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Why it's so hard to resist holiday sales (and how to try)
Episode 991
Malls are designed to overwhelm our brains. Add the stress of holiday shopping, and a quick trip to pick up presents could turn into an hours-long shopping spree thanks to all the ways stores use res…
Published on 2 years ago
How Glaciers Move — And Affect Sea Level Rise
Episode 990
Glaciers like the ones in Greenland are melting due to climate change, causing global sea levels to rise. That we know. But these glaciers are also moving. What we don't know is just how these two pr…
Published on 2 years ago
Feeling Lonely? Your Brain May Process The World Differently
Episode 989
The U.S. is in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. And for a lot of people, the feeling is even more pronounced during the holidays. In addition to its emotional impact, chronic loneliness and social…
Published on 2 years ago
A Star Is Born ... And Then What? Journey Through The Life Cycle of a star
Episode 988
Soon after the sun sets on winter nights, if you live in the northern hemisphere you can look into the sky and find the Orion constellation near the eastern horizon. Astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry …
Published on 2 years ago
Don't Call It Dirt: The Surprising Science Of Soil
Episode 987
It's easy to overlook the soil beneath our feet, or to think of it as just dirt to be cleaned up. But soil wraps the world in an envelope of life: It grows our food, regulates the climate and makes t…
Published on 2 years ago
These Penguins Take 10,000 Little Naps A Day — Seconds At A Time
Episode 986
Sleep. It's an essential biological function that has long intrigued scientists. Researchers have studied everything from mice to fruit flies in the lab to get a better understanding of what happens …
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
The International Race To Create Human Eggs And Sperm In The Lab
Episode 985
In which we meet the pioneers of one of the most exciting — and controversial — fields of biomedical research: in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG. The goal of IVG is to make unlimited supplies of what Ha…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
Monday Night Football And Pursuing Two Careers With John Urschel
Episode 984
As kids, some of us dream of multiple careers: being an astronaut AND the next president. Or digging up dinosaurs AND selling out concert stadiums. As we get older, there's pressure to pick one path.…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
What Fossilized Poop Can Teach Us About Dinosaurs
Episode 983
Walking into Karen Chin's office at the University of Colorado, Boulder, one of the first things you might notice is that petrified poops are everywhere. They're in shallow boxes covering every surfa…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago
The Thanksgiving Quest For The (Scientifically) Best Turkey
Episode 982
Turkey is the usual centerpiece of the Thanksgiving dinner, but it's all too easy to end up with a dry, tough, flavorless bird. For NPR science correspondent Maria Godoy, it got so bad that several y…
Published on 2 years, 1 month ago