR News: As Houston Area Suburbs Wait For Harvey To Blow Over, Temporary Fixes Abound

As Houston Area Suburbs Wait For Harvey To Blow Over, Temporary Fixes Abound
In wealthy Sierra Plantation, crews are working hard to patch roofs and clear debris from downed trees. But it's all just a temporary solution until the storm's cycle brings more damage.

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NPR News: Why Don't We Have Princess Leia Holograms Yet?

Why Don't We Have Princess Leia Holograms Yet?
Researchers continue to chase down the sci-fi holy grail of genuine free-standing holograms — and they're getting pretty close. One obstacle: Current computing systems just aren't up to it.

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NPR News: Why Don't We Have Princess Leia Holograms Yet?

Why Don't We Have Princess Leia Holograms Yet?
Researchers continue to chase down the sci-fi holy grail of genuine free-standing holograms — and they're getting pretty close. One obstacle: Current computing systems just aren't up to it.

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NPR News: What's Making These Dogs In Mumbai Turn Blue?

What's Making These Dogs In Mumbai Turn Blue?
Five dogs with this unusual hue were found in an industrial area of Mumbai. The hunt for its cause revealed a much bigger problem.

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NPR News: 'I Will Lose My Identity': Cambodian Villagers Face Displacement By Mekong Dam

'I Will Lose My Identity': Cambodian Villagers Face Displacement By Mekong Dam
Thousands are being displaced by new dam construction. "I cannot leave my ancestors here," says a woman whose village will be submerged by the dam. "If I abandon them, I won't know who I am."

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NPR News: Having A Best Friend In Your Teenage Years Could Benefit You For Life

Having A Best Friend In Your Teenage Years Could Benefit You For Life
Researchers have found that people with deep friendships in adolescence had less anxiety and a greater sense of self-worth in early adulthood. Close friends matter, their study found.

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NPR News: Having A Best Friend In Your Teenage Years Could Benefit You For Life

Having A Best Friend In Your Teenage Years Could Benefit You For Life
Researchers have found that people with deep friendships in adolescence had less anxiety and a greater sense of self-worth in early adulthood. Close friends matter, their study found.

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NASA Awards Contract for Center Protective Services for Glenn Research Center

NASA has awarded a contract to Golden Svcs, LLC in Kingston, Tennessee, to provide protective services at the agency’s Ohio facilities, NASA’s Glenn Research Center’s Lewis Field in Cleveland and Plum Brook Station in Sandusky.

August 25, 2017
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NPR News: This Music Teacher Played His Saxophone While In Brain Surgery

This Music Teacher Played His Saxophone While In Brain Surgery
The surgeons tasked with removing a tumor from Dan Fabbio's brain had worked hard not to disrupt his ability to perform music. They rejoiced when he was able to play his sax on the operating table.

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NPR News: This Music Teacher Played His Saxophone While In Brain Surgery

This Music Teacher Played His Saxophone While In Brain Surgery
The surgeons tasked with removing a tumor from Dan Fabbio's brain had worked hard not to disrupt his ability to perform music. They rejoiced when he was able to play his sax on the operating table.

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NPR News: Science 'Gone Wrong' Can Teach Us

Science 'Gone Wrong' Can Teach Us
Pandora's Lab stresses that for science to work, it needs to base claims on data, studies need to be replicable, and scientists must be more attached to science than to their own ideas, says Alva Noë.

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NPR News: Moshe Szyf: How Do Our Experiences Rewire Our Brains And Bodies?

Moshe Szyf: How Do Our Experiences Rewire Our Brains And Bodies?
Many think genetic makeup is fixed from the moment we're born. But Moshe Szyf says this understanding is incomplete because our experiences and environment have the power to change our basic biology.

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NPR News: Brian Little: Are Human Personalities Hardwired?

Brian Little: Are Human Personalities Hardwired?
Are you introverted or extroverted? It depends. When it comes to personality, psychologist Brian Little says we can actually act against our biology — especially if we pursue a "core life project."

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NPR News: Nadine Burke Harris: How Does Trauma Affect A Child's DNA?

Nadine Burke Harris: How Does Trauma Affect A Child's DNA?
Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris found an unsettling trend when examining patients at her clinic: trauma. She found that adversity can change a child's biology and result in severe health outcomes.

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NPR News: Robert Sapolsky: How Much Agency Do We Have Over Our Behavior?

Robert Sapolsky: How Much Agency Do We Have Over Our Behavior?
Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky says nearly all aspects of human behavior are explained by biology: from developments millions of years in the past to microscopic reactions happening in the present.

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NPR News: After A Suicide, Sibling Survivors Are Often Overlooked

After A Suicide, Sibling Survivors Are Often Overlooked
Recent studies show that people who survive a brother or sister's suicide are at great risk of mood disorders and mental health problems, including thoughts of harming themselves.

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NPR News: After A Suicide, Sibling Survivors Are Often Overlooked

After A Suicide, Sibling Survivors Are Often Overlooked
Recent studies show that people who survive a brother or sister's suicide are at great risk of mood disorders and mental health problems, including thoughts of harming themselves.

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Diamond Ring in a Cloudy Sky

As the Moon's shadow swept across the US on August 21, eclipse chasers in the narrow path of totality were treated to a diamond ring in the sky. At the beginning and end of totality, the fleeting and beautiful effect often produces audible gasps from an amazed audience. It occurs just before or after the appearance of the faint solar corona with a brief ring of light and glimpse of Sun. In this scene from the end of totality at Central, South Carolina, clouds drift near the Sun's diamond ring in the sky. via NASA http://ift.tt/2iukDqO

NASA Announces Cassini End-of-Mission Media Activities

On Sept. 15, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will complete its remarkable story of exploration with an intentional plunge into Saturn's atmosphere, ending its mission after nearly 20 years in space.

August 24, 2017
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NPR News: 25 Years Later: How Hurricane Andrew Impacted Emergency Response

25 Years Later: How Hurricane Andrew Impacted Emergency Response
NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate about the important changes inspired by the historic Category 5 storm, in computer modeling, housing codes and insurance.

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NPR News: Texas Coast Prepares For Strengthened Hurricane Harvey

Texas Coast Prepares For Strengthened Hurricane Harvey
The National Hurricane Center now says Harvey will be a major hurricane when it arrives in Texas late Friday. The overnight escalation surprised planners who were told it would be a tropical storm.

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NPR News: Really? Really. How Our Brains Figure Out What Words Mean Based On How They're Said

Really? Really. How Our Brains Figure Out What Words Mean Based On How They're Said
Scientists have identified the brain cells that detect pitch changes in speech, allowing us to understand whether someone is asking a question or making a statement.

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NPR News: Really? Really. How Our Brains Figure Out What Words Mean Based On How They're Said

Really? Really. How Our Brains Figure Out What Words Mean Based On How They're Said
Scientists have identified the brain cells that detect pitch changes in speech, allowing us to understand whether someone is asking a question or making a statement.

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Media Invited to Talk to Record-Breaking NASA Astronaut Before Landing

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson’s final news conference from the International Space Station will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website at 1 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

August 24, 2017
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The Eagle and The Swan

The Eagle Nebula and the Swan Nebula span this broad starscape, a telescopic view toward the Sagittarius spiral arm and the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The Eagle, also known as M16, is at top and M17, the Swan, at bottom of the frame showing the cosmic clouds as brighter regions of active star-formation. They lie along the spiral arm suffused with reddish emission charactistic of atomic hydrogen gas, and dusty dark nebulae. M17, also called the Omega Nebula, is about 5500 light-years away, while M16 is some 6500 light-years distant. The center of both nebulae are locations of well-known close-up images of star formation from the Hubble Space Telescope. In this mosaic image that extends about 3 degrees across the sky, narrowband, high-resultion image data has been used to enhance the central regions of the Eagle and Swan. The extended wings of the Eagle Nebula spread almost 120 light-years. The Swan is over 30 light-years across. via NASA http://ift.tt/2wnvqbS

NPR News: Washington Declares Open Season On Escaped Aquaculture Salmon

Washington Declares Open Season On Escaped Aquaculture Salmon
State wildlife officials have asked the public to catch as many of the non-native Atlantic salmon as they can after an estimated 5,000 escaped from an aquaculture farm.

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NASA Awards Engineering Services and Science Capability Contract

NASA has selected Jacobs Technology of Tullahoma, Tennessee, to provide a broad spectrum of engineering and scientific support services at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

August 23, 2017
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NPR News: To Infinity And Beyond: Celebrating 40 Years Of The Voyager Mission

To Infinity And Beyond: Celebrating 40 Years Of The Voyager Mission
The Farthest: Voyager In Space, airing Wednesday on PBS, celebrates a technological and intellectual achievement rarely matched in history — one that has forever changed us, says Marcelo Gleiser.

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NPR News: Los Angeles Tests Whether Lighter Color Streets Will Lower The Temperature

Los Angeles Tests Whether Lighter Color Streets Will Lower The Temperature
Los Angeles is piloting a project called "Cool Pavement." The city is putting a light grey coating on top of some neighborhood streets in an effort to lower the air temperature.

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NPR News: The Battle Over Oil And Gas Development In Colorado

The Battle Over Oil And Gas Development In Colorado
A deadly home explosion in Colorado is renewing fights over how close oil and gas development should be to expanding suburbs. One town is trying to figure out for itself how close is too close.

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The Crown of the Sun

During a total solar eclipse, the Sun's extensive outer atmosphere, or corona, is an inspirational sight. Streamers and shimmering features visible to the eye span a brightness range of over 10,000 to 1, making them notoriously difficult to capture in a single photograph. But this composite of telescopic images covers a wide range of exposure times to reveal the crown of the Sun in all its glory. The aligned and stacked digital frames were taken in clear skies above Stanley, Idaho in the Sawtooth Mountains during the Sun's total eclipse on August 21. A pinkish solar prominence extends just beyond the right edge of the solar disk. Even small details on the dark night side of the New Moon can be made out, illuminated by sunlight reflected from a Full Earth. via NASA http://ift.tt/2vluL61

NPR News: Dakota Access Pipeline Owner Sues Greenpeace For 'Criminal Activity'

Dakota Access Pipeline Owner Sues Greenpeace For 'Criminal Activity'
Energy Transfer Partners alleges Greenpeace and other "eco-terrorist groups" tried to block its pipeline with "campaigns of misinformation." Greenpeace says the suit is a bid to "silence free speech."

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NPR News: Scientists Hope To Farm The Biofuel Of The Future In The Pacific Ocean

Scientists Hope To Farm The Biofuel Of The Future In The Pacific Ocean
International research labs are using seaweed to make biofuel, but little progress has been made in the U.S. Now scientists in California are developing a prototype to enable vast open-ocean farming.

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NASA Astronauts Available for Interviews Before Space Station Mission

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba, who are making final preparations for a Sept. 12 launch to the International Space Station, will be available for live satellite interviews at 7 and 9 a.m. EDT, respectively, on Friday, Sept. 1.

August 22, 2017
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NPR News: In Alaska, One Man Fights To Save Oil Fund As Reserves Dry Up

In Alaska, One Man Fights To Save Oil Fund As Reserves Dry Up
For 40 years, Alaska has been putting its oil money into a giant savings account. But now the oil — and the money — are drying up.

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NPR News: California's Forests Continue To Die After Years Of Drought

California's Forests Continue To Die After Years Of Drought
California's record drought is officially over. But trees are still dying across the state because they were so badly weakened by years without water.

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NPR News: The Sugar Story: A Spoonful Of Addiction Makes The Profits Go Up?

The Sugar Story: A Spoonful Of Addiction Makes The Profits Go Up?
Americans are facing down a decades-long sugar habit.

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NPR News: American Science And The Nazis

American Science And The Nazis
By standing strong against the Nazis, America became a beacon of hope to some of the world's greatest scientists — whose positive effects on American science we still feel today, says Adam Frank.

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NPR News: 'Smart' Pill Bottles Aren't Enough To Help The Medicine Go Down

'Smart' Pill Bottles Aren't Enough To Help The Medicine Go Down
Lots of people forget to take their medicine on time. Now firms are selling "smart" pill bottles that send patients reminders through the internet. But maybe the real problem isn't forgetfulness.

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NPR News: Hospitals Could Do More For Survivors Of Opioid Overdoses, Study Suggests

Hospitals Could Do More For Survivors Of Opioid Overdoses, Study Suggests
Researchers say hospitals are missing an opportunity to help people with opioid addiction get into treatment by not doing enough when they show up in emergency rooms after an overdose.

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NPR News: Hospitals Could Do More For Survivors Of Opioid Overdoses, Study Suggests

Hospitals Could Do More For Survivors Of Opioid Overdoses, Study Suggests
Researchers say hospitals are missing an opportunity to help people with opioid addiction get into treatment by not doing enough when they show up in emergency rooms after an overdose.

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A Total Solar Eclipse over Wyoming

Will the sky be clear enough to see the eclipse? This question was on the minds of many people attempting to view yesterday's solar eclipse. The path of total darkness crossed the mainland of the USA from coast to coast, from Oregon to South Carolina -- but a partial eclipse occurred above all of North America. Unfortunately, many locations saw predominantly clouds. One location that did not was a bank of Green River Lake, Wyoming. There, clouds blocked the Sun intermittantly up to one minute before totality. Parting clouds then moved far enough away to allow the center image of the featured composite sequence to be taken. This image shows the corona of the Sun extending out past the central dark Moon that blocks our familiar Sun. The surrounding images show the partial phases of the solar eclipse both before and after totality. via NASA http://ift.tt/2wwYk9l

NPR News: How To Tell If Watching The Eclipse Damaged Your Eyes

How To Tell If Watching The Eclipse Damaged Your Eyes
If you heeded all the warnings, you're likely fine. But spots or blurred vision that shows up 12 hours later or the next day might be a sign the sun's direct rays permanently hurt the retina.

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NPR News: PHOTOS: The Day The Eclipse Came To America

PHOTOS: The Day The Eclipse Came To America
A total solar eclipse crossed the entire country earlier today. Many Americans were treated to a rare and stunning view.

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NPR News: Total Solar Eclipse Travels From Oregon To South Carolina

Total Solar Eclipse Travels From Oregon To South Carolina
From coast to coast, a total solar eclipse crossed the United States on Monday. Fourteen states were in the path of total darkness, while a partial eclipse was visible in other parts of the country.

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NPR News: Americans View Astronomical Show As Total Solar Eclipse Sweeps Across U.S.

Americans View Astronomical Show As Total Solar Eclipse Sweeps Across U.S.
The total solar eclipse swept across the country on Monday from Oregon to South Carolina. A partial eclipse was also visible in other parts of the U.S. All Things Considered checked in with some listeners who witnessed the eclipse.

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NPR News: Darkness Falls Across The Land As Total Solar Eclipse Passes Over U.S.

Darkness Falls Across The Land As Total Solar Eclipse Passes Over U.S.
It was dark during the day on Monday as the total solar eclipse traveled across the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. NPR heard from some people who witnessed the astronomical show.

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NPR News: States Work To Help Marijuana Industry Reduce Power Costs

States Work To Help Marijuana Industry Reduce Power Costs
Growing marijuana takes a lot of energy, which comes into conflict with state efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. Now, some places are helping the pot industry to become more energy efficient.

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NPR News: People Travel Across The Country To Get A Glimpse Of The Solar Eclipse

People Travel Across The Country To Get A Glimpse Of The Solar Eclipse
Americans are traveling to cities, towns and campsites across the country to get a good view of the Great American Eclipse. All Things Considered heard from a few of them as they witnessed eclipse in totality.

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NPR News: Can Anyone, Even Walmart, Stem The Heat-Trapping Flood Of Nitrogen On Farms?

Can Anyone, Even Walmart, Stem The Heat-Trapping Flood Of Nitrogen On Farms?
Walmart has promised big cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases. To meet that goal, though, the giant retailer may have to persuade farmers to use less fertilizer. It won't be easy.

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NPR News: Watch: Experts Weigh In On America's Solar Eclipse

Watch: Experts Weigh In On America's Solar Eclipse
NASA is on eclipse watch as the moon blocks the sun in a celestial coincidence Monday. A segment of the country from Oregon to South Carolina is in the so-called path of totality.

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NPR News: Live Coverage: Follow The Solar Eclipse

Live Coverage: Follow The Solar Eclipse
It is indeed dark during the day as a total solar eclipse makes its way from Oregon to South Carolina. Follow the phenomenon's journey along with NPR journalists and others experiencing the eclipse.

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NPR News: Eclipse Map: Tracking Where The Astronomical Show

Eclipse Map: Tracking Where The Astronomical Show
A total solar eclipse will begin in Oregon and make its way to South Carolina starting at 1:16 p.m. ET. Keep up with where the eclipse is as it treks across the United States.

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NPR News: Live Coverage: Follow The Solar Eclipse

Live Coverage: Follow The Solar Eclipse
It is indeed dark during the day as a total solar eclipse makes its way from Oregon to South Carolina. Follow the phenomenon's journey along with NPR journalists and others experiencing the eclipse.

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NPR News: In Illinois, This College Town Won't Be Eclipsed By August's Celestial Event

In Illinois, This College Town Won't Be Eclipsed By August's Celestial Event
A town of 26,000 will more than double in size as the Great American Eclipse takes place in August. From the local state university to longtime bakery, people are getting ready for it to get dark.

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NPR News: 'Blinded By The Light': Your Contributions To Our Solar Eclipse Soundtrack

'Blinded By The Light': Your Contributions To Our Solar Eclipse Soundtrack
While watching the total eclipse, folks might want to follow along with some toe-tapping music about the sun, stars and moon. We've got the playlist for the wondrous sky event.

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NPR News: Words You'll Hear: Eclipse Cheap Seats

Words You'll Hear: Eclipse Cheap Seats
A total eclipse sweeps the U.S. on Monday. But most will see a partial eclipse. The question is: Is an 80 or even a 90 percent eclipse worth it? Or should people make the extra effort to see totality?

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NPR News: As India's Climate Changes, Farmers In The North Experiment With New Crops

As India's Climate Changes, Farmers In The North Experiment With New Crops
Farmers are starting to grow new crops in winter, when their fields usually lie fallow. Meanwhile, air pollution, which contributes to climate change, is weakening India's solar energy production.

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NPR News: In Turkey, Schools Will Stop Teaching Evolution This Fall

In Turkey, Schools Will Stop Teaching Evolution This Fall
When Turkish children head back to school, something will be missing from their textbooks: any mention of evolution. The government is phasing in what it calls a values-based curriculum.

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NPR News: Getting To The Core Of Exercises Said To Strengthen 'Mum Tum'

Getting To The Core Of Exercises Said To Strengthen 'Mum Tum'
NPR listeners had lots of questions after our story about diastasis recti, a medical condition of abdominal muscles that's common among new moms. Many wanted to know more about how to fix the problem.

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NPR News: Getting To The Core Of Exercises Said To Strengthen 'Mum Tum'

Getting To The Core Of Exercises Said To Strengthen 'Mum Tum'
NPR listeners had lots of questions after our story about diastasis recti, a medical condition of abdominal muscles that's common among new moms. Many wanted to know more about how to fix the problem.

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NPR News: Be Smart: A Partial Eclipse Can Fry Your Naked Eyes

Be Smart: A Partial Eclipse Can Fry Your Naked Eyes
And telescopes and binoculars only amplify the risk to your eyes from looking at the sun, doctors say. So, even if you're not in the "path of totality," take precautions if you plan to watch.

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NPR News: Is AI More Threatening Than North Korean Missiles?

Is AI More Threatening Than North Korean Missiles?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk this week warned that AI is an enormous threat. There can be no doubt that the advent of smart, rather than smart-ish, machines, is a long way off, though, says blogger Alva Noë.

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NASA Successfully Launches Latest Communications Satellite

NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-M (TDRS-M), which is the third and final in a series of next generation communications satellites, has successfully been placed into orbit following separation from an United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.

August 18, 2017
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NPR News: A First Look: Inside The Lab Where Scientists Are Editing DNA In Human Embryos

A First Look: Inside The Lab Where Scientists Are Editing DNA In Human Embryos
NPR gets exclusive access to a lab in Portland, Ore., where scientists have begun editing the DNA in human embryos to try to prevent genetic diseases.

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NPR News: California Prepares For An Eclipse Of Its Solar Power

California Prepares For An Eclipse Of Its Solar Power
On a sunny day, California gets up to 40 percent of its energy from solar power, so Monday's total eclipse isn't just a scientific spectacle, it's a major concern for the state's power grid.

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NPR News: A First Look: Inside The Lab Where Scientists Are Editing DNA In Human Embryos

A First Look: Inside The Lab Where Scientists Are Editing DNA In Human Embryos
NPR gets exclusive access to a lab in Portland, Ore., where scientists have begun editing the DNA in human embryos to try to prevent genetic diseases.

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NPR News: Will The Eclipse Make Crops And Animals Flip Out? Scientists Ask (Really)

Will The Eclipse Make Crops And Animals Flip Out? Scientists Ask (Really)
During the day on Aug. 21, large swaths of farmland will be plunged into darkness and temperatures will drop about 10 degrees. And scientists are waiting to see what will happen on the ground.

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NPR News: Chemists Say You Should Add A Little Water To Your Whiskey. Here's Why

Chemists Say You Should Add A Little Water To Your Whiskey. Here's Why
It's a common refrain from whiskey enthusiasts: Adding a few drops of water to a glass opens up the flavors of the drink. Chemists in Sweden provide a molecular explanation for why this works.

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NPR News: Chemists Say You Should Add A Little Water To Your Whiskey. Here's Why

Chemists Say You Should Add A Little Water To Your Whiskey. Here's Why
It's a common refrain from whiskey enthusiasts: Adding a few drops of water to a glass opens up the flavors of the drink. Chemists in Sweden provide a molecular explanation for why this works.

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NPR News: Can We Feed The World With Farmed Fish?

Can We Feed The World With Farmed Fish?
New research suggests there is space on the open ocean to farm essentially all the seafood humans can eat — and then some. But such volumes of fish and shellfish could not be grown without costs.

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NPR News: Earliest-Known Winged Mammal Relatives Discovered In China

Earliest-Known Winged Mammal Relatives Discovered In China
These 160-million-year-old fossils are the oldest known examples of mammal relatives with the ability to glide. They're from an extinct lineage with no relationship to modern gliders.

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NPR News: Trump Rolls Back Obama-Era Flood Standards For Infrastructure Projects

Trump Rolls Back Obama-Era Flood Standards For Infrastructure Projects
An Obama order called for new public infrastructure projects to be built to withstand rising sea levels caused by climate change. President Trump revoked that order to accelerate the review process.

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NPR News: Can We Feed The World With Farmed Fish?

Can We Feed The World With Farmed Fish?
New research suggests there is space on the open ocean to farm essentially all the seafood humans can eat — and then some. But such volumes of fish and shellfish could not be grown without costs.

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NPR News: Bears Can Face Summer Challenges In Roadside Zoos

Bears Can Face Summer Challenges In Roadside Zoos
Even when the Animal Welfare Act is followed, bears may not live in conditions that many would find reasonable for such large, intelligent animals to flourish, says anthropologist Barbara J. King.

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NPR News: United By The Sun: A Solar Event For All Americans To Share (Rebroadcast)

United By The Sun: A Solar Event For All Americans To Share (Rebroadcast)
Skywatchers and astrophysicists are already gearing up for next month's "Great American Solar Eclipse."

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NPR News: Chemists Say You Should Add A Little Water To Your Whiskey. Here's Why

Chemists Say You Should Add A Little Water To Your Whiskey. Here's Why
It's a common refrain from whiskey enthusiasts: Adding a few drops of water to a glass opens up the flavors of the drink. Chemists in Sweden provide a molecular explanation for why this works.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Chemists Say You Should Add A Little Water To Your Whiskey. Here's Why

Chemists Say You Should Add A Little Water To Your Whiskey. Here's Why
It's a common refrain from whiskey enthusiasts: Adding a few drops of water to a glass opens up the flavors of the drink. Chemists in Sweden provide a molecular explanation for why this works.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Rituals To Sprinkle A Little Magic Into Your Eclipse Experience

Rituals To Sprinkle A Little Magic Into Your Eclipse Experience
A slightly witch-y mother, an astrologer, and the co-writer of a guide for Basic Witches share their eclipse rituals.

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NPR News: Make Your Own Eclipse Viewer

Make Your Own Eclipse Viewer
No eclipse glasses? No problem. Make your own solar viewer; (almost) no tools required.

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NGC 2442: Galaxy in Volans

Distorted galaxy NGC 2442 can be found in the southern constellation of the flying fish, (Piscis) Volans. Located about 50 million light-years away, the galaxy's two spiral arms extending from a pronounced central bar have a hook-like appearance in wide-field images. But this mosaicked close-up, constructed from Hubble Space Telescope and European Southern Observatory data, follows the galaxy's structure in amazing detail. Obscuring dust lanes, young blue star clusters and reddish star forming regions surround a core of yellowish light from an older population of stars. The sharp image data also reveal more distant background galaxies seen right through NGC 2442's star clusters and nebulae. The image spans about 75,000 light-years at the estimated distance of NGC 2442. via NASA http://ift.tt/2i4R92x

NPR News: Probiotic Bacteria Could Protect Newborns From Deadly Infection

Probiotic Bacteria Could Protect Newborns From Deadly Infection
Each year more than 600,000 babies die of sepsis. Researchers have found a simple way to prevent it: Feed babies probiotic bacteria that are common in kimchi, pickles and other fermented vegetables.

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NPR News: Probiotic Bacteria Could Protect Newborns From Deadly Infection

Probiotic Bacteria Could Protect Newborns From Deadly Infection
Each year more than 600,000 babies die of sepsis. Researchers have found a simple way to prevent it: Feed babies probiotic bacteria that are common in kimchi, pickles and other fermented vegetables.

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NPR News: Women Who Love Wine: Are You Binge Drinking Without Realizing It?

