Science, Spoken

A new and contentious five-year limit for getting rid of dead satellites could slow the growing orbital litter problem—if people actually abide by it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An experiment tests whether the gene-editing technology can stop the virus from replicating, which would ultimately wipe out the infection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ‘Er’ grouping could help doctors identify and treat some rare cases of blood incompatibility, including between pregnant mothers and fetuses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Allen Institute’s release includes recordings from a whopping 300,000 mouse neurons. Now the challenge is figuring out what to do with all that data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With human therapists in short supply, AI chatbots are trying to plug the gap—but it’s not clear how well they work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Astronomers mourn the end of an infrared observatory that flew aboard a jumbo jet. It was expensive, but it saw what Earth-based telescopes can’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Illumina just announced a machine that can crack genomes twice as fast as its current version—and drive the cost down to $200 a pop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Desertification can wear down ancient ruins or hide them under dunes—leaving researchers scrambling to keep track of where they’re buried. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Supreme Court considers the fate of American wetlands, Annie Proulx’s Fen, Bog, and Swamp offers an elegiac love letter to overlooked ecosystems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Worries about polio, monkeypox, and Covid-19 are rising. Here’s how to gather your health information, even if you’ve lost the paper records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The technique had largely been limited to editing patients’ cells in the lab. New research shows promise for treating diseases more directly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meticulous turf is environmentally terrible. Yet grass does have one charm: It “sweats,” helping cool the local area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A global fungal pandemic wiped out amphibians, destroyed biodiversity, and ultimately increased human illness. Now a second similar pathogen is on the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recent studies have revealed flaws in the heat index. With rising temperatures and humidity, maybe it’s time for a more holistic approach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neurons get a lot of attention—but researchers think this star-shaped brain cell type could hold the key to treating some disorders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The line to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state is snaking across central London. Could it have been done better? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A software update can help turbines become less disruptive to their neighbors and distribute the wind more efficiently. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Storing more water to deal with climate change seems like a no-brainer, but such reservoirs are complex undertakings with environmental issues of their own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The influential astronomer led the hunt for extraterrestrial signals and helped make the field of astrobiology what it is today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The jacket can raise and lower its own hood—without chips or batteries—and might one day help disabled wearers move. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many people report that their aches and pains intensify when they’re trying to sleep, but new research into the circadian clock helps explain this mystery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daniel Holz studies the universe’s ultimate catastrophes. And he knows a thing or two about existential threats on Earth, since he helps set the Doomsday Clock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Researchers are working on an injectable that could get dormant follicles growing again. Trials on mice show promise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meltwater from the island’s ice sheet is loaded with the right kind of sand for concrete production—which further warms the planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The country is exploring cloud seeding, GM crops, and a multibillion-dollar water-transfer system to address its worst water shortages on record. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices