"Human beings are the only species that deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent gain," says sleep scientist Matthew Walker. His new book is Why We Sleep.
What does a "normal" brain look like? Something a lot different when researchers make sure that study participants reflect the race, education and income levels of the U.S. at large.
In an astonishing discovery, astronomers used gravitational waves to locate two neutron stars smashing together. The collision created 200 Earth masses of pure gold, along with other elements.
Finding inner calm hard to come by? Some people use their device obsession to help them disconnect. The apps aren't a quick fix, therapists say, but might help you stick to a mindfulness practice.
Tobacco enemas? Mercury pills? Ice pick lobotomies? A new book explains how throughout history, miracle "cures" often didn't just fail to improve people's health, they maimed and killed.
Dealing with a fire or other natural disaster is hard on anyone, from evacuation to aftermath. And people with physical or developmental disabilities have particular needs, say emergency planners.
OK, "love" might be overstating it. But the little lefty — whose seemingly hopeless search for a mate sparked an international quest — did manage to procreate before he slithered off this mortal coil.
Before surgeons accepted germ theory, operations often killed patients. All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talks with the author of a new biography of antiseptic advocate Joseph Lister.
The EPA says farmers can still spray dicamba on their crops next year — with some new restrictions. The weedkiller has been blamed for drifting into fields, damaging millions of acres of crops.
Ever since the first movie achieved cult status, fans have hotly debated if Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, is a replicant. Blade Runner 2047 leaves room for argument, says fan Adam Frank.
The wildfires in California's wine country are coming in the midst of a near-record fire season nationwide. Researchers say a warming climate is a factor.
Years of research have taught Elizabeth Loftus just how unreliable our memories are. From tweaking a real memory to planting a completely fabricated one, tampering with our minds is surprisingly easy.
As wildfires spread through Northern California counties, clouds of smoke and ash are spreading, too, far beyond the flames. Air quality officials have a database that's searchable by ZIP code.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry says subsidizing coal and nuclear power plants would make the grid more reliable. An unlikely array of critics say the move is expensive and unnecessary.
The Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park blows water approximately ever 90 minutes. The the mechanics behind this beautiful mystery have been revealed this week in a new study.
After many setbacks for genetic therapies, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended approval of the first gene treatment for an inherited form of blindness.
Scientists worldwide have watched Brazil's budget cuts in shock. We, too, could see trouble ahead if flat U.S. federal spending without additional corporate funding continues, says Marcelo Gleiser.
Hahna Alexander initially invented a shoe that could charge a battery, but no one wanted to use it. "You have to invent something that people can't live without," she says.
Environmental chemists studied Swiss sewage and found trace amounts of gold, silver and rare earth metals. It could be valuable, but chemists say it's probably not worth the cost of recovering.
Scientists have found a group of worms that haven't reproduced sexually for 18 million years. Normally that would be a recipe for quick extinction, but these little guys seem none the worse for wear.
Researchers are startled to find that pumas, also called mountain lions, meet up quite frequently with their fellow big cats — perhaps to share an elk carcass.
Smoking, drug abuse and diabetes are all modifiable risk factors for stroke. Yet a large study of patients hospitalized for stroke suggests the number of people with these risk factors is rising.
Each year, more than $3 million in gold and silver winds up in Swiss wastewater, scientists found. But in most cases, it doesn't make economic sense to extract and recycle the metals.
![Brent Henderson drives a combine on his farm near Weona, Ark. "If it's going to be legal to use and neighbors are planting it, I'm going to have to plant [dicamba-tolerant soybeans] to protect myself," he says. "It's very annoying. It's a property rights issue. My neighbor should not dictate what I do on my farm."](https://knpr.org/sites/default/files/public/styles/thumbnail/public/images/npr-story/557668465_1839065143.jpg?itok=IU8ET_As "Brent Henderson drives a combine on his farm near Weona, Ark. \"If it's going to be legal to use and neighbors are planting it, I'm going to have to plant [dicamba-tolerant soybeans] to protect myself,\" he says. \"It's very annoying. It's a property rights issue. My neighbor should not dictate what I do on my farm.\"")
