Science

"Success for me is having a significant impact on dengue disease in communities," says Scott O'Neill, holding a container of mosquitoes.

EPA Approval Of Bacteria To Fight Mosquitoes Caps Long Quest

5:40pm November 08, 2017

by Joe Palca

Scientists have long sought a way to fight mosquito-borne viruses without pesticides. For researchers like Scott O'Neill, the Wolbachia bacteria offered that chance. But they had to prove it.

Researchers grew sheets of genetically altered skin cells in the lab and used them to treat a boy with life-threatening epidermolysis bullosa.

Genetically Altered Skin Saves A Boy Dying Of A Rare Disease

4:31pm November 08, 2017

by Richard Harris

An inherited disease called epidermolysis bullosa destroyed the 7-year-old's skin. Scientists grew new skin in the lab without the genetic flaw, and replaced 80 percent of his skin. He is thriving.

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Stromatolites (deposits built by colonies of cyanobacteria), are seen underwater at high tide in Shark Bay, Western Australia.

The Interdependence Of Humanity And Earth

8:33am November 08, 2017

by Marcelo Gleiser

We owe our existence to little photosynthetic bacteria — but there is much more to this story, as life can only mutate and adapt when the planet offers the right conditions, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Science

Pavlovian Conditioning And Marriage

8:11am November 08, 2017

by Shankar Vedantam

A new study finds that people who looked at positive images of things like puppies next to a pictures of their spouses went on to have more positive feelings toward their spouses.

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Potential Trump Adviser Suggests Climate Change Regulations Are Communist Conspiracy

5:41am November 08, 2017

by Mose Buchele

President Trump has tapped a former Texas regulator to be his senior adviser on environmental policy. Like a string of other controversial picks, she questions the science behind climate change.

A waitress serving shark fin soup in a restaurant in Guangzhou, in southern China's Guangdong province. Environmental and animal rights groups have campaigned for decades against consumption of shark fin, arguing that demand for the delicacy has decimated

Shark Fin Trade Faces Troubled Waters As Global Pressure Mounts

5:44pm November 07, 2017

Congress is once again considering a federal ban on shark fins, used in soup. But scientists are divided about whether a ban is the best way to protect the creatures, which are imperiled worldwide.

The original historical documents related to Albert Einstein's prediction of the existence of gravitational waves are seen at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem on Feb. 11, 2016.

Science

How Do Gravitational Waves Really Work?

3:54pm November 07, 2017

by Adam Frank

Gravitational waves — ripples in the fabric of space-time — are a big deal in the world of science. Here's a video that helps explain how they work.

A piglet gets a shot of antibiotic at a farm in Illinois. The World Health Organization is calling for strict limits on antibiotic use in animals raised for food. The guidelines could push many countries, including the U.S., to restrict drug use on farms.

WHO To Farmers: Stop Giving Your Animals So Many Antibiotics

2:06pm November 07, 2017

by Dan Charles

The World Health Organization is calling for strict limits on antibiotic use in animals raised for food. The guidelines could push many countries, including the U.S., to restrict drug use on farms.

Patients with Type-1 diabetes don't have enough healthy islets of Langerhans cells — hormone-secreting cells of the pancreas. Granules (orange in this image) inside these cells release insulin and other substances into the blood.

A Quest: Insulin-Releasing Implant For Type-1 Diabetes

5:14pm November 06, 2017

by Joe Palca

People who have Type-1 diabetes would love to be free of insulin injections and pumps. Researchers in San Francisco are now testing in animals an implantable pouch of living, insulin-releasing cells.

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Sleep-deprived brain cells respond sluggishly, say researchers who recorded directly from the tired brains of people they'd kept awake for 24 hours.

Sleepless Night Leaves Some Brain Cells As Sluggish As You Feel

3:20pm November 06, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists have found an underlying reason why it's dangerous to drive when you're sleepy. Brain recordings show cells involved in perception fire more slowly in somebody who has been up all night.