Women Who Love Wine: Are You Binge Drinking Without Realizing It?
Binge drinking sounds like an all-night bender, but here's a reality check: Many social drinkers may "binge" without knowing it. Women who drink four or more drinks on an occasion are binge drinking.

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NPR News: Women Who Love Wine: Are You Binge Drinking Without Realizing It?

Women Who Love Wine: Are You Binge Drinking Without Realizing It?
Binge drinking sounds like an all-night bender, but here's a reality check: Many social drinkers may "binge" without knowing it. Women who drink four or more drinks on an occasion are binge drinking.

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NPR News: Trump Rolls Back Obama-Era Flood Standards For Infrastructure Projects

Trump Rolls Back Obama-Era Flood Standards For Infrastructure Projects
An Obama order called for new public infrastructure projects to be built to withstand rising sea levels caused by climate change. President Trump revoked that order to accelerate the review process.

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NPR News: The Best Item In An Astronaut's Care Package? Definitely The Ice Cream

The Best Item In An Astronaut's Care Package? Definitely The Ice Cream
Unlike other cargo vehicles, the SpaceX spacecraft can return to Earth without burning up. So it's equipped with freezers for transporting medical samples — and the occasional frozen treat.

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NPR News: NASA Astronauts Set To Get Sweet Treat With Next Delivery To International Space Station

NASA Astronauts Set To Get Sweet Treat With Next Delivery To International Space Station
This week, a rocket bound for the International Space Station lifted off with 6,400 pounds of supplies. Along with the provisions, medical supplies and experiments, NASA astronauts will be getting a special care package with ice cream.

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NPR News: At CERN, Hunting For Invisible Worlds

At CERN, Hunting For Invisible Worlds
With so many dedicated to solving nature's riddles at CERN, it's hard not to think of it as a modern cathedral, a link between reason and mystery, a place of pilgrimage, says blogger Marcelo Gleiser.

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NPR News: Here's What You Need To Know About The Total Solar Eclipse

Here's What You Need To Know About The Total Solar Eclipse
As America prepares for the eclipse on Aug. 21, here are some basic facts about the phenomenon.

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2017 Astronaut Candidates Available for Interviews Before Training

NASA’s newest astronaut candidates, a diverse dozen women and men, will participate in media interviews and a final news conference before training on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

August 16, 2017
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NPR News: How Eclipses Changed History

How Eclipses Changed History
Newton and Einstein had big ideas, but needed an eclipse to prove them. And scientists are still pursuing secrets of the universe one eclipse at a time.

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Perseid by the Sea

Just after moonrise on August 12 this grain of cosmic sand fell by the sea, its momentary flash part of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. To create the Perseid meteors, dust along the orbit of periodic comet Swift-Tuttle is swept up by planet Earth. The cometary debris plows through the atmosphere at nearly 60 kilometers per second and is quickly vaporized at altitudes of 100 kilometers or so. Perseid meteors are often bright and colorful, like the one captured in this sea and night skyscape. Against starry sky and faint Milky Way the serene view looks south and west across the Adriatic Sea, from the moonlit Dalmatian coast toward the island of Brac. via NASA http://ift.tt/2fHEKAR

NPR News: Scientists Move To Establish Wildlife Preserve At Guantanamo Bay

Scientists Move To Establish Wildlife Preserve At Guantanamo Bay
In the 15 years since the Guantanamo Bay detention camp was established to house suspected terrorists, a green buffer surrounding the facility to keep out the world has reverted back to the wild. Now some scientists would like to turn it into a protected research area.

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NASA Awards Contract for Infrastructure, Applications, Communications

NASA has awarded the Kennedy Infrastructure, Applications and Communication (KIAC) contract to ASRC Federal Data Solutions, LLC of Beltsville, Maryland.

August 15, 2017
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NASA Awards Contract to Extend Operations of Research, Development Center

NASA has awarded a contract to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, to extend operations of the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), also in Pasadena, through Sept. 30, 2018.

August 15, 2017
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NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Communications Satellite

NASA is targeting 8:03 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 18, for the launch of its next Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) mission atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch, and related activities that begin Thursday, Aug. 17, will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

August 15, 2017
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NPR News: Can We Feed The World With Farmed Fish?

Can We Feed The World With Farmed Fish?
New research suggests there is space on the open ocean to farm essentially all the seafood humans can eat — and then some. But such volumes of fish and shellfish could not be grown without costs.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: Can We Feed The World With Farmed Fish?

Can We Feed The World With Farmed Fish?
New research suggests there is space on the open ocean to farm essentially all the seafood humans can eat — and then some. But such volumes of fish and shellfish could not be grown without costs.

Read more on NPR

NPR News: In The Event Of A Nuclear Blast, Don't Condition Your Hair

In The Event Of A Nuclear Blast, Don't Condition Your Hair
That advice came in guidelines issued to residents of Guam on how to prepare for a missile threat on the island. The reason is conditioner can trap radioactive particles in strands of hair.

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NPR News: Science, Solitude And The Sacred On The Appalachian Trail

Science, Solitude And The Sacred On The Appalachian Trail
There is no greater source for science, for the inspiration to do science, than the wild; that is where the sense of sacredness at the root of science's aspiration lives, says blogger Adam Frank.

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NPR News: Greenland Is Still Burning, But The Smoke May Be The Real Problem

Greenland Is Still Burning, But The Smoke May Be The Real Problem
Wildfires are still burning in western Greenland, close to the Arctic island's ice sheet. As the fires burn, they release black particles that can coat the ice and snow, and make it melt more quickly.

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NPR News: 6,000-Year-Old Knee Joints Suggest Osteoarthritis Isn't Just Wear And Tear

6,000-Year-Old Knee Joints Suggest Osteoarthritis Isn't Just Wear And Tear
Even after a Harvard team took into account differences in age and weight among ancient specimens and knee joints today, they found that modern humans tend to have more osteoarthritis.

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NPR News: 6,000-Year-Old Knee Joints Suggest Osteoarthritis Isn't Just Wear And Tear

6,000-Year-Old Knee Joints Suggest Osteoarthritis Isn't Just Wear And Tear
Even after a Harvard team took into account differences in age and weight among ancient specimens and knee joints today, they found that modern humans tend to have more osteoarthritis.

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Stars, Gas, and Dust Battle in the Carina Nebula

Chaos reigns in the Carina Nebula where massive stars form and die. Striking and detailed, this close-up of a portion of the famous nebula is a combination of light emitted by hydrogen (shown in red) and oxygen (shown in blue). Dramatic dark dust knots and complex features revealed are sculpted by the winds and radiation of Carina's massive and energetic stars. One iconic feature of the Carina Nebula is the dark V-shaped dust lane that occurs in the top half of the image. The Carina Nebula spans about 200 light years, lies about 7,500 light years distant, and is visible with binoculars toward the southern constellation of Carina. In a billion years after the dust settles -- or is destroyed, and the gas dissipates -- or gravitationally condenses, then only the stars will remain -- but not even the brightest ones. via NASA http://ift.tt/2vx7wcO

NPR News: New Study Highlights Strong Link Between Basic Research And Inventions

New Study Highlights Strong Link Between Basic Research And Inventions
A big waste of money or the engine of marketplace innovation? That's how some people see basic scientific research. Now a new study shows how basic research and inventions are connected.

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NPR News: New Study Highlights Strong Link Between Basic Research And Inventions

New Study Highlights Strong Link Between Basic Research And Inventions
A big waste of money or the engine of marketplace innovation? That's how some people see basic scientific research. Now a new study shows how basic research and inventions are connected.

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NPR News: Trump Administration Takes Key Step To Rolling Back Auto Fuel Standards

Trump Administration Takes Key Step To Rolling Back Auto Fuel Standards
The Trump administration has opened a 45-day comment period ahead of proposed changes to existing EPA rules for greenhouse gas emissions for cars and light trucks.

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NASA Signs Combined Data Services Agreement for Polar Satellite Program

NASA has procured combined data support services under an agreement with the Norwegian Space Centre in Oslo, Norway, for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program and various cooperative international missions. This action is supported under an international agreement between the United States and Norway.

August 14, 2017
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NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station Aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission

Experiments seeking a better understanding of Parkinson’s disease and the origin of cosmic rays are on their way to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft following today’s 12:31 p.m. EDT launch.

August 14, 2017
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NPR News: In Children's Storybooks, Realism Has Advantages

In Children's Storybooks, Realism Has Advantages
Young children have an easier time exporting what they learn from a fictional storybook to the real world when the storybook is realistic, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.

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NPR News: Why Future Earthlings Won't See Total Solar Eclipses

Why Future Earthlings Won't See Total Solar Eclipses
The Earth won't enjoy total solar eclipses forever because the Moon is moving farther away, so it looks smaller and smaller over time.

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NPR News: The Call-In: The Solar Eclipse

The Call-In: The Solar Eclipse
This week, on The Call-In, we answer all your questions about the upcoming solar eclipse — how to protect your eyes, and what to do if the day is cloudy.

