Scientists say you shouldn't wear your shoes in your house Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Mark Patrick Taylor of the Environmental Protection Authority of Victoria, Australia, about why he thinks everyone should remove their shoes before coming inside. Ayesha Rascoe
'Eee!' Male dolphins whistle to stay in touch with distant ocean pals Dolphins are known to use physical contact like petting and rubbing to bond with their closest allies. But for more distant contacts, male dolphins bond by trading whistles instead. Patrick Jarenwattananon
The light from this star that astronomers just spotted is 12.9 billion years old Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have spotted light from what appears to be the most distant star ever seen. It offers a glimpse into an early moment in the history of the universe. Nell Greenfieldboyce
Pink Floyd, a flamingo on the lam from a Kansas zoo since 2005, is seen again in Texas A video posted by the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department shows the fugitive flamingo wading into Cox Bay about 120 miles southwest of Houston. Joe Hernandez
Sleeping in a room even a little bit of light can hurt a person's health, study shows Turn out the lights for a good night of sleep: this seems like common sense, but many Americans don't actually follow it. New research shows it doesn't take much light at night to hurt our health. Will Stone
In 'Biohacked' podcast, at-home genetics tests rewrite family history NPR's Danielle Kutrzleben speaks with T.J. Raphael and Amber Van Moessner, the team behind the podcast Biohacked: Family Secrets, which puts a spotlight on the donor conception industry.
Epidemiologist answers questions about the infectious omicron BA.2 variant NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben speaks with Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage about the BA.2 COVID-19 variant and how people should be thinking about yet another new phase of the pandemic.
Steven Johnson: The Past, Present, and Future of the Human Life Span In the last century, human life expectancy has doubled. This hour, we talk with writer Steven Johnson on the many breakthroughs that made this possible — and where we go from here. Manoush Zomorodi
This trick keeps snakes from suffocating as they squeeze and swallow their prey How do boa constrictors breathe while constricting their victims? A new study finds that snakes can switch which set of ribs they use to draw in air as they crush their meal before devouring it. Nell Greenfieldboyce
Health insurance post-Roe, and a grassroots network of abortion funds Scientists have been working to develop an airy pizza dough without yeast. Researchers in Naples, Italy say they have achieved it using a process like the one used to produce carbonation in soda. Ari Daniel