Science

Science

Bad Day? An Astrophysicist Explains Why 'It Just Doesn't Matter'

8:27am June 02, 2016

by Adam Frank

One of the things that being an astrophysicist has given Adam Frank is real perspective. You think your day is bad? Your smallness should make you realize it just doesn't matter, since we're such a small speck in the universe.

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A Dundee marmalade jar (left) is among items recently unearthed from a 19th century landfill behind a manor house in East Anglia. In Victorian England, people transitioned from making most things at home to buying them in stores.

Digging Up The Roots Of Modern Waste In Victorian-Era Rubbish

6:46pm June 01, 2016

by Lauren Frayer

Some archaeologists excavate Roman ruins. Others dig up garbage. In England, a project is underway to study what people threw out in Victorian times, to learn about the start of the consumer era.

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Science

She's A Man-Eater, And That's OK With Male Orb-Weaving Spiders

6:42pm June 01, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Usually in nature, the females choose the males they mate with. But researchers say a type of male orb-weaving spider selects the female — which will cannibalize him afterward.

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Doctor Outlines Plan To Battle Antibiotic Resistance In 'The Washington Post'

3:00pm June 01, 2016

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Ezekiel Emanuel, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, about his opinion piece in the Washington Post that argues the cheap price of antibiotics has led to their overuse and has also discouraged drug companies from developing new antibiotics.

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Science

Study: Judges Treat Juveniles Of The Same Race As Themselves More Harshly

2:59pm June 01, 2016

by Shankar Vedantam

Researchers studying racial bias examined juvenile court cases between 1996 and 2012 and found judges are more likely to send juveniles of their own race to jail and for longer sentences.

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A death certificate needs to say more than something vague like "opioid intoxication" to help law enforcement and public health officials curb the distribution of opioids, epidemiologists say. How many drugs did the person take, and which ones? Such detai

Details On Death Certificates Offer Layers Of Clues To Opioid Epidemic

11:50am June 01, 2016

by Jeff Cohen

Deaths from opioid overdoses are on the rise, and we know that because of data on death certificates. States determine who fills them out and what information they record. And that can vary widely.

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Weather Technology Falters Amid Communication Breakdown

5:23pm May 31, 2016

by Jacob McCleland

Springtime is severe weather time in many parts of the United States. Strong storms and tornadoes can be a daily occurrence. Technology has improved to warn people days in advance, but effectively communicating severe weather remains elusive.

Loveland, Colo., resident Mary Pullen (left) and her son Nick Balla plant milkweed near the Big Thompson River as part of a community campaign to restore milkweed in the area.

Can Planting More Milkweed Save Monarch Butterflies? It's Complicated

5:10pm May 31, 2016

by Luke Runyon

Conservationists have long blamed farmers' use of pesticides for decimating the milkweed that monarch caterpillars like to eat. But scientists say simply planting more milkweed isn't the answer.

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare

4:14pm May 31, 2016

When it comes to curiosity, science writer Mary Roach describes herself as someone who is "very out there." Her new book, Grunt, looks at some scientific developments that help keep soldiers safe.

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Food For Thought: The Subtle Forces That Affect Your Appetite

1:12pm May 31, 2016

by NPR Staff

What do large tables, large breakfasts and large servers have in common? They all affect how much you eat. This week on Hidden Brain, we look at the hidden forces that drive our diets.

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