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As Made-To-Order DNA Gets Cheaper, Keeping It Out Of The Wrong Hands Gets Harder

Labs are churning out more and more synthetic DNA for scientists who want to use it to reprogram cells. Some say the technology has outpaced government safety guidelines put in place a decade ago.
- Nell Greenfieldboyce
What To Expect From The U.N. Climate Action Summit

World leaders are meeting in New York on Monday amid growing fear that promises countries have made to reduce emissions are insufficient to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
- Rebecca Hersher
North America Has Lost 3 Billion Birds, Scientists Say

Researchers estimate that the bird population has fallen by a quarter since 1970. More than 90% of the loss can be attributed to just a dozen bird families, including sparrows, blackbirds and finches.
- Nell Greenfieldboyce
We're All Gonna Die! How Fear Of Death Drives Our Behavior

Death may be inescapable, but we do our best to avoid thinking about it. Psychologist Sheldon Solomon says we're not very successful, though. This week on Hidden Brain, we confront how death anxiety courses through our actions, even when we don't realize it.
- Shankar Vedantam
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Weathers New Scrutiny

Ross is under the microscope again — this time for reportedly pressuring government scientists to back President Trump over a misleading tweet about Hurricane Dorian.
- Scott Horsley
Opinion: Earth Has Survived Extinctions Before, It's Humans Who Are Fragile

Earth has experienced cataclysmic life-destroying events before. NPR's Scott Simon reflects on what this means for humans in the midst of climate change.
- Scott Simon
The Other Twitterverse: Squirrels Eavesdrop On Birds, Researchers Say

A squirrel wondering if it's safe enough to forage for food apparently listens for the reassuring chatter of nearby birds, a study finds.
- Nell Greenfieldboyce
How High Heat Can Impact Mental Health

A new NPR probe found low-income areas in dozens of major U.S. cities are more likely to be hotter than wealthier ones, and people with severe mental illness are impacted by that increase in heat.
- Nora Eckert
You 2.0: Decide Already!

For the last episode in our You 2.0 series, we bring you a favorite conversation with Harvard researcher Dan Gilbert. He explains why we're bad at predicting our future happiness, how that affects our decision making, and why we're actually happier after making a decision that feels irrevocable.
- Shankar Vedantam
Hurricane Dorian's Sluggish Movement Makes Future Path Hard To Project

The storm has slowed as it passes over the Bahamas, battering the islands. It's expected to move west and north, grazing Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, but the track is less solid than usual.
- Rachel Martin

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