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.

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Accessed on 25 December 2019, 0445 UTC.

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Science

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Irina Zhorov for WHYY

A Christmas Tree Thrives On Farms, Struggles In The Wild

The Fraser fir is found in a lot of homes around Christmas. But its wild cousins have been in decline for almost a century because of a small invasive pest.

LISTEN· 3:53PLAYLIST

Gareth Fuller /PA Images/Getty Images

The Decade In Global Health: New Drugs, Faster Trials, Social Media To The Rescue

Why Certain Poor Shepherds In Nativity Scenes Have Huge, Misshapen Throats

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Jacob W. Frank/NPS

Steam On, Steamboat: The World’s Tallest Active Geyser Has Another Record Year

December 24, 2019 • The world’s tallest active geyser is Steamboat Geyser, in Yellowstone National Park. It’s been on a real eruption streak lately and 2019 saw the most recorded eruptions in a calendar year.

LISTEN· 4:36PLAYLIST

Meghan Dhaliwal/for NPR

Malnutrition Hits The Obese As Well As The Underfed

December 23, 2019 • New research finds millions of people are getting enough calories but not enough essential nutrients. We asked leading researchers how to fix the problem.

The Michigan Department of Transportation

Officials Identify Mysterious Bright Green Liquid That Spilled Onto Michigan Highway

December 23, 2019 • Investigators say they believe the substance found on a freeway north of Detroit is groundwater mixed with a chemical called hexavalent chromium. The public safety risk is minimal, officials say.

Bill Ingalls/AP

Boeing’s Starliner Lands Safely Back To Earth After Aborted Space Station Mission

December 22, 2019 • The journey is being hailed as a major achievement despite failing to complete a core objective: docking at the international space station. NASA hopes to launch U.S. astronauts in space in 2020.

Michael Conroy/AP

A New Safety Program Takes On Silica Dust Amid A Possible Crisis

December 21, 2019 • It will now be easier for the government to inspect shops where workers might get exposed to lung-damaging silica dust. But it’s unclear how much it will affect countertop workers.

Jelacic Valentina/EyeEm/Getty Images

CDC Confirms A THC Additive, Vitamin E Acetate, Is The Culprit In Most Vaping Deaths

December 20, 2019 • The spate of more than 2,500 acute vaping-related lung injuries tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on the decline, epidemiologists say, and the number of deaths has slowed.

Terry Renna/AP

In Uncrewed Test, Boeing’s Starliner Capsule Fails To Reach Space Station

December 20, 2019 • After a flawless launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., the crew capsule, loaded with 600 pounds of cargo for the station, was unable to reach its intended orbit, Boeing says.

Claudia Fung for NPR

VIDEO: The (Future) Friendship Machine

December 20, 2019 • 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.

svetikd/Getty Images

How Online Grocery Delivery Could Help Alleviate Food Deserts

December 19, 2019 • Delivery service could make it easier to access fresh, healthy food in these areas, a study finds. It lends support to a pilot program that lets people pay for these groceries with food stamps.

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

The First African American Face Transplant

December 19, 2019 • 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.

LISTEN· 11:31PLAYLIST

Greek Culture Ministry/AP

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Greek Royal Tombs Dating Back 3,500 Years

December 17, 2019 • Among the findings are a gold pendant with the image of an Egyptian goddess, suggesting wider interaction between ancient Greece and Egypt than previously known.

Theis Jensen/Nature Communications

What Ancient ‘Chewing Gum’ Can Tell Us About Life 5,700 Years Ago

December 17, 2019 • Scientists say that for the first time, they’ve managed to extract an entire ancient human genome from anything other than human bones or teeth. It told them a lot about the person chewing the gum.

LISTEN· 2:58PLAYLIST

SEAN GLADWELL/Getty Images

Did That Really Happen? How Our Memories Betray Us

December 16, 2019 • 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.

LISTEN· 50:05PLAYLIST

Steve Helber/AP

Vaping Nicotine Linked To Increased Risk Of Chronic Lung Disease

December 16, 2019 • A new study suggests the use of e-cigarettes can increase smokers’ and nonsmokers’ risk of developing chronic lung disease, including conditions such as COPD, chronic bronchitis, emphysema or asthma.

LISTEN· 3:39PLAYLIST

Ravenna Koenig/NPR

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

December 16, 2019 • 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.

LISTEN· 12:19PLAYLIST

Tracy Lee for NPR

Holiday Parties Make You Squirm? Here’s How To Conquer Social Anxiety

December 14, 2019 • People with social anxiety disorder fear their “fatal flaws” will be exposed by a wayward comment or other social misstep. If holiday parties send you spiraling, try these tips.

Ravenna Koenig for NPR

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

December 13, 2019 • 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.

LISTEN· 10:39PLAYLIST

Benjamin Lowy/Getty Images

Invasive Species: We Asked, You Answered

December 12, 2019 • 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.

LISTEN· 12:08PLAYLIST

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