Christopher Joyce http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2100689&ft=1&f=2100689 Christopher Joyce is a correspondent on the science desk at NPR. His stories can be heard on all of NPR's news programs, including NPR's <em>Morning Edition</em>, <em>All Things Considered</em>, and <em>Weekend Edition</em>. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Tue, 14 May 2013 15:15:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Christopher Joyce http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2100689&ft=1&f=2100689 With Rising Seas, America's Birthplace Could Disappear By the end of the century, ocean levels could rise by 2 or 3 feet. That's enough to flood the colonists' first settlement at Jamestown, Va. And it's putting pressure on archaeologists to get as many artifacts out of the ground as quickly as possible — before it's too late. Tue, 14 May 2013 15:15:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/14/178809495/with-rising-seas-americas-birthplace-could-disappear?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/14/178809495/with-rising-seas-americas-birthplace-could-disappear?ft=1&f=2100689 By the end of the century, ocean levels could rise by 2 or 3 feet. That's enough to flood the colonists' first settlement at Jamestown, Va. And it's putting pressure on archaeologists to get as many artifacts out of the ground as quickly as possible — before it's too late.

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]]> Bones Tell Tale Of Desperation Among The Starving At Jamestown The winter of 1609-1610 has been called the "starving time" for the hundreds of men and women who settled the English colony of Jamestown, Va. They ate their horses, their pets — and, apparently, at least one person. Scientists say human bones recovered from the site provide the first hard evidence that the colonists may have resorted to cannibalism. Wed, 01 May 2013 18:01:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/01/180314773/bones-tell-tale-of-desperation-among-the-starving-at-jamestown?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/01/180314773/bones-tell-tale-of-desperation-among-the-starving-at-jamestown?ft=1&f=2100689 The winter of 1609-1610 has been called the "starving time" for the hundreds of men and women who settled the English colony of Jamestown, Va. They ate their horses, their pets — and, apparently, at least one person. Scientists say human bones recovered from the site provide the first hard evidence that the colonists may have resorted to cannibalism.

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]]> How Doctors Would Know If Syrians Were Hit With Nerve Gas An international team of doctors is helping Syrian health workers recognize the signs of a chemical attack. They're also teaching them how to collect and preserve tissues as potential evidence if war crimes charges are brought. Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:20:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/04/30/180074012/how-doctors-would-know-if-syrians-were-hit-with-nerve-gas?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/04/30/180074012/how-doctors-would-know-if-syrians-were-hit-with-nerve-gas?ft=1&f=2100689 An international team of doctors is helping Syrian health workers recognize the signs of a chemical attack. They're also teaching them how to collect and preserve tissues as potential evidence if war crimes charges are brought.

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]]> What's Behind The 'Fairy Circles' That Dot West Africa? Fly from Angola down to South Africa and you'll see thousands of circles of bare dirt covering the land. They're up to 30 feet across and ringed by tufts of grass. The origin of the shapes has long been a mystery, but researchers now say hordes of termites may be acting as engineers. Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:41:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/28/175369153/whats-behind-the-fairy-circles-that-dot-west-africa?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/28/175369153/whats-behind-the-fairy-circles-that-dot-west-africa?ft=1&f=2100689 Fly from Angola down to South Africa and you'll see thousands of circles of bare dirt covering the land. They're up to 30 feet across and ringed by tufts of grass. The origin of the shapes has long been a mystery, but researchers now say hordes of termites may be acting as engineers.

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]]> Is The Sky The Limit For Wind Power? Building huge turbine farms too close together might significantly reduce their power, some atmospheric scientists say. The problem is "wind shadow" — the turbulence created by one big cluster of turbines that steals wind from another cluster down the road. Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:22:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/27/174820893/is-the-sky-the-limit-for-wind-power?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/27/174820893/is-the-sky-the-limit-for-wind-power?ft=1&f=2100689 Building huge turbine farms too close together might significantly reduce their power, some atmospheric scientists say. The problem is "wind shadow" — the turbulence created by one big cluster of turbines that steals wind from another cluster down the road.

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]]> Jane Goodall Apologizes For Lifted Passages In Her Upcoming Book World-famous primatologist Jane Goodall has admitted to plagiarizing several passages in her upcoming book, <em>Seeds of Hope</em>. It's not yet clear if Goodall or her co-author Gail Hudson is responsible for the lifted passages. Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/20/174867731/jane-goodall-apologizes-for-lifted-passages-in-her-upcoming-book?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/20/174867731/jane-goodall-apologizes-for-lifted-passages-in-her-upcoming-book?ft=1&f=2100689 World-famous primatologist Jane Goodall has admitted to plagiarizing several passages in her upcoming book, Seeds of Hope. It's not yet clear if Goodall or her co-author Gail Hudson is responsible for the lifted passages.

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]]> Could Tapping Undersea Methane Lead To A New Gas Boom? A giant reservoir of natural gas lies under the ocean floor, and no one had successfully extracted it until this week. Japanese engineers pulled it up through a well from under the Pacific. But there are still lots of unanswered questions about the viability of this new gas supply. Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/15/174336812/could-tapping-undersea-methane-lead-to-a-new-gas-boom?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/15/174336812/could-tapping-undersea-methane-lead-to-a-new-gas-boom?ft=1&f=2100689 A giant reservoir of natural gas lies under the ocean floor, and no one had successfully extracted it until this week. Japanese engineers pulled it up through a well from under the Pacific. But there are still lots of unanswered questions about the viability of this new gas supply.

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]]> Past Century's Global Temperature Change Is Fastest On Record In the past 100 years, average temperatures on Earth have changed by 1.3 degrees. Previously, that large of a swing took 5,000 years. That's the word from researchers who pored over temperature data going back to the end of the last ice age. Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:22:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/08/173739884/since-end-of-last-ice-age-rates-of-global-warming-amazing-and-atypical?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/08/173739884/since-end-of-last-ice-age-rates-of-global-warming-amazing-and-atypical?ft=1&f=2100689 In the past 100 years, average temperatures on Earth have changed by 1.3 degrees. Previously, that large of a swing took 5,000 years. That's the word from researchers who pored over temperature data going back to the end of the last ice age.

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]]> Elephant Poaching Pushes Species To Brink Of Extinction Forest elephants in central Africa are being slaughtered in record numbers for their ivory tusks, a decade-long study finds. The U.S. government and wildlife advocacy groups are struggling to slow the killings as poaching is overcoming laws and treaties intended to protect the species. Wed, 06 Mar 2013 03:44:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/06/173508369/elephant-poaching-pushes-species-to-brink-of-extinction?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/06/173508369/elephant-poaching-pushes-species-to-brink-of-extinction?ft=1&f=2100689 Forest elephants in central Africa are being slaughtered in record numbers for their ivory tusks, a decade-long study finds. The U.S. government and wildlife advocacy groups are struggling to slow the killings as poaching is overcoming laws and treaties intended to protect the species.

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]]> 'Extinction Looms' For Forest Elephants Due To Poaching Forest elephants in central Africa are being slaughtered in record numbers. The most comprehensive study ever, done over a decade, shows that poaching — mostly for the Asian market for ivory — has put the forest elephant on the brink of extinction. Poaching has overcome laws and treaties to protect the species. The U.S. government and wildlife groups are struggling to slow the killing. A meeting in March of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species will focus on solutions. Audie Cornish talks to Christopher Joyce. Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/05/173559220/extinction-looms-for-forest-elephants-due-to-poaching?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/05/173559220/extinction-looms-for-forest-elephants-due-to-poaching?ft=1&f=2100689 Forest elephants in central Africa are being slaughtered in record numbers. The most comprehensive study ever, done over a decade, shows that poaching — mostly for the Asian market for ivory — has put the forest elephant on the brink of extinction. Poaching has overcome laws and treaties to protect the species. The U.S. government and wildlife groups are struggling to slow the killing. A meeting in March of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species will focus on solutions. Audie Cornish talks to Christopher Joyce.

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]]> Energy Secretary Nominee Is An Academic, Politico President Obama will name Ernie Moniz as the next secretary of the Department of Energy. Moniz is a physicist and academic — but unlike his predecessor, he's a seasoned politico who knows Washington and Congress. Moniz will please and annoy both ends of the energy policy spectrum: He's a big solar and wind booster, but a fan of natural gas and nuclear power as well. Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:00:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/04/173455761/energy-secretary-nominee-an-academic-politico?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/04/173455761/energy-secretary-nominee-an-academic-politico?ft=1&f=2100689 President Obama will name Ernie Moniz as the next secretary of the Department of Energy. Moniz is a physicist and academic — but unlike his predecessor, he's a seasoned politico who knows Washington and Congress. Moniz will please and annoy both ends of the energy policy spectrum: He's a big solar and wind booster, but a fan of natural gas and nuclear power as well.

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]]> Natural Gas Dethrones King Coal As Power Companies Look To Future It's a brave new energy world, with two major opponents: natural gas and coal. As prices fluctuate and renewables, such as wind and solar, fight for a share of energy generation, there's heated competition for access to your wall socket. Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:32:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/01/173258342/natural-gas-dethrones-king-coal-as-power-companies-look-to-future?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/03/01/173258342/natural-gas-dethrones-king-coal-as-power-companies-look-to-future?ft=1&f=2100689 It's a brave new energy world, with two major opponents: natural gas and coal. As prices fluctuate and renewables, such as wind and solar, fight for a share of energy generation, there's heated competition for access to your wall socket.

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]]> Boston Grapples With The Threat Of Storms And Rising Water Superstorm Sandy was a wake-up call for the Eastern Seaboard — especially Boston, where flooding rivers can meet a surging ocean, all in Boston Harbor. So what's a city to do? Retreat from the water or better shield buildings from flooding. Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:58:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/02/22/172702424/boston-grapples-with-the-threat-of-storms-and-rising-water?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/02/22/172702424/boston-grapples-with-the-threat-of-storms-and-rising-water?ft=1&f=2100689 Superstorm Sandy was a wake-up call for the Eastern Seaboard — especially Boston, where flooding rivers can meet a surging ocean, all in Boston Harbor. So what's a city to do? Retreat from the water or better shield buildings from flooding.

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]]> Is The Earth Cooking Up Another Super Volcano? Every few million years or so, the Earth burps up a super volcano that can erupt continuously for thousands of years. A scientist who's mapping the planet's interior has an idea about what causes these super volcanoes and when we might expect another one. Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:03:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/02/10/171607844/is-the-earth-cooking-up-a-super-volcano?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/02/10/171607844/is-the-earth-cooking-up-a-super-volcano?ft=1&f=2100689 Every few million years or so, the Earth burps up a super volcano that can erupt continuously for thousands of years. A scientist who's mapping the planet's interior has an idea about what causes these super volcanoes and when we might expect another one.

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]]> Sand After Sandy: Scientists Map Seafloor For Sediment On the deck of a 27-foot boat off the shore of Long Island, researchers are using sonar to study the sand and sediment that washed away from the system of protective barrier islands and beaches by Hurricane Sandy. Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:25:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/2013/01/29/170567082/sand-after-sandy-scientists-map-sea-floor-for-sediment?ft=1&f=2100689 http://www.npr.org/2013/01/29/170567082/sand-after-sandy-scientists-map-sea-floor-for-sediment?ft=1&f=2100689 On the deck of a 27-foot boat off the shore of Long Island, researchers are using sonar to study the sand and sediment that washed away from the system of protective barrier islands and beaches by Hurricane Sandy.

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