Science

Science

Creatures Large And Small Are Stuck In Labs After Coronavirus Pauses Research

8:43pm April 14, 2020

Some scientists and researchers are forced to decide the fates of their study subjects — like spiders, sunflower plants and fish — amid the coronavirus lockdown.

People, some wearing masks, walk down a street in the Corona neighborhood of Queens in New York on Tuesday.

New Survey Highlights Racial Disparities In The Coronavirus Pandemic

5:48pm April 14, 2020

by Hannah Hagemann

People of color and lower-income populations are more concerned about contracting coronavirus and spreading it unknowingly to others.

Employees and family members protest outside a Smithfield Foods processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota last week. The plant has had an outbreak of coronavirus cases.

How One City Mayor Forced A Pork Giant To Close Its Virus-Stricken Plant

4:32pm April 14, 2020

by Dan Charles

Smithfield Foods didn't want to stop slaughtering hogs at its Sioux Falls pork plant, even after hundreds of workers got sick with the coronavirus. Then the city's mayor forced the company's hand.

Several countries around the world are emitting less carbon due to the pandemic slowdown, but the climate will continue to warm.

Carbon Emissions Are Falling, But Still Not Enough, Scientists Say

3:10pm April 14, 2020

by Lauren Sommer

The global slowdown could create a historic drop in carbon emissions, but it's still not enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Nurses and health care workers mourn and remember their colleagues who died during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus during a demonstration outside Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Coronavirus Vaccine? Two Pharmaceutical Giants Collaborating To Develop One

1:11pm April 14, 2020

by Joe Palca

Pharmaceutical companies GSK and Sanofi are partnering to work on several vaccine candidates to fight the coronavirus.

What We Know About The Silent Spreaders Of COVID-19

8:01pm April 13, 2020

by Pien Huang

Some cases of the novel coronavirus are asymptomatic, presymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. Scientists are trying to determine their role in transmission of the disease.

Health experts say they're not yet sure about the level of immunity people may have after recovering from COVID-19. Here, a man wears a protective mask as he passes a mural in New York City, where the COVID-19 death toll has passed 10,000.

WHO Says COVID-19 Immunity Is An Unknown; Disease '10 Times Deadlier' Than 2009 Flu

3:34pm April 13, 2020

by Bill Chappell

More than 440,000 people have recovered from COVID-19 — and their status is an important question. If people are immune after recovery, they could resume normal life activities more quickly.

Rick Wittenmyer shops for groceries at the West Side Market, Friday, April 10, 2020, in Cleveland. There were fewer shoppers this year before the Easter holiday than in previous years due to the coronavirus.

Coronavirus Fears Prompt Suspensions Of Bans On Single-Use Plastic Bags

12:55pm April 13, 2020

by Hannah Hagemann

Manufacturers, lawmakers and grocery store workers say the reusable bags could transmit the virus, but according to scientists there aren't enough studies to know whether that's true.

How Antibody Tests Can Inform Public Policies To Mitigate Coronavirus Pandemic

1:20pm April 12, 2020

Stanford is testing for coronavirus antibodies so they can determine who has been exposed and who could potentially go back to school or work. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

Queue Listen Now

When you listen to a story, your brain waves actually start to synchronize with those of the storyteller. And reading a narrative activates brain regions involved in deciphering or imagining a person's motives and perspective, research has found.

How Stories Connect And Persuade Us: Unleashing The Brain Power Of Narrative

8:49pm April 11, 2020

by Elena Renken

The power of shared storytelling to soothe or spur us to action may be more crucial than ever, scientists say. Here's what happens in the brain when we feel swept away by a story, book or film.