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Wednesday

Race To Immunize Tightens As Cases Rise; Promising Vaccine News Released

Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is shown to be extremely effective in young teenagers. Esteban Felix/AP hide caption

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Esteban Felix/AP

Consider This from NPR

Race To Immunize Tightens As Cases Rise; Promising Vaccine News Released

Scientists are growing concerned the U.S. may be headed for a fourth wave. COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly, mirroring an increase in many countries around the world.

Race To Immunize Tightens As Cases Rise; Promising Vaccine News Released

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In Hotter Climate, 'Zombie' Urchins Are Winning And Kelp Forests Are Losing

Purple sea urchins have boomed off Northern California, destroying kelp forests that provide a crucial ecosystem. Steve Lonhart/NOAA MBNMS hide caption

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Steve Lonhart/NOAA MBNMS

In Hotter Climate, 'Zombie' Urchins Are Winning And Kelp Forests Are Losing

Kelp forests along Northern California have almost vanished. Divers and scientists are racing to stop purple sea urchins from taking over critical habitat.

In Hotter Climate, 'Zombie' Urchins Are Winning And Kelp Forests Are Losing

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Fulgurite: What A Lightning-Formed Rock May Have Contributed To Life On Earth

Lightning strikes on August 5, 2005 southwest of Barstow, California David McNew/Getty Images hide caption

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David McNew/Getty Images

Short Wave

Fulgurite: What A Lightning-Formed Rock May Have Contributed To Life On Earth

When lightning strikes the ground, it can leave behind a root-like rock called a fulgurite. Host Maddie Sofia talks with NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce about what lightning and its funky rock creation can reveal about the origins of life.

Fulgurite: What A Lightning-Formed Rock May Have Contributed To Life On Earth

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Tuesday

What We Can Learn From Microscopic Life In Antarctica

Aerial view of AJAX Glacier and O'Connor rock in the area near Comandante Ferraz Station, in King George Island, Antarctica. Alessandro Dahan/Getty Images hide caption

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Alessandro Dahan/Getty Images

Short Wave

What We Can Learn From Microscopic Life In Antarctica

Our colleagues at the TED Radio Hour introduce us to wildlife filmmaker Ariel Waldman. She says the coldest continent is brimming with invisible life that can only be seen through microscopes, including tardigrades (one of Maddie's favorite critters).

What We Can Learn From Microscopic Life In Antarctica

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Monday

Scientists Get Closer To Redefining The Length Of A Second

Scientists have made new more accurate comparisons between types of atomic clocks. Jun Ye hide caption

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Jun Ye

Scientists Get Closer To Redefining The Length Of A Second

A group of scientists from Boulder, Colo., compared three different atomic clocks. It's a step toward redefining the length of a second.

Scientists Get Closer To Redefining The Length Of A Second

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Is The Future Quantum?

Google is one of the companies investing in building quantum computers. Google hide caption

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Google

Short Wave

Is The Future Quantum?

NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel takes us to IonQ, one of the companies betting on a quantum computing future. Along the way, Geoff explains what little researchers know about how we might actually use this technology. There are hints though quantum computing could change everything from discovering new drugs to developing advanced materials.

Is The Future Quantum?

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Sunday

A Cultural Triumph: Microbiology Student Makes A Petri Dish Masterpiece

Microbial Peacock by Balaram Khamari Balaram Khamari hide caption

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Balaram Khamari

Art & Design

A Cultural Triumph: Microbiology Student Makes A Petri Dish Masterpiece

Balaram Khamari has been spending a lot of time in his lab in Puttaparthi, India, culturing colorful bacteria and artfully arranging it on a jelly like substance called agar.

