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Tuesday January 31, 2017

Commentary: Trump Travel Ban On Syrians Should Exempt Kids Under 10

A child drags a crate at a refugee camp for Syrians and Kurds north of Athens. Children under age 14 make up nearly half of the Syrian refugees resettled in the U.S. Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

Commentary: Trump Travel Ban On Syrians Should Exempt Kids Under 10

January 31, 2017 • Amitai Etzioni, who escaped Nazi Germany as a child, proposes a way for the U.S. to bring in young Syrian refugee children. A similar past program brought in thousands of unaccompanied Cuban minors.

This artist's view shows an exoplanet orbiting the young star Beta Pictoris. The exoplanet has an eight-hour day — and a much faster rotation than any planet in the solar system. L. Calçada/N. Risinger/ESO hide caption

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L. Calçada/N. Risinger/ESO

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Taking Stock In The Search For Aliens

January 31, 2017 • We need to get past the "giggle factor" when thinking about life, including intelligent life, on other worlds — but if it's out there, the search will take time, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.

Taking Stock In The Search For Aliens

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Monday January 30, 2017

Jonathan Pow/Getty Images/Cultura RF

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

What Makes Science Science?

January 30, 2017 • Scientific conclusions and scientific methods can change: Understanding how and why these changes occur reveals why science is our best bet for getting the facts right, says Tania Lombrozo.

Sunday January 29, 2017

Can We Learn Something About Jet Lag From MLB Players?

David J. Phillip/AP

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Can We Learn Something About Jet Lag From MLB Players?

January 29, 2017 • A study released Monday looks at data from 20 MLB seasons to tease out how jet lag affects ballplayer performance — and the authors come up with some pretty interesting results, says Alva Noë.

Saturday January 28, 2017

'We Weren't Looking For A Better Life, We Were Just Looking For Life'

Bilal Askaryar's parents were engaged in Kabul in 1984. The family fled Afghanistan in 1990, when Askaryar was five, and they were granted asylum in the United States. Courtesy of Bilal Askaryar hide caption

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Courtesy of Bilal Askaryar

'We Weren't Looking For A Better Life, We Were Just Looking For Life'

January 28, 2017 • Bilal Askaryar fled Afghanistan with his parents and grandmother when he was five, as the country was descending into civil war. He reflects on his family's experience as refugees in this commentary.

Remembering Mary Tyler Moore, Whose Sunny Smile Masked Steel

Actress Mary Tyler Moore filming First You Cry in 1978 in New York City. Marty Lederhandler/ASSOCIATED PRESS hide caption

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Marty Lederhandler/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Simon Says

Remembering Mary Tyler Moore, Whose Sunny Smile Masked Steel

January 28, 2017 • Many women in the news business cited Mary Richards, the role Mary Tyler Moore played on her eponymous show, as an inspiration. NPR's Scott Simon notes she inspired men, too, and showed a lot of grit.

Remembering Mary Tyler Moore, Whose Sunny Smile Masked Steel

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Friday January 27, 2017

Mailbag: For Two Marches, Different Causes, Different Complaints

The Women's March passes by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption

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Becky Harlan/NPR

NPR Public Editor

Mailbag: For Two Marches, Different Causes, Different Complaints

January 27, 2017 • Coverage of the Women's March and the March for Life raised questions about crowd size and language.

Thursday January 26, 2017

The Pros And Cons Of NPR's Policy Of Not Calling Out 'Lies'

White House press secretary Sean Spicer calls on a reporter during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, on Wednesday. Susan Walsh/AP hide caption

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Susan Walsh/AP

NPR Public Editor

The Pros And Cons Of NPR's Policy Of Not Calling Out 'Lies'

January 26, 2017 • Listeners overwhelmingly disapprove of NPR's explanation.

The Science Of Gender: No, Men Aren't From Mars And Women From Venus

Gary Waters/Getty Images/Ikon Images

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Science Of Gender: No, Men Aren't From Mars And Women From Venus

January 26, 2017 • Testosterone-fueled men are more into sex and risk-taking than women, right? The science of gender, says anthropologist Barbara J. King, shows it's way more complicated than that.

Wednesday January 25, 2017

For Journalists Who've Worked In China, New White House Tactics Seem Familiar

President Trump, shown here in an ad for a Chinese magazine in Shanghai, continues to attack the integrity of reporters who challenge him — even as he keeps making false claims. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

For Journalists Who've Worked In China, New White House Tactics Seem Familiar

January 25, 2017 • China tries to discredit the press and to convince citizens not to believe their own eyes. Trump's White House seems to favor similar tactics, writes Frank Langfitt, NPR's former China correspondent.

When The Mysterious And Inexplicable Happens

Getty Images

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

When The Mysterious And Inexplicable Happens

January 25, 2017 • Nature tends to follow rules, some of which we can understand. But we have limitations and are surrounded by mystery, says physicist Marcelo Gleiser, who recounts an unexplained event in his own life.

Tuesday January 24, 2017

Science And Facts, Alternative Or Otherwise

Stuart Kinlough/Getty Images

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Science And Facts, Alternative Or Otherwise

January 24, 2017 • Science, with its emphasis on public facts, gives us a model for answering many of the most important questions we face as a society. Adam Frank asks: Given our needs, tell me, what's the alternative?

Independent Audit Concludes NPR Not At Fault In Death Of Two Of Its Own

NPR photojournalist David Gilkey and NPR Afghan interpreter Zabihullah Tamanna. Monika Evstatieva/NPR hide caption

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Monika Evstatieva/NPR

NPR Public Editor

Independent Audit Concludes NPR Not At Fault In Death Of Two Of Its Own

January 24, 2017 • The internal report recommends improvements to security protocols.

Monday January 23, 2017

Delusions Or Deceptions? White House 'Alternative Facts' Rile Press

White House press secretary Sean Spicer delivers his first press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room on Saturday. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Delusions Or Deceptions? White House 'Alternative Facts' Rile Press

January 23, 2017 • President Trump and his top aides spent their first weekend in the White House threatening reporters and insisting on the veracity of demonstrably false statements.

Delusions Or Deceptions? White House 'Alternative Facts' Rile Press

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Do You Suffer From Illusions Of Moral Superiority?

Gary Waters/Getty Images

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Do You Suffer From Illusions Of Moral Superiority?

January 23, 2017 • New research indicates that people are inclined to over-attribute positive traits to themselves, especially when it comes to moral virtue — which is concerning, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.