Science

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SpaceX Readies For Key Test Of Capsule Built To Carry Astronauts Into Space

For years, NASA has had to rely on Russian vehicles to get astronauts to the International Space Station. That could soon change if the flight test of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule succeeds.
- Nell Greenfieldboyce
The Daring Rescue Of A Rare, Elusive Bat

Hosts Mary Louise Kelly and Ari Shapiro tell the story of a rare bat found trapped in the Museum of English Rural Life, and its rehabilitation by a bat-loving museum volunteer.
- Mary Louise Kelly
Better Than Cash: How Awards Can Shape Our Behavior

Our modern world is saturated with awards. From elementary school classrooms to Hollywood to the hallways of academia, there's no shortage of prizes — and people who covet them. Yet we rarely stop to ask, do they work? We pose that question to economist Bruno Frey, who argues that awards can have a powerful, positive effect on our behavior — but only if they're designed well.
- Shankar Vedantam
On Eve Of 2nd Trump-Kim Summit, Is North Korean Reactor Producing Plutonium?

Days before President Trump and Kim Jong Un are to meet in Vietnam, satellite images show no river ice downstream from the key North Korean facility at Yongbyon — a sign the reactor may be running.
- Geoff Brumfiel
Emma, Carrie, Vivian: How A Family Became A Test Case For Forced Sterilizations

In 1924, a 17-year-old girl was admitted to the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded. The superintendent of the colony classified her as "feeble-minded of the lowest grade, moron class." With that designation, this girl, Carrie Buck, was set on a path she didn't choose. What happened next laid the foundation for the forced sterilization of tens of thousands of people. This week, we revisit a 2018 episode about the eugenics movement and one of the most tragic social experiments in American history.
- Shankar Vedantam
Volunteers Fight Bad Science

James Heathers is a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University, who looks for mistakes for fun. He speaks to NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks about errors published in scientific papers.
'Every Day Is A Good Day When You're Floating': Anne McClain Talks Life In Space

Kindergartners help NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro to ask questions to astronaut Anne McClain, who is serving on the International Space Station. She says every day is a good day when you're floating.
Talkin' Birds: The Great Backyard Bird Count

Bird lovers around the world are counting birds this weekend for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which provides valuable data for avian research.
- Scott Simon
Remembering Mars Rover, 'Opportunity'

Space scientists pay tribute to the Mars rover, Opportunity, which died this week after 14 years sending data back to Earth. The rover was expected to last only three months.
J. Marshall Shepherd: How Does Bias Shape Our Perceptions About Science?

Why do many people dismiss issues like climate change, despite strong scientific evidence? Climatologist J. Marshall Shepherd examines how different forms of bias shape how we perceive science.
- NPR/TED Staff

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