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NPR News: People In Nepal Used To Think Vultures Were Bad Luck. Not Anymore

People In Nepal Used To Think Vultures Were Bad Luck. Not Anymore
The number of vultures in South Asia has plummeted. But "restaurants" to feed rescued chicks and wild vultures are good for the birds — and for the local economy.

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Detailed View of a Solar Eclipse Corona

Only in the fleeting darkness of a total solar eclipse is the light of the solar corona easily visible. Normally overwhelmed by the bright solar disk, the expansive corona, the sun's outer atmosphere, is an alluring sight. But the subtle details and extreme ranges in the corona's brightness, although discernible to the eye, are notoriously difficult to photograph. Pictured here, however, using multiple images and digital processing, is a detailed image of the Sun's corona taken during the 2008 August total solar eclipse from Mongolia. Clearly visible are intricate layers and glowing caustics of an ever changing mixture of hot gas and magnetic fields. Bright looping prominences appear pink just above the Sun's limb. A similar solar corona might be visible through clear skies in a thin swath across the USA during a total solar eclipse that occurs just one week from tomorrow. via NASA http://ift.tt/2uPVDuV

NPR News: Researchers: Hackers Could Encode Human DNA With Malicious Software

Researchers: Hackers Could Encode Human DNA With Malicious Software
University of Washington researchers say malware could be encoded into DNA strands. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to researcher Karl Koscher about the findings and what they mean for gene sequencing.

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NPR News: Researchers: Hackers Could Encode Human DNA With Malicious Software

Researchers: Hackers Could Encode Human DNA With Malicious Software
University of Washington researchers say malware could be encoded into DNA strands. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to researcher Karl Koscher about the findings and what they mean for gene sequencing.

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NPR News: 40 Years Ago, NASA Launched Message To Aliens Into Deep Space

40 Years Ago, NASA Launched Message To Aliens Into Deep Space
Forty years ago, NASA launched two Voyager spacecraft into deep space. Onboard both were gold discs with music, greetings and sounds from Earth — a message to aliens. Ann Druyan, the creative director of the project, talks about how they decided what message to put in the interstellar bottle.

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NASA Awards Contract for Modification of Mobile Launcher

NASA has awarded a contract to RS&H, Inc. of Merritt Island, Florida, for architectural engineering and design services for the modification of the mobile launcher at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

August 11, 2017
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NASA Awards Acquisition, Business Support Services Contract

NASA has awarded a contract to Paragon TEC, Inc. of Cleveland to provide acquisition and business support services at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

August 11, 2017
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NASA Television to Air Six-Hour Spacewalk at International Space Station

Two Russian cosmonauts will venture outside the International Space Station Thursday, Aug. 17, to deploy several nanosatellites, collect research samples and perform structural maintenance.

August 11, 2017
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NPR News: Success In Placing Shelter Dogs Takes More Than Temperament Tests

Success In Placing Shelter Dogs Takes More Than Temperament Tests
Blogger Alva Noë talks with a dog trainer who says the need to give shelters, handlers and adopters the resources required to keep dogs and people supported and safe is critical in the process.

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NPR News: Success In Placing Shelter Dogs Takes More Than Temperament Tests

Success In Placing Shelter Dogs Takes More Than Temperament Tests
Blogger Alva Noë talks with a dog trainer who says the need to give shelters, handlers and adopters the resources required to keep dogs and people supported and safe is critical in the process.

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NPR News: Tyler DeWitt: How Do We Get Kids Hooked On Science?

Tyler DeWitt: How Do We Get Kids Hooked On Science?
When a student complained that science textbooks were boring, teacher Tyler DeWitt got thinking about how he can make his lessons fun. DeWitt recounts his quest to make kids care about science.

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NPR News: Nearly 1 In 5 Hospice Patients Discharged While Still Alive

Nearly 1 In 5 Hospice Patients Discharged While Still Alive
The hospices who discharge the most patients before their death also make the most money, a recent study shows.

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NPR News: Nearly 1 In 5 Hospice Patients Discharged While Still Alive

Nearly 1 In 5 Hospice Patients Discharged While Still Alive
The hospices who discharge the most patients before their death also make the most money, a recent study shows.

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A Total Solar Eclipse of Saros 145

A darkened sky holds bright planet Venus, the New Moon in silhouette, and the shimmering corona of the Sun in this image of a total solar eclipse. A composite of simultaneous telephoto and wide angle frames it was taken in the path of totality 18 years ago, August 11, 1999, near Kastamonu, Turkey. That particular solar eclipse is a member of Saros 145. Known historically from observations of the Moon's orbit, the Saros cycle predicts when the Sun, Earth, and Moon will return to the same geometry for a solar (or lunar) eclipse. The Saros has a period of 18 years, 11 and 1/3 days. Eclipses separated by one Saros period belong to the same numbered Saros series and are very similar. But the path of totality for consecutive solar eclipses in the same Saros shifts across the Earth because the planet rotates for an additional 8 hours during the cycle's fractional day. So the next solar eclipse of Saros 145 will also be a total eclipse, and the narrow path of totality will track coast to coast across the United States on August 21, 2017. via NASA http://ift.tt/2vIhybS

NPR News: 2016 Hit Records For Global Temperature And Climate Extremes

2016 Hit Records For Global Temperature And Climate Extremes
An annual report, comprising data from scientists across the globe, shows it was the warmest on records that date back 137 years. It also saw the highest sea levels and lowest polar sea ice.

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NPR News: People Back Editing Genes To Treat Disease, But Are Wary Of Inheritable Changes

People Back Editing Genes To Treat Disease, But Are Wary Of Inheritable Changes
Scientists are getting closer to being able to alter people's genes permanently. A survey found that people are more cautious about changes that could be passed on to future generations.

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NPR News: People Back Editing Genes To Treat Disease, But Are Wary Of Inheritable Changes

People Back Editing Genes To Treat Disease, But Are Wary Of Inheritable Changes
Scientists are getting closer to being able to alter people's genes permanently. A survey found that people are more cautious about changes that could be passed on to future generations.

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NPR News: Environmental Penalties Down Under President Trump

Environmental Penalties Down Under President Trump
A new report shows the EPA has collected 60 percent less in civil penalties from polluters compared with recent administrations.

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NPR News: Widowed Early, A Cancer Doctor Writes About The Harm Of Medical Debt

Widowed Early, A Cancer Doctor Writes About The Harm Of Medical Debt
A decade after the death of her husband, Fumiko Chino is studying the strain that uncovered medical costs puts on cancer patients, even those who have insurance.

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NPR News: Widowed Early, A Cancer Doctor Writes About The Harm Of Medical Debt

Widowed Early, A Cancer Doctor Writes About The Harm Of Medical Debt
A decade after the death of her husband, Fumiko Chino is studying the strain that uncovered medical costs puts on cancer patients, even those who have insurance.

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NPR News: As Eclipse Madness Sweeps U.S., A Stonehenge Made Of Cars Prepares

As Eclipse Madness Sweeps U.S., A Stonehenge Made Of Cars Prepares
Carhenge in Alliance, Neb., will be prime viewing for this month's total solar eclipse. The town is preparing for thousands of visitors.

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Night of the Perseids

This weekend, meteors will rain down near the peak of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. Normally bright and colorful, the Perseid shower meteors are produced by dust swept up by planet Earth from the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle. They streak from a radiant in Perseus, above the horizon in clear predawn skies. Despite interfering light from August's waning gibbous moon, this year's Perseids will still be enjoyable, especially if you can find yourself in an open space, away from city lights, and in good company. Frames used in this composite view capture bright Perseid meteors from the 2016 meteor shower set against a starry background along the Milky Way, with even the faint Andromeda Galaxy just above center. In the foreground, astronomers of all ages have gathered on a hill above the Slovakian village of Vrchtepla. via NASA http://ift.tt/2uo0I28

NPR News: Hurricane Franklin, First Of Atlantic Season, Barrels Toward Mexico's Coast

Hurricane Franklin, First Of Atlantic Season, Barrels Toward Mexico's Coast
The storm is expected to make landfall north of Veracruz, where it could dump as much as 15 inches of rain, causing "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides."

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NPR News: 47 Hospitals Slashed Their Use Of Two Key Heart Drugs After Huge Price Hikes

47 Hospitals Slashed Their Use Of Two Key Heart Drugs After Huge Price Hikes
These two older drugs, nitroprusside and isoproterenol, are frequently used in emergency and intensive care situations and have no direct alternatives, say cardiologists.

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NPR News: 47 Hospitals Slashed Their Use Of Two Key Heart Drugs After Huge Price Hikes

47 Hospitals Slashed Their Use Of Two Key Heart Drugs After Huge Price Hikes
These two older drugs, nitroprusside and isoproterenol, are frequently used in emergency and intensive care situations and have no direct alternatives, say cardiologists.

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NPR News: Belgian And Dutch Officials Point Fingers Amid Egg Contamination Scare

Belgian And Dutch Officials Point Fingers Amid Egg Contamination Scare
Millions of eggs have been recalled in European countries afraid they've been contaminated with insecticide. Who is to blame, though? That question is now a matter of international discord.

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NASA Television to Air Launch of Next Space Station Resupply Mission

NASA commercial cargo provider SpaceX is targeting its 12th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for 12:31 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 14. Coverage will begin on NASA Television and the agency’s website Sunday, Aug. 13, with two briefings.

August 09, 2017
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NPR News: Some Tuna Can Carry Up 36 Times The Toxins of Others. Here's Why

Some Tuna Can Carry Up 36 Times The Toxins of Others. Here's Why
When it comes to pollutant levels, researchers now say where your tuna was caught can make a huge difference. But tracking your yellowfin to the spot it was caught may be tricky.

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NPR News: Some Tuna Can Carry Up 36 Times The Toxins of Others. Here's Why

Some Tuna Can Carry Up 36 Times The Toxins of Others. Here's Why
When it comes to pollutant levels, researchers now say where your tuna was caught can make a huge difference. But tracking your yellowfin to the spot it was caught may be tricky.

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NPR News: Trump Claims To Have Modernized The U.S. Nuclear Arsenal

Trump Claims To Have Modernized The U.S. Nuclear Arsenal
On Wednesday, President Trump tweeted that he modernized the U.S. nuclear arsenal as his first act in office. But others question that claim. NPR takes a closer look at America's nuclear capabilities.

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NPR News: Ahead Of Solar Eclipse, Small Town Prepares For Light Among The Darkness

Ahead Of Solar Eclipse, Small Town Prepares For Light Among The Darkness
When the total solar eclipse crosses North America next month, one city will be dark for the longest time. Hopkinsville, Ky., is a small town making big preparations for the big event.

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NASA Selects Proposals to Study Galaxies, Stars, Planets

NASA has selected six astrophysics Explorers Program proposals for concept studies. The proposed missions would study gamma-ray and X-ray emissions from clusters of galaxies and neutron star systems, as well as infrared emissions from galaxies in the early universe and atmospheres of exoplanets, which are planets outside of our solar system.

August 09, 2017
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NPR News: Perseid Meteor Shower Falls Victim To Fake News. Sad!

Perseid Meteor Shower Falls Victim To Fake News. Sad!
It seems nothing is safe from fake news this year, not even the annual astronomical event. This year's Perseid show will be at its peak Saturday night into Sunday.

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NPR News: This Could Be The Biggest Dinosaur Ever Found — And It's Finally Got A Name

This Could Be The Biggest Dinosaur Ever Found — And It's Finally Got A Name
After years of study, scientists have given a name to the prehistoric colossus: Patagotitan mayorum. And in a paper published Wednesday, researchers offered the world a closer glimpse.

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NPR News: Earliest-Known Winged Mammal Relatives Discovered In China

Earliest-Known Winged Mammal Relatives Discovered In China
These 160-million-year-old fossils are the oldest known examples of mammal relatives with the ability to glide. They're from an extinct lineage with no relationship to modern gliders.

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NPR News: Earliest-Known Winged Mammal Relatives Discovered In China

Earliest-Known Winged Mammal Relatives Discovered In China
These 160-million-year-old fossils are the oldest known examples of mammal relatives with the ability to glide. They're from an extinct lineage with no relationship to modern gliders.

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Cassini to Begin Final Five Orbits Around Saturn

NASA's Cassini spacecraft will enter new territory in its final mission phase, the Grand Finale, as it prepares to embark on a set of ultra-close passes through Saturn’s upper atmosphere with its final five orbits around the planet.

August 09, 2017
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NPR News: When Oceans Give You Jellyfish Blooms, Turn Them Into Tasty Chips

When Oceans Give You Jellyfish Blooms, Turn Them Into Tasty Chips
Scientists think human pressures on oceans could cause more jellyfish blooms. What to do? Eat them, says a Danish gastrophysicist who's cracked the science of making them palatable.

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NPR News: Video Games May Affect The Brain Differently, Depending On What You Play

Video Games May Affect The Brain Differently, Depending On What You Play
Millions of people play video games, but there's plenty of disagreement on whether they're good or bad for brains. Action games may have a different effect than something like Super Mario.

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NPR News: Video Games May Affect The Brain Differently, Depending On What You Play

Video Games May Affect The Brain Differently, Depending On What You Play
Millions of people play video games, but there's plenty of disagreement on whether they're good or bad for brains. Action games may have a different effect than something like Super Mario.

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NPR News: At CERN, In Search Of Nature's Building Blocks

At CERN, In Search Of Nature's Building Blocks
In a world so divided by cultural and economic warfare, what happens at the European laboratory for particle physics stands out as a celebration of the best we have to offer, says Marcelo Gleiser.

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NPR News: At CERN, In Search Of Nature's Building Blocks

At CERN, In Search Of Nature's Building Blocks
In a world so divided by cultural and economic warfare, what happens at the European laboratory for particle physics stands out as a celebration of the best we have to offer, says Marcelo Gleiser.

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NPR News: 'Pay For Success' Approach Used To Fund A Program That Supports New Moms

'Pay For Success' Approach Used To Fund A Program That Supports New Moms
South Carolina says it will contribute up to $7.5 million to help fund the expansion of the "Nurse-Family Partnership" in the state if the program can show it is improving pregnancy outcomes.

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August Lunar Eclipse

August's Full Moon is framed in this sharp, high dynamic range composition. Captured before sunrise on August 8 from Sydney, Australia, south is up and the Earth's dark, umbral shadow is at the left, near the maximum phase of a partial lunar eclipse. Kicking off the eclipse season, this time the Full Moon's grazing slide through Earth's shadow was visible from the eastern hemisphere. Up next is the much anticipated total solar eclipse of August 21. Then, the New Moon's shadow track will include North America, the narrow path of totality running coast to coast through the United States. via NASA http://ift.tt/2woQfAK

NPR News: PHOTOS: A 'Massive' Wildfire Is Now Blazing In Greenland

PHOTOS: A 'Massive' Wildfire Is Now Blazing In Greenland
NASA satellites detected the blaze just over a week ago. Since then, the rare wildfire in western Greenland has continued to burn through a region far better known for its ice and snow.

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NPR News: Scientists Fear Trump Administration Will Counter Climate Report

Scientists Fear Trump Administration Will Counter Climate Report
A comprehensive government report on climate change has leaked to the public. The report clearly states that humans are changing the climate, and the consequences could be serious. Those views are at odds with statements by many in the Trump administration.

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NASA Awards Space Science, Data Analysis Contract

NASA has awarded a contract to ADNET Systems, Inc. of Bethesda, Maryland, to provide Earth and space science research and development at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

August 08, 2017
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NPR News: Baby, It's Cold Inside

Baby, It's Cold Inside
AC is central to American life — more than 8 out of 10 homes have it.

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NPR News: U.S. Already Feeling Consequences Of Global Warming, Draft Report Finds

U.S. Already Feeling Consequences Of Global Warming, Draft Report Finds
The document, which was leaked ahead of publication, states that humans are causing climate change. The findings are at odds with statements by President Trump and key members of his administration.

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NPR News: A Chip That Reprograms Cells Helps Healing, At Least In Mice

A Chip That Reprograms Cells Helps Healing, At Least In Mice
This device shoots new genetic code into cells to make them change their purpose. Researchers say the chip could someday be used to treat injuries in humans. But they've got a long, long way to go.

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NPR News: Go See It, Eclipse Chasers Urge. 'Your First Time Is Always Special'

Go See It, Eclipse Chasers Urge. 'Your First Time Is Always Special'
A small number of passionate "shadow-lovers" roam the world to be at exactly the right place when the moon blots out the sun. One man has seen 33 — and calls each "one of the top events of my life."

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NPR News: A Chip That Reprograms Cells Helps Healing, At Least In Mice

A Chip That Reprograms Cells Helps Healing, At Least In Mice
This device shoots new genetic code into cells to make them change their purpose. Researchers say the chip could someday be used to treat injuries in humans. But they've got a long, long way to go.

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Density Waves in Saturns Rings from Cassini

What causes the patterns in Saturn's rings? The Cassini spacecraft, soon ending its 13 years orbiting Saturn, has sent back another spectacular image of Saturn's immense ring system in unprecedented detail. The physical cause for some of Saturn's ring structures is not always understood. The cause for the beautifully geometric type of ring structure shown here in ring of Saturn, however, is surely a density wave. A small moon systematically perturbing the orbits of ring particles circling Saturn at slightly different distances causes such a density wave bunching. Also visible on the lower right of the image is a bending wave, a vertical wave in ring particles also caused by the gravity of a nearby moon. Cassini's final orbits are allowing a series of novel scientific measurements and images of the Solar System's most grand ring system. via NASA http://ift.tt/2vaJh3H

NPR News: Federal Report Calls For $275 Million To Stop Asian Carp

Federal Report Calls For $275 Million To Stop Asian Carp
The invasive species have been caught mere miles from Lake Michigan. Scientists fear if they invade the lake, they could spread throughout the Great Lakes.

