America's Oil Boom Is Fueled By A Tech Boom
The U.S. is on track to become the world's biggest oil producer. Technology advances and automation mean this can happen with fewer workers than during the last boom.
Science
What We Know About Russian Spies And Nerve Agents
British authorities say that a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned by a nerve agent in England this week. Steve Inskeep speaks with Alastair Hay, a toxicologist at Leeds University.
A Look At Just How Invasive The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Is
The brown marmorated stink bug first showed up in the United States about 20 years ago, and has been terrorizing homeowners and farmers ever since. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Kathryn Schulz, who writes about the invasive insect in the latest issue of The New Yorker.
Sorry, Adults, No New Neurons For Your Aging Brains
The brains of birds and mice continue to produce new nerve cells in the hippocampus throughout life. But research now suggests the human brain stops doing this around adolescence.
21 Tech Companies Band Together Against Wildlife Trafficking
The effort involves tech leaders such as Alibaba, Baidu, eBay, Facebook and Instagram who have pledged to try to reduce trafficking across their platforms by 80 percent by 2020.
Life Hacking Life: The Scary Premise Of 'Annihilation'
As with Ex Machina, says Marcelo Gleiser, director Alex Garland is sending a warning: We are now hacking life itself and will continue to do so with growing efficiency. Are we creating our own doom?
A 'Floating Fillet': Rice Farmers Grow Bugs To Replenish California's Salmon
Insect-rich floodplain water once supported the threatened fish, but it has been diverted. The project's end goal is to improve the likelihood that Chinook survive the trek to the ocean and back.
Patients Like Hospital Care At Home, But Some Insurers Are Skeptical
Some health systems are encouraging selected emergency room patients who are sick but stable and don't need intensive, round-the-clock care to opt for hospital-level care at home, instead.
What You Might Not Realize About The Benefits Of Hand-Washing
Norovirus is that awful ailment that can make you barf and suffer from diarrhea. A new study tries to figure out the best way to stop it.
After Decades Of Air Pollution, A Louisiana Town Rebels Against A Chemical Giant
Neighborhoods around a Louisiana chemical plant have the highest cancer risk in the U.S. Residents felt powerless, until the Environmental Protection Agency released data on what they were breathing.