Science: NPR

Here are the latest science, technology, medicine, health, and environmental news headlines from “Science:  NPR.”  Views expressed in this science news summary are those of the reporters and correspondents.   Content provided by National Public Radio (NPR).

Accessed on 12 May 2019, 0615 UTC.

Source:

https://www.npr.org/sections/science

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Renee Klahr

HIDDEN BRAIN

Facts Aren’t Enough: The Psychology Of False Beliefs

Sometimes, when we believe something, no amount of data can change our minds. This week, why we cling to our beliefs — even when they’re wrong.

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WATCH: Flooding In The U.S. Is Getting Worse

RESEARCH NEWS

Uber And Lyft Caused Major Traffic Uptick In San Francisco, Study Says

• On Tumblr: explore the beauty of science
• On Youtube: feed your curiosity with video adventures
• On Twitter: get bite-sized science facts

Jeff Brady/NPR

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY COLLABORATIVE

Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant To Close, Latest Symbol Of Struggling Industry

May 8, 2019 • The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, site of the nation’s worst nuclear accident, will shut down by the end of September. Backers failed to secure subsidies to keep the plant operating.

Gerald Herbert/AP

When ‘1-In-100-Year’ Floods Happen Often, What Should You Call Them?

May 8, 2019 • The term “100-year flood” can be confusing and misleading, scientists, local emergency officials and homeowners all agree. Experts say there’s a better way to communicate about flood risk.

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Courtesy of Jo Holdaway

SHOTS – HEALTH NEWS

Genetically Modified Viruses Help Save A Patient With A ‘Superbug’ Infection

May 8, 2019 • Treatment with genetically altered bacteriophages — viruses that attack bacteria — may have halted a patient’s near-fatal infection, hinting at new ways to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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NuScale Power

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY COLLABORATIVE

This Company Says The Future Of Nuclear Energy Is Smaller, Cheaper And Safer

May 8, 2019 • An Oregon company plans a new kind of nuclear power plant that many consider the future of the industry. It’s smaller and cheaper and could work well with renewable energy.

NPR

VIDEO: FUTURE YOU, WITH ELISE HU

How Computer-Assisted Telepathy Helps Humans Communicate

May 7, 2019 • The next phase of human evolution seems headed toward merging biological bodies with machines, and in the first video of Future You, Elise Hu gets connected to a network and plays a game her thoughts.

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Afriadi Hikmal/Getty Images

HIDDEN BRAIN

Where Does Religion Come From? One Researcher Points To ‘Cultural’ Evolution

May 6, 2019 • If you’ve taken part in a religious service, have you ever stopped to think about how it all came to be? How did people become believers? Where did the rituals come from? And what purpose does it all serve? This week, we bring you a July 2018 episode with social psychologist Azim Shariff. He argues that we should consider religion from a Darwinian perspective, as an innovation that helped human societies to thrive and flourish.

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Kristian Foden-Vencil/OPB

SHOTS – HEALTH NEWS

Effects Of Surgery On A Warming Planet: Can Anesthesia Go Green?

OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING

May 6, 2019 • Anesthesia revolutionized surgery by vanquishing patients’ pain. But many of the chemicals are greenhouse gases. One Oregon doctor who has done the math says some are much less damaging to the planet.

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Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images

RESEARCH NEWS

1 Million Animal And Plant Species Are At Risk Of Extinction, U.N. Report Says

May 6, 2019 • “Protecting biodiversity amounts to protecting humanity,” says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who warns that species are being lost at an alarming rate.

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Dr. Kaiyu Hang/Yale University

JOE’S BIG IDEA

If Drones Had ‘Claws,’ They Might Be Able To Fly For Longer

May 6, 2019 • Small drones have a problem — their battery life runs out relatively quickly. A team of roboticists says it has created special landing gear that can help conserve precious battery life.

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NPR

NPR VIDEO

VIDEOS: Future You, with Elise Hu

May 6, 2019 • “Future You” is a monthly video series exploring how today’s emerging science and technology could change what it means to be human by the year 2050 with NPR’s Future Correspondent Elise Hu.

Planet Labs Inc

WORLD

As Saudi Arabia Builds A Nuclear Reactor, Some Worry About Its Motives

May 6, 2019 • Saudi Arabia is building a small civilian nuclear reactor, the nation’s first. Nuclear power is an important part of its energy plans. Arms control experts ask if its intention is entirely peaceful.

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Cornelia Li for NPR

SHOTS – HEALTH NEWS

From Gloom To Gratitude: 8 Skills To Cultivate Joy

May 5, 2019 • Reaching out in kindness, mindful breathing and taking time daily to note positive moments and personal strengths are all part of a program that reduces anxiety and depression. But it takes practice.

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Bill Greene/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

THE SALT

Seafood Without The Sea: Will Lab-Grown Fish Hook Consumers?

May 5, 2019 • The seafood industry has some well-publicized problems: from overfishing to contaminants that make their way into fish. Now, a handful of startups aim to offer a “clean” alternative grown from cells.

Courtesy of Timothy Weaver

SHOTS – HEALTH NEWS

After A Big Failure, Scientists And Patients Hunt For A New Type Of Alzheimer’s Drug

May 3, 2019 • Now that so many experimental drugs targeting amyloid-beta have bombed, scientists are looking for different approaches for treating Alzheimer’s, including a drug that failed as a cancer treatment.

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George Frey/Getty Images

POLITICS

2020 Democrats Aim High With Climate Change Proposals

May 3, 2019 • Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is centering his presidential campaign on combating climate change. On Friday, he rolled out his plan to shift the country to carbon-free energy.

King’s College London

ENVIRONMENT

Traces Of Cocaine, Pesticides Detected In U.K. Shrimp

May 2, 2019 • Scientists collected freshwater shrimp at 15 locations in Suffolk. Shrimp from all of the sites were found to have detectable amounts of cocaine, and many had other drugs or pesticides.

BlackJack3D/Getty Images

SHOTS – HEALTH NEWS

Why Making A ‘Designer Baby’ Would Be Easier Said Than Done

May 2, 2019 • Ethical concerns aside, the genetic ingredients for human traits are so complex that editing a few embryonic genes is unlikely to have much effect — or achieve the fantasy of enhancing humans.

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Sourcebooks

REVIEW

BOOK REVIEWS

‘Hacking Darwin’ Explores Genetic Engineering — And What It Means To Be Human

May 2, 2019 • The waters of genetic meddling are murky; in a new book, technology futurist Jamie Metzl reviews where we’ve been in the past as a guideline for where we might be headed.

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