Science

National Park Service Celebrates 100th Anniversary

4:37pm April 25, 2016

by Nathan Rott

The National Park Service is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its creation this year. NPR spends time on the job with workers in the country's busiest national park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, to explore the vast variety of work the park service does and the challenges it's facing.

A new study finds that babies fed rice cereals and other rice-based snacks have higher concentrations of arsenic in their urine.

Babies Who Eat Rice Cereal Have Higher Arsenic Levels, Study Finds

3:49pm April 25, 2016

by Allison Aubrey

Multiple studies have found that rice-based foods contain traces of arsenic. Now a study finds babies fed rice cereals and other rice-based snacks have higher concentrations of arsenic in their urine.

Liam is a robot Apple created to disassemble iPhones.

These Earth-Saving Robots Might Be The Future Recyclers

2:32pm April 24, 2016

by Zhai Yun Tan

Apple recently unveiled Liam, a robot with 29 arms that takes apart iPhones so materials can be recycled and reused. As we accumulate more waste, recycling robots like Liam might become more common.

Runners make their way across Tower Bridge during the Virgin Money London Marathon on Saturday in London.

Astronaut Completes London Marathon From The International Space Station

2:04pm April 24, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

About 38,000 runners competed in the London Marathon today – and one of them ran it in orbit 200 miles above Earth. British astronaut Tim Peake says microgravity is "perfect" for post-race recovery.

Solar Impulse 2 pilots Bertrand Piccard (right) and Andre Borschberg celebrate after Piccard landed their solar-powered plane at Moffett Field in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday.

Experimental Solar-Powered Plane Completes Journey Across The Pacific

8:39am April 24, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Solar Impulse 2 flew for three days from Hawaii to Calif., after a nine month delay for repairs. The team is aiming to complete a round-the-world journey using only the sun's power.

A map of the Amazon shelf showing the newly discovered reef structures in yellow.

Reef Larger Than Delaware Found At The Mouth Of The Amazon River

3:37pm April 23, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The reef is unusual because it lies in muddy waters, and scientists had only seen hints of its existence until recent research expeditions. They say it's already in danger because of oil drilling.

A trip to Iceland wouldn't be complete without a dip in the Blue Lagoon, a man-made geothermal pool on Reykjanes peninsula.

#NPRreads: 3 Stories To Soak Up This Weekend

1:36pm April 23, 2016

The premise of #NPRreads is simple: Correspondents, editors and producers from our newsroom share the pieces that have kept them reading and each weekend, we highlight some of the best stories.

Science

How Do Ants Survive Floods? Rafts Of Course

9:36am April 23, 2016

Scott Simon talks with entomologist Jessica Purcell about her research into the ingenious strategy one kind of European ant uses to stay safe in floods: joining their bodies to form floating rafts.

Listeners Got Active About Our Active Learning Stories

6:55am April 23, 2016

by Eric Westervelt

Two recent reports on a Stanford Noble Laureate's efforts to change how undergraduate science education struck a nerve with many of you.

The World Resources Institute says you don't have to bid burgers bye-bye in order to reduce the environmental footprint of what you eat. For Americans, cutting back on beef (but not eliminating it altogether) could go a long way, it says.

For Earth Day, Report Has News To Ease A Meat-Lover's Conscience

10:21pm April 22, 2016

by Maria Godoy

The World Resources Institute says you don't have to bid burgers bye-bye in order to reduce the environmental footprint of what you eat. Americans cutting back on beef could go a long way, it says.