Science: NPR

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Happy Holidays from my home to yours!

Today’s science and technology update comes from National Public Radio (NPR).

Views expressed in this news summary are those of the reporters and correspondents.

Content supplied by National Public Radio (NPR).

Accessed on 25 December 2019, 0445 UTC.

Source:

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

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Science

VIDEO: The (Future) Friendship Machine

Claudia Fung for NPR

INVISIBILIA

VIDEO: The (Future) Friendship Machine

A special gift during this season of giving: An original animated video in two parts! Part 1 explores a small but strange study about a machine that could predict human friendships. Then, in collaboration with fictionalist Ian Chillag (Everything Is Alive), we ask, What would the machine have to say about all of this, if it could talk? If you are having trouble viewing the video, you can watch it at npr.org/invisibilia. And, if you want to reciprocate this little gift, don’t forget to donate to your NPR station before the end of the year at donate.npr.org/invis.

The First African American Face Transplant

Lightchaser Photography / J. Kiely Jr./Brigham and Women’s Hospital

SHORT WAVE

The First African American Face Transplant

In 2013, Robert Chelsea was hit by a drunk driver and sustained third-degree burns on more than half of his body. Nearly six years later, he became the first African American recipient of a full face transplant. We talk with Chelsea and Jamie Ducharme, a Time staff writer who followed his journey, about the procedure and how his story could help encourage organ donation by African Americans. Follow Maddie on Twitter @maddie_sofia. And email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

Did That Really Happen? How Our Memories Betray Us

SEAN GLADWELL/Getty Images

HIDDEN BRAIN

Did That Really Happen? How Our Memories Betray Us

Our memories are easily contaminated. We can be made to believe we rode in a hot air balloon or kissed a magnifying glass — even if those things never happened. So how do we know which of our memories are most accurate? This week, psychologist Ayanna Thomas explains how memory works, how it fails, and ways to make it better.

A Polar Expedition To The Top Of The World: Part 2

Ravenna Koenig/NPR

SHORT WAVE

A Polar Expedition To The Top Of The World: Part 2

Our journey continues on MOSAiC: the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate. Physicists, chemists, and biologists are all working to understand more about why Arctic ice is diminishing, and what it means for the planet. In this episode, Reporter Ravenna Koenig introduces us to some scientists, what they’re studying, and life aboard a floating research center. You can find photos from her trip here. Follow Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia or Ravenna @vennkoenig. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

Polar Bears, Ice Cracks, And Isolation: Scientists Drift Across The Arctic Ocean

Ravenna Koenig for NPR

SHORT WAVE

Polar Bears, Ice Cracks, And Isolation: Scientists Drift Across The Arctic Ocean

A massive scientific mission is underway in the Arctic. Physicists, chemists, and biologists are studying the changing region, so they can better predict what might be ahead for the Arctic…and the planet. But first, they had to find a patch of ice suitable to get stuck in, so they could freeze in place and study it for an entire year. Reporter Ravenna Koenig was along for the journey. You can find photos from her trip here. Follow Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia or Ravenna @vennkoenig. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

Invasive Species: We Asked, You Answered

Benjamin Lowy/Getty Images

SHORT WAVE

Invasive Species: We Asked, You Answered

We couldn’t stop at the spotted lanternfly! (We covered that invasive species in an earlier episode.) We wanted to hear about the invasives where you live. You wrote us about cane toads in Australia, zebra mussels in Nevada; borers, beetles, adelgids, stinkbugs, and so many more. From your emails, we picked three invaders to talk about with NPR science correspondent Dan Charles. Follow host Maddie Sofia on Twitter @maddie_sofia. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

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