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NPR News: Syrian Refugee And German Scientist Make An Unlikely Team

Syrian Refugee And German Scientist Make An Unlikely Team
In Leipzig, Germany, two scientists from very different backgrounds are working on a unique research project.

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NPR News: Syrian Refugee And German Scientist Make An Unlikely Team

Syrian Refugee And German Scientist Make An Unlikely Team
In Leipzig, Germany, two scientists from very different backgrounds are working on a unique research project.

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NPR News: 'A Beautiful Spectacle': Geographer Makes Case To Witness Solar Eclipse

'A Beautiful Spectacle': Geographer Makes Case To Witness Solar Eclipse
A total solar eclipse is the most beautiful natural spectacle Michael Zeiler has ever seen. The geographer tells NPR's Ari Shapiro that once one witnesses a total eclipse, they'll be hooked for life.

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NPR News: Coddled Puppies Make Poor Guide Dogs, Study Suggests

Coddled Puppies Make Poor Guide Dogs, Study Suggests
New research suggests that when puppies have more attentive, active mothers, they're more likely to fail guide-dog training.

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NPR News: Coddled Puppies Make Poor Guide Dogs, Study Suggests

Coddled Puppies Make Poor Guide Dogs, Study Suggests
New research suggests that when puppies have more attentive, active mothers, they're more likely to fail guide-dog training.

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NPR News: Scientists Prepare For 'The Most Beautiful Thing You Can See In The Sky'

Scientists Prepare For 'The Most Beautiful Thing You Can See In The Sky'
You'd think that after hundreds of years of watching total solar eclipses, scientists would know all they'd need to about that particular phenomenon. You'd be wrong.

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NPR News: Scientists Prepare For 'The Most Beautiful Thing You Can See In The Sky'

Scientists Prepare For 'The Most Beautiful Thing You Can See In The Sky'
You'd think that after hundreds of years of watching total solar eclipses, scientists would know all they'd need to about that particular phenomenon. You'd be wrong.

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NPR News: Can Buddhist Practices Help Us Overcome The Biological Pull Of Dissatisfaction?

Can Buddhist Practices Help Us Overcome The Biological Pull Of Dissatisfaction?
Science journalist and author Robert Wright says that Buddhist enlightenment might help counteract our natural tendency towards unhappiness. His new book is Why Buddhism is True.

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NPR News: What Bloodied This Teen's Feet? Tiny Marine Flesh Eaters Had Scientists Stumped

What Bloodied This Teen's Feet? Tiny Marine Flesh Eaters Had Scientists Stumped
After a 30-minute soak, Sam Kanizay left the water bleeding profusely. Exactly what attacked him puzzled experts, though — that is, until his father tracked down some of the little creatures.

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NPR News: Issues Threatening Seabirds Could Extend To The Lobster Industry

Issues Threatening Seabirds Could Extend To The Lobster Industry
New Hampshire researchers are spending the summer studying baby seabirds called terns. They say the chicks are in trouble and it's an indication local lobstermen could be too.

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NPR News: Flattening The 'Mummy Tummy' With 1 Exercise, 10 Minutes A Day

Flattening The 'Mummy Tummy' With 1 Exercise, 10 Minutes A Day
The technical term is diastasis recti and it affects many new moms. The growing fetus pushes apart the abdominal muscles and the separation often stays open. But science suggests this fix can work.

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NPR News: Issues Threatening Seabirds Could Extend To The Lobster Industry

Issues Threatening Seabirds Could Extend To The Lobster Industry
New Hampshire researchers are spending the summer studying baby seabirds called terns. They say the chicks are in trouble and it's an indication local lobstermen could be too.

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NPR News: Flattening The 'Mummy Tummy' With 1 Exercise, 10 Minutes A Day

Flattening The 'Mummy Tummy' With 1 Exercise, 10 Minutes A Day
The technical term is diastasis recti and it affects many new moms. The growing fetus pushes apart the abdominal muscles and the separation often stays open. But science suggests this fix can work.

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Spiral Galaxy NGC 1512: The Inner Ring

Most galaxies don't have any rings -- why does this galaxy have two? To begin, the bright band near NGC 1512's center is a nuclear ring, a ring that surrounds the galaxy center and glows brightly with recently formed stars. Most stars and accompanying gas and dust, however, orbit the galactic center in a ring much further out -- here seen near the image edge. This ring is called, counter-intuitively, the inner ring. If you look closely, you will see this the inner ring connects ends of a diffuse central bar that runs horizontally across the galaxy. These ring structures are thought to be caused by NGC 1512's own asymmetries in a drawn-out process called secular evolution. The gravity of these galaxy asymmetries, including the bar of stars, cause gas and dust to fall from the inner ring to the nuclear ring, enhancing this ring's rate of star formation. Some spiral galaxies also have a third ring -- an outer ring that circles the galaxy even further out. via NASA http://ift.tt/2vDVT5c

NPR News: Erratic Weather Threatens Livelihood Of Rice Farmers In Madagascar

Erratic Weather Threatens Livelihood Of Rice Farmers In Madagascar
Climate change is complicating the lives of subsistence rice farmers in Madagascar. For years, the wet and dry seasons arrived predictably. No more. To survive, farmers are looking to diversify.

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NPR News: 10-Year-Old Spots Museum Error

10-Year-Old Spots Museum Error
Ten-year-old Charlie Edwards got a jump start on his paleontology career when he noted a mistaken label at the Natural History Museum in London.

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NPR News: What Changes In Birthing Mean For Evolution

What Changes In Birthing Mean For Evolution
Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with biological anthropologist Julienne Rutherford about the long term evolutionary changes possible from a shift in birth practices in the U.S.

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NPR News: The Call-In: Genetic Engineering

The Call-In: Genetic Engineering
Last week, a new study was released confirming that scientists had successfully modified human embryos to eliminate a genetic defect. We asked you for your questions.

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NPR News: NASA's Voyager Program Turns 40

NASA's Voyager Program Turns 40
NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Ed Stone, a chief scientist at NASA, about the Voyager program as it approaches its 40th anniversary. He's 81 years old and has spent half his life on the project.

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NPR News: The Call-In: Genetic Engineering

The Call-In: Genetic Engineering
Last week, a new study was released confirming that scientists had successfully modified human embryos to eliminate a genetic defect. We asked you for your questions.

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NPR News: How The Dream Of America's 'Nuclear Renaissance' Fizzled

How The Dream Of America's 'Nuclear Renaissance' Fizzled
Construction of new, modern reactors seemed to herald a new era of nuclear power expansion in the U.S. Now all but one of those projects have been canceled.

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Gravity s Grin

Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, published over 100 years ago, predicted the phenomenon of gravitational lensing. And that's what gives these distant galaxies such a whimsical appearance, seen through the looking glass of X-ray and optical image data from the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes. Nicknamed the Cheshire Cat galaxy group, the group's two large elliptical galaxies are suggestively framed by arcs. The arcs are optical images of distant background galaxies lensed by the foreground group's total distribution of gravitational mass. Of course, that gravitational mass is dominated by dark matter. The two large elliptical "eye" galaxies represent the brightest members of their own galaxy groups which are merging. Their relative collisional speed of nearly 1,350 kilometers/second heats gas to millions of degrees producing the X-ray glow shown in purple hues. Curiouser about galaxy group mergers? The Cheshire Cat group grins in the constellation Ursa Major, some 4.6 billion light-years away. via NASA http://ift.tt/2fdbVf2

NPR News: New Human Embryo Editing Research Reignites Ethical Debate

New Human Embryo Editing Research Reignites Ethical Debate
NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Dr. George Daley, the dean of Harvard Medical School, about the ethical discussions surrounding editing the DNA of human embryos and what the future of the technology might look like.

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NPR News: Brush Yourself Off And Try Again: An Invention Story

Brush Yourself Off And Try Again: An Invention Story
Inventing even the simplest product is a fraught process. Mike Davidson and Mike Smith have learned that lesson the hard way as they seek to change the way teeth get cleaned.

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NPR News: Your Zip Code Can Be As Important To Health As Your Genetic Code

Your Zip Code Can Be As Important To Health As Your Genetic Code
Health care forms increasingly ask about more than just medical history. That's because doctors are beginning to understand that a patient's stress, and how and where they live, influence health, too.

