New Tech Makes Scientific Data Cheaper And Easier To Secure The miniaturization of technology and some clever new machines mean scientists are now getting lots of data — sometimes delivered via phone to the comfort of an office chair. NPR Staff
Giant 'Pac-Man' Launched To Gobble Garbage Patch Last Saturday, the nonprofit Ocean Cleanup dispatched a device to help clean up litter in the Pacific Ocean. NPR's Michel Martin talks with Boyan Slat, the young CEO who came up with the idea.
There's No Stopping Toronto's 'Uber-Raccoon' Toronto is known for its raccoons' aggressive ability to get into garbage cans. The city spent millions trying to fight the gray menace — with mixed results. James Doubek
Would You Lock Yourself In A Box Of Smog — For Science? If you could teleport inside a polluted box to save lives, would you? NPR Staff
Long Odds Confront Those Hunting Cougar That Killed Oregon Hiker How do you know you've caught the right cougar? Bad weather and difficult conditions slow the hunt for a cougar thought to have killed a hiker in Oregon. Erin Ross
Champagne Makers Bubble Over A Bumper Crop Caused By European Drought A record heat wave ruined crops across Europe this summer, but not all crops. Champagne growers are ecstatic over a bumper crop of grapes this year. Vintage 2018 is expected to be one of the best. Eleanor Beardsley
World Fungi Report A new report from the Kew Gardens in London is billed as the first comprehensive report on the state of the world's fungi.
East Coast Scientists Win Patent Case Over Medical Research Technology Scientists affiliated with Harvard and MIT have been battling with colleagues at University of California, Berkeley over who deserves patents for a revolutionary technology used in medical research. On Monday, the east coast scientists won their case in a federal appeals court. Richard Harris
California Sets Goal Of 100 Percent Renewable Electric Power By 2045 Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill mandating that ambitious goal on Monday. He also issued an executive order calling for statewide carbon neutrality by the same year. Camila Domonoske
The Bug Black Market Thousands of insects were stolen from a Philadelphia museum. North Carolina entomologist Bill Reynolds says one place they could end up is the international black market.