The China National Space Administration's lunar lander, seen on Jan. 11. China National Space Administration/Xinhua News Agency/AP hide caption
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Surgeons performed more than 21,000 kidney transplants and 8,000 liver transplants in 2018, according the United Network for Organ Sharing. shapecharge/shapecharge/Getty Images hide caption
A Surgeon Reflects On Death, Life And The 'Incredible Gift' Of Organ Transplant
Americans now have a 1 in 96 chance of dying from an opioid overdose, according to new analysis from the National Safety Council. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
Space-X's Falcon 9 rocket with 10 satellites launches at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in 2017. The company says it will lay off 10 percent of its workforce. Matt Hartman/AP hide caption
Marine biologist Ari Friedlaender tags whales as part of his research on humpback whales in the Antarctic. Alison Stimpert/NMFS PERMIT 808-1735 hide caption
People were more likely to try mealworms — such as these mealworm chocolate truffles sprinkled with coconut — when the ad focused on taste and experience, a study showed. Oliver Brachat/for NPR hide caption
A bit of lapis lazuli — a rich blue pigment — is trapped within a central tooth's dental tartar on this lower jaw of a European woman who died sometime between A.D. 997 and 1162. Christina Warinner/Science Advances hide caption
A Blue Clue In Medieval Teeth May Bespeak A Woman's Artistry Circa A.D. 1000
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center) attends the opening of the 106th Indian Science Congress at Lovely Professional University on last week in Jalandhar, India. Pardeep Pandit/Hindustan Times via Getty Images hide caption
As the economy boomed, emissions rose sharply in 2018. Shipping was one source of the increase. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption
A bag to collect forensic evidence is seen as the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner hosts a demonstration of technology that allows them to test degraded DNA samples. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Using Genetic Genealogy To Identify Unknown Crime Victims, Sometimes Decades Later
This granary weevil has set up shop inside a kernel. Even without wings, these stealthy stowaways — with the help of humans — have managed to infest grains all over the world for thousands of years. Biophoto Associates/Getty Images/Science Source hide caption
George, the last known Achatinella apexfulva, a Hawaiian land snail, died on New Year's Day. David Sischo/Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources hide caption
Scientists have re-engineered photosynthesis, the foundation of life on Earth, creating genetically modified plants that grow faster and bigger. Above, scientists measure how well modified tobacco plants photosynthesize compared to unmodified plants. Haley Ahlers/RIPE Project hide caption
Scientists Have 'Hacked Photosynthesis' In Search Of More Productive Crops
This photo, provided by China National Space Administration via Xinhua News Agency, is the first image of the moon's far side ever taken from the surface. A Chinese spacecraft on Thursday made the first landing on the far side of the moon, state media said. Imaginechina via AP hide caption
This enhanced color image of Ultima Thule was taken at a distance of 85,000 miles and highlights its reddish surface. The image on the right has a far higher spatial resolution. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute hide caption
Toni Hoy, at her home in Rantoul, Ill., holds a childhood photo of her son, Daniel, who is now 24. In a last-ditch effort to get Daniel treatment for his severe mental illness in 2007, the Hoys surrendered parental custody to the state. "When I think of him, that's the picture I see in my mind. Just this adorable, blue-eyed, blond little sweetie," Hoy says. Christine Herman/Illinois Public Media hide caption
To Get Mental Health Help For A Child, Desperate Parents Relinquish Custody
Side Effects Public Media
Villagers in Canchayllo stand by a reconstructed canal. Carlos Díaz Huerta (Tres Mitades)/UNDP hide caption
Cristina Scholl, first-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary, uses a curriculum that mixes teacher-directed whole-class phonics lessons with small-group activities. Emily Hanford/APM Reports hide caption
Why Millions Of Kids Can't Read, And What Better Teaching Can Do About It
American Public Media
Winter swimmers enjoyed an icy dip in Poland's Garczyn lake last February. Recorded air temperature was around 14 degrees Farenheit, and a large ice hole had to be cut to allow the lake bathing. NurPhoto/Getty Images hide caption
The Chinese lunar lander Chang'e 4 is headed to Aitken Basin, a large impact crater near the moon's south pole, pictured here in blue. The distance from the depths of Aitken Basin to the tops of the highest surrounding peaks is nearly twice the height of Mount Everest, according to NASA. NASA/Goddard hide caption
A young Maya Shankar. Courtesy of Maya Shankar hide caption
Though his politics are right of center and he lobbied hard against the Affordable Care Act, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch also has been key to passing several landmark health laws with bipartisan support. Bloomberg/Getty Images hide caption