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NPR News: South Texas Fights Tuberculosis One Blood Test At A Time

South Texas Fights Tuberculosis One Blood Test At A Time
Texas has one of the highest rates of TB among U.S. states. A sweeping effort is underway, largely funded by Medicaid, to diagnose and treat people who don't know they harbor the lung infection.

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NPR News: Technology Gets Under The Skin

Technology Gets Under The Skin
Last week, a Wisconsin company offered its employs the option have a chip inserted into their bodies in an effort to help them navigate the workplace. Alva Noë asks: What's the big deal?

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NPR News: Scientists Aim For Better, Cheaper Tests For Alzheimer's

Scientists Aim For Better, Cheaper Tests For Alzheimer's
The goal is to find accurate, painless tests that can help doctors diagnose Alzheimer's early and track the progression of the illness and any response to treatment. A few tests seem promising.

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NPR News: Scientists Aim For Better, Cheaper Tests For Alzheimer's

Scientists Aim For Better, Cheaper Tests For Alzheimer's
The goal is to find accurate, painless tests that can help doctors diagnose Alzheimer's early and track the progression of the illness and any response to treatment. A few tests seem promising.

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NPR News: The Archaeologist Who Hunts For Stolen Art

The Archaeologist Who Hunts For Stolen Art
Christos Tsirogiannis, a forensic archaeologist, explains to Ailsa Chang how he persuaded U.S. authorities to seize an ancient Italian vase from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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NPR News: Uncovering A 'Little Pompeii' In France

Uncovering A 'Little Pompeii' In France
Archaeologists in France have discovered the well-preserved ruins of a Roman town, whose inhabitants appear to have fled to avoid a fire — leaving their belongings and household objects behind.

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NPR News: Saving Vultures With Nepal's 'Vulture Restaurant'

Saving Vultures With Nepal's 'Vulture Restaurant'
A unique conservation attempt is underway in Nepal to save vultures that have nearly been decimated through much of South Asia over the past few decades.

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North North Temperate Zone Little Red Spot

On July 11, the Juno spacecraft once again swung near the turbulent Jovian cloud tops. On its seventh orbital closest approach this perijove passage brought Juno within 3,500 kilometers of the Solar System's largest planetary atmosphere. Near perijove the rotating JunoCam was able to record this stunning, clear view of one of Jupiter's signature vortices. About 8,000 kilometers in diameter, the anticyclonic storm system was spotted in Jupiter's North North Temperate Zone in the 1990s. That makes it about half the size of an older and better known Jovian anticyclone, the Great Red Spot, but only a little smaller than planet Earth. At times taking on reddish hues, the enormous storm system is fondly known as a North North Temperate Zone Little Red Spot. via NASA http://ift.tt/2vkZKU4

NASA Highlights Science on Next Space Station Resupply Mission

NASA will host a media teleconference at noon EDT Tuesday, Aug. 8, to discuss select science investigations launching on the next SpaceX commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station.

August 03, 2017
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NPR News: Vermont Medical School Says Goodbye To Lectures

Vermont Medical School Says Goodbye To Lectures
The University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine is planning to phase out lectures by 2019. The dean behind the effort says lectures aren't good at engaging learners.

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NPR News: White House Reverses Effort To Delay Obama Ozone Regulations

White House Reverses Effort To Delay Obama Ozone Regulations
The Trump administration has reversed its effort to delay implementation of an Environmental Protection Agency regulation lowering acceptable ozone emissions, a major component of smog. The reversal comes after 16 states filed a lawsuit saying the delay was unlawful.

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NPR News: Study Suggests Artificial Light Deters Nocturnal Pollinators

Study Suggests Artificial Light Deters Nocturnal Pollinators
Scientists in Switzerland used mobile street lamps to light up patches of cabbage thistle. They found that nocturnal pollinators, such as beetles and flies, mostly stayed away.

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NPR News: Study Suggests Artificial Light Deters Nocturnal Pollinators

Study Suggests Artificial Light Deters Nocturnal Pollinators
Scientists in Switzerland used mobile street lamps to light up patches of cabbage thistle. They found that nocturnal pollinators, such as beetles and flies, mostly stayed away.

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NPR News: Do You Have What It Takes To Be NASA's Next Planetary Protection Officer?

Do You Have What It Takes To Be NASA's Next Planetary Protection Officer?
The job posting has elicited headlines about how the space agency is seeking a person to defend Earth from aliens. But it's really more about microorganisms than little green men.

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California Cub Scouts to Speak with NASA Astronaut on Space Station

Cub Scouts of the Bay Area will speak with a NASA astronaut living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 1:40 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 7.

August 03, 2017
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NPR News: Animal Images In Prehistoric Rock Art: Looking Beyond Europe

Animal Images In Prehistoric Rock Art: Looking Beyond Europe
Animals are depicted in rock art in more than 100 countries, not just in the famous "painted caves" of Europe. Barbara J. King talks to an archaeologist with a global view of human meaning-making.

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NPR News: The Gulf Of Mexico's Dead Zone Is The Biggest Ever Seen

The Gulf Of Mexico's Dead Zone Is The Biggest Ever Seen
A record-setting "dead zone," where water doesn't have enough oxygen for fish to survive, has appeared this summer. One major cause is pollution from farms.

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NPR News: Earthquake Shakes Central Oklahoma, One Of 7 In 28 Hours

Earthquake Shakes Central Oklahoma, One Of 7 In 28 Hours
An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 4.2 hit Wednesday night. Earthquakes used to be rare in Oklahoma. Scientists say they're linked to the disposal of wastewater from fracking.

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Pelican Nebula Close Up

The prominent ridge of emission featured in this vivid skyscape is designated IC 5067. Part of a larger emission region with a distinctive shape, popularly called The Pelican Nebula, the ridge spans about 10 light-years and follows the curve of the cosmic pelican's head and neck. Fantastic, dark shapes inhabiting the view are clouds of cool gas and dust sculpted by energetic radiation from young, hot, massive stars. But stars are also forming within the dark shapes. Twin jets emerging from the tip of the long, dark tendril left of center are the telltale signs of an embedded protostar cataloged as Herbig-Haro 555 (HH 555). In fact, other Herbig-Haro objects indicating the presence of protostars are found within the frame. The Pelican Nebula itself, also known as IC 5070, is about 2,000 light-years away. To find it, look northeast of bright star Deneb in the high flying constellation Cygnus. via NASA http://ift.tt/2f7Hbfv

NPR News: Environmental Groups Challenge EPA In Court Over Ozone Rule

Environmental Groups Challenge EPA In Court Over Ozone Rule
The Trump administration seeks to roll back and delay dozens of regulations across government, including one to lower smog-creating ozone. Environmental groups are challenging the EPA in court.

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NPR News: Al Gore Warns That Trump Is A 'Distraction' From The Issue Of Climate Change

Al Gore Warns That Trump Is A 'Distraction' From The Issue Of Climate Change
"I have no illusions about the possibility of changing Donald Trump's mind," Gore says. Instead, the former vice president wants to build bipartisan consensus around the issue of climate change.

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NPR News: Carbon Dioxide May Rob Crops Of Nutrition, Leaving Millions At Risk

Carbon Dioxide May Rob Crops Of Nutrition, Leaving Millions At Risk
Two new studies suggest that changing atmospheric conditions could reduce protein and iron in food, leading to more health problems for people in countries where malnutrition is already a problem.

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NPR News: Carbon Dioxide May Rob Crops Of Nutrition, Leaving Millions At Risk

Carbon Dioxide May Rob Crops Of Nutrition, Leaving Millions At Risk
Two new studies suggest that changing atmospheric conditions could reduce protein and iron in food, leading to more health problems for people in countries where malnutrition is already a problem.

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NPR News: NASA Jets Will Extend Eclipse By Chasing Moon's Shadow

NASA Jets Will Extend Eclipse By Chasing Moon's Shadow
Cold War-era tactical bombers specially equipped with stabilized telescopes will fly over the central United States on Aug. 21, taking detailed observations of the Sun's atmosphere.

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NPR News: Scientists Precisely Edit DNA In Human Embryos To Fix A Disease Gene

Scientists Precisely Edit DNA In Human Embryos To Fix A Disease Gene
In experimental embryos, scientists were able to repair the gene that causes a serious heart disorder. But more research is needed to confirm the method would produce healthy babies, they say.

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NPR News: Scientists Precisely Edit DNA In Human Embryos To Fix A Disease Gene

Scientists Precisely Edit DNA In Human Embryos To Fix A Disease Gene
In experimental embryos, scientists were able to repair the gene that causes a serious heart disorder. But more research is needed to confirm the method would produce healthy babies, they say.

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NPR News: Oh, Snap! Scientists Are Turning People's Food Photos Into Recipes

Oh, Snap! Scientists Are Turning People's Food Photos Into Recipes
Researchers have created an artificial neural network that analyzes an image of a dish and tells you how to make it. Still in the early stages, the technology might help improve our dietary health.

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