A Cultural Triumph: Microbiology Student Makes A Petri Dish Masterpiece

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Saturday

Asteroid Apophis Not A Risk To Earth For At Least 100 Years, NASA Says

NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab shows the orbital trajectory of the asteroid Apophis as it will pass by Earth in 2029. This week the space agency announced that the asteroid poses no risk of impact to Earth within the next century. Screenshot by NPR/JPLraw via YouTube hide caption

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Screenshot by NPR/JPLraw via YouTube

Space

Asteroid Apophis Not A Risk To Earth For At Least 100 Years, NASA Says

The asteroid Apophis was taken off of NASA's "risk list" after the space agency determined earlier this month that it poses no risk of impact to Earth within the next century.

Indonesian 'Mountain Of Fire' Erupts Again

Lava flows down from the crater of Mount Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano, as seen from Tunggul Arum in the city of Turi near Yogyakarta early Saturday. Agung Supriyanto/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Agung Supriyanto/AFP via Getty Images

Asia

Indonesian 'Mountain Of Fire' Erupts Again

Mount Merapi on the Indonesian island of Java has been erupting regularly and is considered a highly active volcano. No injuries were reported after Saturday's eruptions, but officials advise caution.

Indigenous-Language Radio Show In Oakland Promotes Vaccine Effort

Radio B'alam founders Henry Sales and Crecensio Ramirez check out Radio B'alam's sound booth at Homies Empowerment the day before the shows first broadcast, December 2020. Sara Hossaini/KQED hide caption

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Sara Hossaini/KQED

The Coronavirus Crisis

Indigenous-Language Radio Show In Oakland Promotes Vaccine Effort

KQED

Amid the pandemic, a new audio program is trying to reach residents who speak the Guatemalan language Mam. The show's founder Henry Sales hopes to help combat the COVID-19 crisis in his community.

Indigenous-Language Radio Show In Oakland Promotes Vaccine Effort

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Scientific Specimens Are Going Online, But Much Remains Hidden In Storage

Spotted Trunkfish collected in the US Virgin Islands in 1871. Melissa Aja/Museum of Comparative Zoology/President and Fellows of Harvard College hide caption

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Melissa Aja/Museum of Comparative Zoology/President and Fellows of Harvard College

Shots - Health News

Scientific Specimens Are Going Online, But Much Remains Hidden In Storage

From fish in jars to rare seeds and microbes, hundreds of millions of biological specimens are stored around the U.S., and caretakers are trying to make them accessible for future research.

Scientific Specimens Are Going Online, But Much Remains Hidden In Storage

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Friday

The Purple Urchins Don't Die

A container at the Bodega Marine Lab in California holds hundreds of purple urchins harvested from the Mendocino County coast where they have been destroying kelp forests. Terry Chea/AP hide caption

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Terry Chea/AP

Short Wave

The Purple Urchins Don't Die

NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer explains how scientists are getting creative to deal with the hordes of urchins overtaking kelp forests in the Pacific Ocean — and why this kind of drastic ecological change may become more common as the climate gets hotter.

The Purple Urchins Don't Die

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Thursday

When Your Fad Diet Fails, And It Probably Will, 'Just Eat'

Food journalist Barry Estabrook talks with diet gurus and sifts through dieting history and the latest nutrition studies. He discovers that unfortunately, these diets don't really work in the long term for most people because they are too strict or require unnatural patterns of eating. Michele Abercrombie/NPR hide caption

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Michele Abercrombie/NPR

Shots - Health News

When Your Fad Diet Fails, And It Probably Will, 'Just Eat'

Diets often fail in the long term because they're too strict or require unnatural eating habits. In a new book, Barry Estabrook turns to science and history to find a weight-loss regimen that works.

Once Imperiled, America's Bald Eagle Populations Are Soaring

U.S. bald eagle populations have more than quadrupled in the lower 48 states since 2009, according to a new survey from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Prisma Bildagentur/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

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Prisma Bildagentur/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Environment And Energy Collaborative

Once Imperiled, America's Bald Eagle Populations Are Soaring

The number of bald eagles in the lower 48 states has quadrupled since 2009, according to a new survey. The findings are a bright spot in an otherwise troubling picture for American birds.