Science, Spoken

Heavenly bodies are always in motion: Pushing back the asteroid probe’s blastoff date could require a new trajectory, longer travel time, and much more power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The state plans to roll out “biosimilars” that mimic brand-name versions at a dramatically reduced price. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The strategy prioritizes inoculating an infected person’s closest contacts, but it can’t succeed without good contact tracing and enough vaccines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Climate change is reducing output and raising safety concerns at nuclear facilities from France to the US. But experts say adapting is possible—and necessary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Climate change has primed the landscape to burn. But human migration has made Europe’s wildfires increasingly catastrophic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After 11 people were killed and eight hospitalized by a glacier in early July, Italian scientists are asking how future tragedies can be avoided. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scores of bills in US states aim to block medical treatments for trans youth. But research shows that these bans could have dire consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7/26 New data shows that several types of the shelled reptiles can slow—and even stop—aging if the environmental conditions are right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The loss of sea ice is exposing darker waters, which absorb more of the sun’s energy. It’s a devastating feedback loop with major consequences for the planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Higher nighttime temperatures don’t just make it harder to drift off, they can disrupt your sleep cycles and leave you with low-quality rest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the world converts to electric vehicles and renewable energy, molecular tweaks to aluminum could improve its conductivity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Air conditioning saves lives. But as the planet warms, more AC use stresses the grid and drives up emissions, accelerating climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sea cucumbers are squishy and soft. They also employ lethal strategies to protect themselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The deposits discovered reportedly contain enough resources to meet global demand for 1,000 years—surpassing even China’s reserves. But experts are skeptical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A recent study suggests that gains during the summer breeding season are making up for losses during migration. But the insects’ fate is far from assured. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Under the Constitution, federal laws overrule state ones. But challenges to medication abortion will test the agency’s ability to make nationwide regulations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Powering plant growth with solar panels instead of photosynthesis could be a more efficient way of using the sun’s energy for food. But it’s not all good news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scientists are getting closer to understanding the neurology behind the memory problems and cognitive fuzziness that an infection can trigger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scientists show how microbes living in a salty spring near the North Pole might resemble those that could have survived on the Red Planet—or in ocean worlds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Genomic analysis of ancient remains has shed light on the origins of the black death and offers insights into the coevolution of humans and diseases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mars is littered with craters made by binary asteroids. These collisions are as intriguing as they are powerful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From acoustic tweezers to holograms, engineers are taking inspiration from the field of optics—and riding the sound wave. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hesitancy, bureaucracy, inequity, and the need to explain new formulas could slow down vaccine delivery to the last unprotected group. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over 100 million women are estimated to use oral contraceptives, but studies on the pill’s mental health effects raise more questions than answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Climate change and natural variability are making 2022 a year of big weather events—so get ready for more heat waves, droughts, and hurricanes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices