The Polaris Dawn spacewalk is SpaceX’s ‘risky adventure’
New spacesuits, untested astronauts, and a lot that can go wrong make this five-day mission unusually complex, but with a potentially great reward.
Human Interest
Wartime laborers from Mexico are finally recognized with new Texas landmark
Wartime workers from Mexico, called “Braceros” or strong arms, filled critical labor shortages in America. Their overlooked service is being recognized by a new National Historic Landmark in Texas.
Sunday Puzzle: Antonyms Attract
NPR's Ayesha Rascoe plays the puzzle with this week's winner, DJ Boyd of Northville, Michigan, and puzzle master Will Shortz.
'Wait Wait' for September 7, 2024: With Not My Job guest John Leguizamo
This week, Wait Wait is live in Chicago with special guest John Leguizamo and panelists Hari Kondabolu, Helen Hong, and Tom Bodett
Debates have proved a tough test for vice presidents running for president
A look back at other sitting vice presidents who were running for the top job and debating on TV against the nominee of the opposition party: Gore in 2000, George H.W. Bush in 1988 and Nixon in 1960.
A secret chamber has been discovered in the Smithsonian
A 30-foot-deep chamber was recently uncovered under the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Construction crews found the cistern as part of an effort to revitalize part of the historic building.
Boeing's Starliner is being prepared to leave the International Space Station
The beleaguered Starliner spacecraft will head home on Friday, but its astronauts won't.
T.D. Lee changed science in China and my life. This is what I owe to him
Chinese particle physicist Yangyang Cheng reflects on the legacy of the late Nobel laureate T.D. Lee — how his ideas changed her life, and the limit to his engagement with Beijing.
Beloved 'Russian spy whale' Hvaldimir is found dead under mysterious circumstances
A beloved beluga whale with a mysterious past was found dead in the waters of Norway over the weekend. Admirers are paying tribute as authorities investigate.
How scientists have reshaped the Big Bang theory
Scientists have long been interested in the early history of the universe. Famed physicist Stephen Hawking helped popularize that the Big Bang was a singular point in time -- but that's not how many cosmologists think of the Big Bang today.