Science

In a small Malaysian village, some residents speak a language that linguists had never before identified. It has now been documented, under the name Jedek, by Swedish researchers.

Science

Linguists Discover Previously Unidentified Language In Malaysia

2:10pm February 07, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

Swedish researchers were studying one rare language in Southeast Asia, when they discovered a group of 280 resettled people speaking a different language, never observed or documented before.

The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Science

Our Ancestors, Elon Musk And The First Car In Space

2:09pm February 07, 2018

by Marcelo Gleiser

Musk's successful rocket launch is a step on the ambitious road to Mars; as with our adventurous ancestors, where we might go seems to be limited only by our imagination, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Jana Mestecky (left) poses for a cast photo during production of the play 'Des rats et des hommes,' directed by Israel Horovitz (front, third from left). The photo appeared in the French magazine, L'Avant-Scene in 1994. Mestecky is one of many women who h

Science

Why #MeToo Happened In 2017

1:36pm February 07, 2018

by Shankar Vedantam

Why did the #MeToo movement take off recently and not decades ago? The story of a playwright who was publicly accused of sexual misconduct in the 1990s and again in 2017 offers some clues.

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Mongee bananas reportedly sell for $6 each in Japan. Right now, they're very much a boutique crop.

A Banana Grown At Subzero Temps Also Has An Edible Peel

11:43am February 07, 2018

by Menaka Wilhelm

Banana crops aren't in the best shape, but new varieties could help. Japanese Mongee bananas debuted this winter, bred to be cold-resistant and pesticide-free. Plus, you can eat the peel.

Falcon Heavy blasts off Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday.

WATCH: SpaceX Successfully Launches Most Powerful Rocket In Decades

9:24pm February 06, 2018

The private space company has launched the Falcon Heavy, a rocket more powerful than any other in use today. It's now bearing a roadster into an elliptical Earth-Mars orbit. Watch the rocket's flight.

Science

Theoretical Physicist Joseph Polchinski Dies At 63

5:22pm February 06, 2018

Influential physicist Joseph Polchinski has died at 63. Caltech Professor Sean Carroll remembers Polchinski and the significant contributions he made to theoretical physics.

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Denver's newest skyscraper (center) followed new building codes for energy efficiency. The city wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

Despite Progress, Cities Struggle With Ambitious Climate Goals

4:27pm February 06, 2018

by Dan Boyce

Dozens of cities are vowing to cut their carbon emissions and uphold the U.S. commitment to the Paris climate deal. Despite progress, many are falling short of their most ambitious goals.

Scientists say low chlorine levels in Flint's water system during the city's water crisis in 2014 and 2015 led the bacterium Legionella pneumophila to proliferate, causing a deadly outbreak of Legionnaire's disease.

Lethal Pneumonia Outbreak Caused By Low Chlorine In Flint Water

11:26pm February 05, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

Two new studies confirm that an outbreak of deadly Legionnaires' disease in Flint, Mich., was caused by the city's water crisis in 2014 and 2015.

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Antipsychotic drugs, such as haloperidol and risperidone are FDA-approved for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but can increase the risk of death in older people who have dementia.

Risky Antipsychotic Drugs Still Overprescribed In Nursing Homes

8:51pm February 05, 2018

by Ina Jaffe

Too many people with dementia are being given sedating drugs to make them easier to handle in understaffed facilities, a new study finds, despite federal warnings to stop the practice.

The Falcon Heavy is the latest advance from the rocket company SpaceX, and it's a step toward the company's goal of sending people to Mars.

Science

SpaceX Set To Launch World's Most Powerful Rocket

7:12pm February 05, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The company is getting ready for the first flight of its massive Falcon Heavy. It will be the most powerful rocket in use — if it doesn't blow up.

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