Animals

Memphis Meats, a startup company that has just raised $161 million, says it has a "clear path" to bringing cell-based meats to market. Yet the company and its competitors face challenges.

With Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead on the brink of extinction, there are new efforts being brokered to save the famed fish.

Iguanas can fall into a deep slumber in the cold, and it's not uncommon for them to tumble from trees. The reptiles won't necessarily die — as many wake up as the temperatures rise.

Climate change is fueling some big changes under the sea. Tropical reef fish are being found much farther north, far from the tropics. Scientists worry about what the shifts will mean for ecosystems.

In Washington state's Skagit Valley, a conflict is unfolding between Native Americans and farmers. Elk are making a comeback there. Local tribes are thrilled, but the agriculture industry is not.

The podcast features "dog-directed praise and stories" from actors like Ralph Ineson along with soothing sounds and relaxing music. Spotify says if your pet listens it may "bark less and sleep more."

Birds change the shape of their wings far more than planes. The complexities of bird flight have posed a major design challenge for scientists trying to translate the way birds fly into robots.

Some wolf puppies will unexpectedly play "fetch," researchers say, showing that an urge to retrieve a ball might be an ancient wolf trait and not a result of dog domestication.

The daily activity at the Calgary Zoo where you can watch king penguins waddle around was called off because of cold weather. Zoo officials caution these are not Antarctic penguins.

In Texas, 300 vultures are roosting and nesting in a radio tower. The bird droppings are a safety hazard. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is seeking a "vulture deterrence netting system."

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Stanley Gehrt of the Cook County Coyote Project about coyotes biting a 5-year-old boy and a man in Chicago. Cook County is home to 4,000 of the animals.

The fires are ravaging already vulnerable koala habitats and those of other animals. An ecology professor in Sydney says it is probably the worst fire season on record for native animals.