Being Different Helped A NASA Roboticist Achieve Her Dream
Ayanna Howard was 27 when she headed her first team at NASA. She talks about feeling like an outsider, and discovering that diversity drives innovation.
Science
Food And Drug Administration Plans Crackdown On Risky Homeopathic Remedies
FDA says homeopathy has grown into a $3 billion industry with treatments being sold for conditions ranging from the common cold to cancer. The agency will prioritize action against unsafe products.
Could A Zap To The Brain Derail Destructive Impulses?
A brain implant already used to treat severe epilepsy might also help fend off impulses to abuse drugs or overeat before they happen, researchers say. But so far it's been tested mostly in mice.
Kids Start To Test Surprising Claims By Early Elementary School
As many families prepare for a visit from Santa, and some face questions about the jolly old man in the red suit, a new study looks at how children react to surprising claims, says Tania Lombrozo.
Older Adults' Forgetfulness Tied To Faulty Brain Rhythms In Sleep
As people get older, brain waves that occur during deep sleep become less synchronized. This appears to disrupt a system that saves new memories.
The Mystery Of The 'Oumuamua' Asteroid
NPR's Scott Simon asks the SETI Institute's Seth Shostak about what scientists have learned so far about a recently detected interstellar object.
Insights Into The Extinction Of The Passenger Pigeon
Scientists have been searching through passenger pigeon DNA to try to explain how such a huge, abundant population of birds could go extinct so quickly.
Black Farmers Are Sowing The Seeds Of Health And Empowerment
More than nine of 10 farm owners in the U.S. are white. A movement to change that is selling farming to people of color as a healthy lifestyle — and a way to fight discrimination.
Harvey Dumped Up To 127 Billion Tons Of Water On Texas
Scientists say they know the amount of rain that fell on Houston during Harvey through the pressure all that water put on the Earth's crust.
The Future Of Polar Bears
NPR's Scott Simon asks Polar Bears International chief scientist Steven Amstrup if the animals can survive if sea ice continues to melt.