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Science

Saturday

Research News

Researchers: Nothing Special About Einstein's Brain

There had to be something anatomically different about Einstein's brain that made him so smart, right? A new study says no, not true. NPR's Scott Simon talks with Terence Hines of Pace University.

Researchers: Nothing Special About Einstein's Brain

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Phone App Might Predict Manic Episodes In Bipolar Disorder

Manic, sad, up, down. Your voice may reveal mood shifts. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

Shots - Health News

Phone App Might Predict Manic Episodes In Bipolar Disorder

Speech patterns change when people enter the manic phase of bipolar disorder, doctors say. A smartphone app might be able to detect those shifts and improve treatment.

Phone App Might Predict Manic Episodes In Bipolar Disorder

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Friday

Hidden Brain

What's In A Grunt — Or A Sigh, Or A Sob? Depends On Where You Hear It

New research suggests that different cultures do not hear the same emotions when they hear the same sounds. The "emotional grammar" of language is instead shaped by culture and local circumstances.

What's In A Grunt — Or A Sigh, Or A Sob? Depends On Where You Hear It

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Richard III: Not The Hunchback We Thought He Was?

King Richard III, seen here portrayed by actor Paul Daneman in 1962, has often been described as a hunchback. A new study of his skeleton seeks to set the record straight about the monarch's condition. John Franks/Getty Images hide caption

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John Franks/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Richard III: Not The Hunchback We Thought He Was?

Scientists say 3-D skeletal modeling shows the English monarch had a common form of scoliosis. The physical condition of King Richard III has been a subject of debate for centuries.

Anatomy Of A Dance Hit: Why We Love To Boogie With Pharrell
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Shots - Health News

Anatomy Of A Dance Hit: Why We Love To Boogie With Pharrell

There are songs that just make people want to get up and shake their booty. Why? Scientists say the most enticing rhythms have something missing — beats that your body can't help but fill in.

Anatomy Of A Dance Hit: Why We Love To Boogie With Pharrell

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Thursday

After Decades Of Silent Wandering, NASA Probe Phones Home

Whatever name it sailed under — International Sun-Earth Explorer 3, and International Cometary Explorer, among others — this spacecraft has scored a number of firsts over the years, including the first comet flyby. NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center hide caption

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NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center

The Two-Way

After Decades Of Silent Wandering, NASA Probe Phones Home

ISEE-3, launched in 1978 to study solar wind, was "borrowed" for a comet mission a few years later and virtually lost. A group of space enthusiasts say they've managed to re-establish contact.

Animals

Scientists Find Africa's Longest Land Migration: Zebras' 350-Mile Trek

Large mammal migration in Africa has generally been hindered by the subdivision and fencing of land. But this one remains possible because it takes place in a unique, multi-country wildlife corridor.

Scientists Find Africa's Longest Land Migration: Zebras' 350-Mile Trek

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Environment

Conservatives, Environmentalists Found Common Ground In Cap And Trade

Ambassador C. Boyden Gray, former White House counsel to George H.W. Bush, assisted in the development of the cap-and-trade system. He talks to Robert Siegel about how the system evolved over time.

Conservatives, Environmentalists Found Common Ground In Cap And Trade

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Environment

States Say Cutting Down On Carbon Was Easier Than Expected

Next week President Obama will unveil his plan for the first nationwide program to control greenhouse gas emissions from the electrical power sector. States that have already started to control such emissions say it's not as hard as they thought it would be. They've ended up exceeding their goals, largely because of abundant natural gas, which burns more cleanly than coal.

States Say Cutting Down On Carbon Was Easier Than Expected

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Wednesday

Thriving Towns In East Africa Are Good News For A Parasitic Worm

Fishermen drag a net in Lake Malawi in 2012. About the size of New Jersey, the lake is home to hundreds of fish species and is considered one of the most biologically diverse lakes in the world. Ding Haitao/Xinhua/Landov hide caption

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Ding Haitao/Xinhua/Landov

Shots - Health News

Thriving Towns In East Africa Are Good News For A Parasitic Worm

The worm causes a debilitating intestinal disease called schistosomiasis. And the parasite is spreading rapidly because of an economic boom along the shores of East Africa's Lake Malawi.

Thriving Towns In East Africa Are Good News For A Parasitic Worm

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