A massive baby penguin named Pesto is inhaling fish and winning fans Pesto, who weighs 46 pounds at just nine months old, has been on display at an Australian aquarium since April. As he grew, so did his social media fanbase — especially after a recent gender reveal. Rachel Treisman
A 'golden age' of rat research may be here. What the often unwanted companions can teach us about us Rat and human lives have long intersected, but there's relatively little research about them. Thanks to advances in genomics and paleoarcheology, a lot more study may be on the horizon. Nathan Rott
This week in science: diving lizards, transparent mouse skin and finger counting NPR's Juana Summers talks with Regina Barber and Emily Kwong of Short Wave about "scuba-diving" lizards, a trick to turn a mouse's skin transparent and whether finger counting helps kids' math skills. Regina Barber
A woman sustains leg burns after straying from Yellowstone trail The 60-year-old woman, who has not been named, was near the Old Faithful Geyser at the Wyoming national park this week when she stepped through a thin crust over scalding water, park officials said. Emma Bowman
Meet Moo Deng, the baby pygmy hippo so popular you can visit her for only 5 minutes A baby pygmy hippopotamus in a Thailand zoo has become a worldwide internet sensation, leading to crowds at the zoo. Zoo officials say the increased attention has led to some bad visitor behavior. Chandelis Duster
A NASA probe is about to launch to an icy moon that could have life A NASA mission launching in October will send cameras and other scientific equipment to see, among other things, whether Jupiter's moon Europa could sustain life. Nell Greenfieldboyce
AI met fruit fly, and a better brain model emerged A virtual version of a fruit fly’s visual system could help scientists understand how brain networks process information. The model could also lead to more efficient AI systems. Jon Hamilton
A celestial trifecta: What to know about Tuesday’s lunar eclipse This month's harvest moon will not only coincide with a supermoon, but also with a blood moon and partial lunar eclipse. Chandelis Duster
State bans on commercial food waste have been largely ineffective, study finds Much of the food supply in the U.S. goes uneaten, which contributes to climate change. Some states have tried to cut food waste in landfills, but their efforts have fallen short, researchers found. Clare Marie Schneider
Four astronauts on Polaris Dawn flight return to Earth after 1st commercial spacewalk The five-day trip, funded by internet entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, broke several records including the first-ever commercial spacewalk using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on Polaris Dawn mission. Russell Lewis
