Science The latest health and science news. Updates on medicine, healthy living, nutrition, drugs, diet, and advances in science and technology. Subscribe to the Health & Science podcast.

Sunday

Across Washington State, hydroelectric dams are blocking salmon as they migrate to their spawning grounds. Enter the salmon cannon. Ingrid Taylar/Flickr hide caption

toggle caption
Ingrid Taylar/Flickr

The Salmon Cannon: Easier Than Shooting Fish Out Of A Barrel

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/344360634/344732613" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Opponents and supporters of a law that restricts abortion in Texas rallied outside the Texas Capitol in Austin as the bill was debated in July 2013. Eric Gay/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Eric Gay/AP

Patrick Roy's company, Coastal Rental Equipment, used to rent these large pumps to offshore divers who work for oil and natural gas drillers. After the BP oil spill, when the government introduced a moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the Patterson, La., business suffered losses and eventually shut down. Jeff Brady/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jeff Brady/NPR

As BP Pays For Oil Spill Impact, Some People Aren't Seeing The Cash

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/344026633/344935063" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

New Yorkers can take city-run classes to learn how to make their homes and businesses less attractive to these guys. Ludovic Bertron/Flickr hide caption

toggle caption
Ludovic Bertron/Flickr

Rats! New York City Tries To Drain Rodent 'Reservoirs'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/344022034/344193438" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

Big brown bats like this one are relatively common in urban areas, sometimes roosting in buildings. Contrary to popular belief, bats rarely carry rabies and are not rodents. They belong to the order Chiroptera, which means "hand-wing." Courtesy of Robert Marquis hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of Robert Marquis

Night Of The Cemetery Bats

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/343445602/344036718" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Researchers raised two groups of walking, air-breathing Polypterus senegalus — one on land and one on the water. They discovered that each group was able to adapt to be best suited to its environment. A. Morin, E.M. Standen, T.Y. Du, H. Larsson/McGill University hide caption

toggle caption
A. Morin, E.M. Standen, T.Y. Du, H. Larsson/McGill University

A technician tests samples from Ebola-infected patients at a field lab, run by Doctors Without Borders, in Kailahun, Sierra Leone. Tommy Trenchard for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Tommy Trenchard for NPR

Ebola Is Rapidly Mutating As It Spreads Across West Africa

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/343734184/344193402" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

The granulated surface of the lake bed known as the Racetrack is a favorite destination for tourists — and for scientists who want to investigate trails left by the meandering stones. Momatiuk - Eastcott/Corbis hide caption

toggle caption
Momatiuk - Eastcott/Corbis

An Icy Solution To The Mystery Of The Slithering Stones

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/343681708/343900899" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Bill Gates, Martha Stewart, LeBron James, Lindsay Lohan, Kermit the Frog and Conan O'Brien all got icily drenched for charity. via YouTube hide caption

toggle caption
via YouTube

Life After Ice Buckets: ALS Group Faces $94 Million Challenge

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/343733139/343758354" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

An earlier spring in Montana's Glacier National Park means full waterfalls at first — but much drier summers. Robert Glusic/Corbis hide caption

toggle caption
Robert Glusic/Corbis

There's A Big Leak In America's Water Tower

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/341372550/343758378" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

From her cubicle at Vital Decisions in Cherry Hill, N.J., Kate Schleicher counsels people who are seriously ill. Emma Lee/WHYY hide caption

toggle caption
Emma Lee/WHYY

Hello, May I Help You Plan Your Final Months?

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/339861118/343623258" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

The MD Brush has an unusual grip that automatically angles the brush head at 45 degrees. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Meredith Rizzo/NPR

Build A Toothbrush, Change The World. Or Not

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/341670779/343623240" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday