Science

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Volkswagen Over Emissions Software

2:52pm January 05, 2016

by Sonari Glinton

On Monday, the Department of Justice, acting on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, filed a civil complaint in federal court in Detroit against Volkswagen. The DOJ alleges that nearly 600,000 diesel engine vehicles had illegal defeat devices installed that impaired emission control systems and caused emissions to exceed EPA's standards, resulting in harmful air pollution.

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Cheryl Woolnough, director of training at Patriot PAWS in Rockwall, Texas, works with Papi, a Labrador retriever.

Veterans Say Trained Dogs Help With PTSD, But The VA Won't Pay

6:05pm January 04, 2016

by Lauren Silverman

Service dogs help veterans with physical disabilities, and there's increased interest in using dogs for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, too. A study is underway to see whether that helps.

Steam rises from the stacks of the coal-fired Jim Bridger Power Plant outside Point of the Rocks, Wyo., in March 2014.

Using Technology To Keep Carbon Emissions In Check

5:39pm January 04, 2016

Renewable energy is only one of the steps toward achieving the goals set by the Paris climate deal. We take a trip around North America to explore other ways of keeping carbon out of the atmosphere.

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Science

The Periodic Table Gets Update With 4 New Elements

5:05pm January 04, 2016

The periodic table is getting an update. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced that four new chemical elements have been assigned atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118.

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Todd Davidson/Getty Images/Illustration Works

Forgot Something Again? It's Probably Just Normal Aging

12:52pm January 04, 2016

by Patti Neighmond

Around age 50, people may begin to forget things. This can be scary. But there are clear differences between the onset of dementia and totally normal, age-related lapses in memory.

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An artist's illustration shows element 117, which has now been officially added to the periodic table of the elements.

Science

4 New Elements Are Added To The Periodic Table

12:08pm January 04, 2016

by Bill Chappell

With the discoveries now confirmed, "The 7th period of the periodic table of elements is complete," according to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

Jeffrey Iliff (left), a brain scientist at Oregon Health & Science University, has been studying toxin removal in the brains of mice. He'll work with Bill Rooney, director of the university's Advanced Imaging Research Center, to enroll people in a similar

Lack Of Deep Sleep May Set The Stage For Alzheimer's

8:29am January 04, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

A mouse's brain clears out toxins during periods of deep sleep — including toxins that form the sticky plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. Could the same hold true for people?

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This platinum-engraved sapphire disk, part of a set illustrating Earth's biodiversity, will be housed in the Earth Chamber of the MoonArk. It's designed by Mark Baskinger with Matt Zywica, Maggie Banks, Christie Chong, Bettina Chou, Adella Guo, Natalie Ha

Science
Arts

An Artistic Time Capsule Prepares To Hitch A Ride To The Moon

8:14am January 03, 2016

by Irina Zhorov

When a company named Astrobotic launches a lunar rover in 2017, the MoonArk will be aboard. It's a lightweight, sturdy "portrait of humanity," carrying the work of more than 200 artists and designers.

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Oil Production Fuels Earthquake Surge In Oklahoma

4:29pm January 01, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Todd Halihan, a professor in the school of geology at Oklahoma State, about how Oklahoma has now surpassed California for seismic activity.

Science

Can Psychology Teach Us How To Stick To New Year's Resolutions?

4:28pm January 01, 2016

by Shankar Vedantam

Research out of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania suggests that people see New Year's Day, their birthdays and even the start of a new month or week as "temporal landmarks" — an imaginary line demarcating the old "inferior" self from a new and improved version. That explains why we often fail at resolutions — our new selves are usually not much better than the old ones. But it also suggests how we might stick to our resolutions — use more temporal landmarks to reach our goals.