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Science

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Eruption Creates 600-Foot-Deep Lava Lake

Crews observe the continuing eruption in Halema'uma'u at Kilauea in the early morning of Dec. 28. Overnight, the western vent in the wall of Halema'uma'u continued to erupt. D. Downs/USGS hide caption

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D. Downs/USGS

The Picture Show

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Eruption Creates 600-Foot-Deep Lava Lake

The volcano on Hawaii's Big Island began erupting more than a week ago and lava continues to flow, creating a huge new lake that's taken the place of a water lake it vaporized.

U.S. Likely Will Miss Goal Of Vaccinating 20 Million By The New Year

The U.S. is unlikely to meet its goal of vaccinating 20 million Americans by the end of the year, health officials said this week. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

U.S. Likely Will Miss Goal Of Vaccinating 20 Million By The New Year

Leaders of the nation's federal vaccine effort, called Operation Warp Speed, said the U.S. has deployed around 14 million vaccine doses as of Wednesday with just 2.1 million Americans vaccinated.

How Will Climate And Health Policy Look Under Biden?

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware. Mark Makela/Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Makela/Getty Images

Short Wave

How Will Climate And Health Policy Look Under Biden?

Today, something special...an episode of The NPR Politics Podcast we think you might appreciate. Our colleagues take a look at Joe Biden's approach to climate and health policy.

How Will Climate And Health Policy Look Under Biden?

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C.V. Vishveshwara's Revolutionary Black Hole Research Turns 50

C.V. Vishveshwara in 2007 in Oak Park, Illinois. Namitha Vishveshwara hide caption

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Namitha Vishveshwara

C.V. Vishveshwara's Revolutionary Black Hole Research Turns 50

Before scientists were even sure black holes existed, an Indian astrophysicist did the math behind Einstein's predictions of what would happen if two black holes collided.

C.V. Vishveshwara's Revolutionary Black Hole Research Turns 50

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It's Okay To Sleep Late (Do It For Your Immune System)

A man takes a nap after drinking a coffee inside a Starbucks. Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images

Short Wave

It's Okay To Sleep Late (Do It For Your Immune System)

Dr. Syed Moin Hassan was riled up. "I don't know who needs to hear this," he posted on Twitter, "BUT YOU ARE NOT LAZY IF YOU ARE WAKING UP AT NOON." Hassan speaks to Short Wave's Emily Kwong about de-stigmatizing sleeping in late, and why a good night's rest is so important for your immune system. (Encore episode)

It's Okay To Sleep Late (Do It For Your Immune System)

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Health

Pandemic Advances Scientific Understanding Of Viruses' Air Transmission

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, scientists this year made significant progress in understanding how respiratory viruses can be transmitted from one person to another through the air.

Pandemic Advances Scientific Understanding Of Viruses' Air Transmission

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Still Disinfecting Surfaces? It Might Not Be Worth It

Health researchers say wearing masks and washing your hands often is more important than wiping down surfaces when it comes to protecting yourself from the coronavirus. Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images hide caption

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Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Still Disinfecting Surfaces? It Might Not Be Worth It

Early in the pandemic, people were advised to disinfect everything they touched. But now that scientists understand more about how COVID-19 spreads, all that scrubbing down may have been overkill.

Still Disinfecting Surfaces? It Might Not Be Worth It

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2020: At Least It Was Good For Space Exploration?

A SpaceX Falcon9 rocket, with the Crew Dragon capsule attached, lifts off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-A. Chris O'Meara/AP hide caption

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Chris O'Meara/AP

Short Wave

2020: At Least It Was Good For Space Exploration?

Between the pandemic, protests, the recession — the list goes on — there was big space news in 2020. And there was a lot of it! To round it up, Maddie chats with NPR science correspondents Nell Greenfieldboyce and Geoff Brumfiel.

2020: At Least It Was Good For Space Exploration?

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Scientists Have Found Some Truly Ancient Ice, But Now They Want Ice That's Even Older

Inside of the Blue Ice Drill tent, drillers Tanner Kuhl (left) and Elizabeth Morton (right) work with graduate students Austin Carter, Jacob Morgan and postdoctoral fellow Sarah Shackleton in Antarctica in 2019. John Higgins hide caption

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John Higgins

Scientists Have Found Some Truly Ancient Ice, But Now They Want Ice That's Even Older

Ice is usually ephemeral; it doesn't last that long before melting. But some ice on our planet has stayed frozen for millions of years, according to scientists on a quest to find the oldest ice.

Scientists Have Found Some Truly Ancient Ice, But Now They Want Ice That's Even Older

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How To Stop An Asteroid
NASA

Planet Money

How To Stop An Asteroid

Some smart people say we should be doing more to protect the Earth from asteroids. The technical issues are relatively easy. The economics — figuring out who's going to pay — are much harder. | Support our show here.

How To Stop An Asteroid

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Fishermen Team Up With Food Banks To Help Hungry Families

Fishermen sell freshly caught seafood at the Saturday Fishermen's Market in Santa Barbara, Calif. When the pandemic began, fishermen watched their markets dry up overnight. Now, as well as public markets like this, some are selling to food assistance programs. April Fulton for NPR hide caption

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April Fulton for NPR

Shots - Health News

Fishermen Team Up With Food Banks To Help Hungry Families

The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated food insecurity and stretched an already-strained fishing industry. New partnerships with food banks give fisherman income and provide food for those in need.

Fishermen Team Up With Food Banks To Help Hungry Families

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'Trusted Messengers, Trusted Messages': How To Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy

A Hasidic man and medical workers cross paths near the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., in November. When public health messaging comes from community leaders, it's much more likely to be adopted, research on diverse groups finds. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

'Trusted Messengers, Trusted Messages': How To Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy

As the first COVID-19 vaccines begin to be rolled out across the U.S., community leaders in diverse groups already are working hard to dispel misinformation and reach skeptics with truth.