An olive ridley sea turtle hatchling lurches along the sand to the sea in Velas, India. Diaa Hadid/NPR hide caption
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Through phylogenetic analysis, an international team of scientists found that kissing was likely present in the ancestor of all apes – which lived 21 million years ago. John More/Getty Images hide caption
Fever is part of the immune system's response to a pathogen, one that's shared with many animal species. Cavan Images/iStockphoto/Getty Images hide caption
As well as the traditional Thanksgiving fare, NASA astronauts on the International Space Station will enjoy clams, smoked salmon and lobster. NASA webcast hide caption
On Earth, lightning can occur in turbulent clouds of volcanic ash. Now researchers have found evidence of sparks in Martian dust devils. NASA/JPL/Caltech/University of Arizona hide caption
At long last, the mystery of lightning on Mars is solved
One of the two national Thanksgiving turkeys, Waddle and Gobble, which were presented to journalists in the Willard Room of the Willard InterContinental on November 24, 2025 in Washington, DC., for the 78th annual Turkey Pardoning at the White House. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption
How the turkey trotted its way onto our Thanksgiving tables — and into our lexicon
A compost facility in Staten Island, New York aims to repurpose the city's food scraps and yard waste into fertilizer. Keren Carrion/NPR hide caption
A 2022 study from the Pew Research Center found that a growing number of Republicans and Democrats view the other party as dishonest, immoral and close-minded. Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption
Gramma's 138th birthday was celebrated at the San Diego Zoo in 2022. San Diego Zoo/YouTube/Screenshot by NPR hide caption
How a 'sweet and shy' tortoise outlived empires and survived two world wars
Aerial view of the densely inhabited area of Pozzuoli, located within the Campi Flegrei volcanic area. Over half a million people live in this region, which is continuously monitored due to the ongoing volcanic activity. Valerio Muscella for NPR hide caption
In this photo provided by China's Xinhua News Agency, the Shenzhou-22 spaceship, atop a Long March-2F Y22 rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwestern China, on Tuesday. Lian Zhen/Xinhua hide caption
How do scientists forecast so much about the cause, effect, and scope of earthquakes… when they still don't know when those quakes are going to happen? Tim Phillips Photos/Getty Images hide caption
A new study finds that the bowhead whales produce loads of a protein that repairs the DNA in cells before they can become pre-cancerous. Danny Lawson/PA Images/Getty Images hide caption
For clues on how to evade cancer, some scientists look to the bowhead whale
SNAP is the largest anti-hunger program in the United States. It serves 1 in 8 residents, who live at or just above the poverty line. It was paused earlier this month during the government shutdown. PIKSEL/Getty Images hide caption
SNAP Delays: The Science Of Hunger And Food Insecurity
Tatiana Schlossberg is pictured at her book signing in 2019 in Richmond, Calif. Schlossberg says she has a rare form of cancer. Amber De Vos/Getty Images for Goop hide caption
André Corrêa do Lago, center, the president of the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, sat as negotiators huddled in last-minute deliberations on Saturday. Andre Penner/AP hide caption
Many people who take GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound for weight loss experience unpleasant side effects. Brain scientists are trying to find ways to avoid those side effects.
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Dreams and nightmares may be important for processing emotional, even stressful, memories. Malte Mueller/Getty Images hide caption
In this frame from video provided by Catherine Ellis, flames engulf pavilions at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit on Thursday in Belem, Brazil. Catherine Ellis/AP hide caption
To many marine animals, plastic pollution resembles food. A new study finds seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals like porpoises, seals and whales don't have to eat much of it for it to be deadly. Michael O'Neill/Science Source hide caption
Eating just a handful of plastic can be fatal for marine animals, study finds
A monarch butterfly feeds on milkweed, July 15, 2025, in Chicago. Erin Hooley/AP hide caption
An iceberg in Ilulissat, Greenland. Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting rapidly, and that melt will accelerate as the Earth heats up. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption
Scientists have long studied inner experience, including inner speech (aka an "inner monologue"). Sean Gladwell/Getty Images hide caption