Science

Science

A study finds that dogs can smell your stress — and make decisions accordingly

3:24pm July 23, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

Researchers made volunteers do public speaking and math on the spot, then showed them a calming video. Then, using sweat samples, glass jars and food bowls, they examined the emotional impact on dogs.

Science

Scientists are tracking polar bears to keep them -- and people safe

2:56pm July 23, 2024

by Hosts

In Canada, melting sea ice is forcing polar bears closer and closer to human populations, so scientists there are working on a program to track polar bears, tag them with GPS units and monitor their movement.

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Here's a question for you: Do animals lie?

2:55pm July 23, 2024

by Barry Gordemer

A researcher shares examples of deception in the animal kingdom.

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Astronomers are scrambling to save the world's most powerful X-ray space telescope

6:00am July 23, 2024

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

NASA is facing a tight budget and wants to wrap up the Chandra X-ray Observatory, but astronomers don't want to see the 25-year-old X-ray space telescope mission go.

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When did humans get to South America? This giant shelled mammal fossil may hold clues

5:00am July 23, 2024

by Ari Daniel

A fossil of an armadillo-like mammal appears to bear cut marks from butchering by humans, suggesting people were living in South America at least 20,000 years ago, even earlier than once thought.

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Gemini IV spacewalk, June 3, 1965. NASA astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space.

Outer space changes you, literally. Here's what it does to the human body

3:00am July 23, 2024

Lower gravity. Higher radiation. No ER access. These are just a few of the challenges that humans face in outer space. Emily and Regina talk to a NASA astronaut (and astronaut scientist) about the impact of spaceflight on the human body. Plus, we learn about telomeres (hint: They change in space)!

Check out more of our series on space: https://www.npr.org/spacecamp

Interested in more space science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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A scientist in Belize hopes bats can galvanize locals to protect their forests

10:45pm July 22, 2024

by Ari Daniel

A Belizean bat scientist is looking to these fuzzy, flying mammals to act as emissaries to galvanize the people of Belize to protect their forests.

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Scientists are trying to plant a billion oysters in New York City waters

10:45pm July 22, 2024

by Rosemary Misdary

Restoring the once plentiful oysters of New York City isn't an easy job. Scientists have been at it for more than a decade, but they’re still far from the goal of planting a billion of them.

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Animals at the Phoenix Zoo enjoy ice in the extreme heat

10:45pm July 22, 2024

Extreme heat isn't just hard on humans, which is why the Phoenix zoo delivers ice to grateful animals to keep them healthy and happy.

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New insights into the brain's waste-removal system could one day help researchers better understand and prevent many brain disorders.

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The brain makes a lot of waste. Here's how it cleans itself up

6:56pm July 22, 2024

Scientists have long studied the relationship between sleep and the brain, and why poor sleep is linked to neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. NPR science correspondent Jon Hamilton talks to host Regina G. Barber about the brain's washing system and the particular sound researchers have found that seems to turn it on in mice.

Read Jon's full piece here.

Interested in more science about the brain? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

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