Nell Greenfieldboyce appears in the following:
Evolution went on trial 100 years ago. Where are we now?
Wednesday, July 09, 2025
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" — where a teacher was charged with the crime of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. At the time, it was illegal in Tennessee to "teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." The trial, which was orchestrated to be a media spectacle, foreshadowed the cultural divisions that continue today and led to a backlash against proponents of evolution.
Read more of science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce's reporting on the story.
Want us to cover more science history? Less? Either way, tell us by emailing shortwave@npr.org! We'd love to know what you're hearing — and want to hear from us!
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Read more of science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce's reporting on the story.
Want us to cover more science history? Less? Either way, tell us by emailing shortwave@npr.org! We'd love to know what you're hearing — and want to hear from us!
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Exoplanet K2-18b: Home to alien life or noisy data?
Monday, May 05, 2025
Recently, a group of scientists claimed they found possible signs of life on a planet called K2-18b. The news made headlines. Researchers said they'd detected sulphur-based gases that, on Earth, are strongly associated with life. But the research caused an uproar in astronomy circles because other scientists don't think the data is strong enough to celebrate an alien find just yet. In fact, they have some real issues with how this whole thing went down, and a new analysis casts further doubt on the findings. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce is here to wade into the controversy — and tell us what all this means for the future of searching for life beyond our solar system.
Want to hear more about new science research? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Want to hear more about new science research? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
These ants quietly took over Manhattan — and they're not stopping there
Monday, August 26, 2024
New York: The city that never sleeps, the concrete jungle where dreams are made of and more recently ... home to a mysterious ant spreading across the city — before continuing across metropolitan and even state lines. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce joins host Regina G. Barber to trace the MahattAnts' takeover, explain why they're an interesting invasive species case study. Plus, how everyday people can get involved in research efforts to learn more about these critters.
Read more of Nell's ManhattAnt story here. And if you like this story, check out our story on ant amputation!
Interested in hearing more animal news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
Read more of Nell's ManhattAnt story here. And if you like this story, check out our story on ant amputation!
Interested in hearing more animal news? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
NASA studies offer of a private mission to save Hubble Space Telescope
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Whatever happened to a wealthy private astronaut's plan to save the Hubble Space Telescope? NPR has obtained internal NASA emails that reveal concerns about the proposed mission.
Good news from Voyager 1, which is now out past the edge of the solar system
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
In mid-November, Voyager 1 suffered a glitch, and it's messages stopped making sense. But the NASA probe is once again sending messages to Earth that make sense.
For birds, siblinghood can get complicated
Tuesday, April 09, 2024
Wild birds have some of the most complicated sibling relationships around, with everything from murder to long-term alliances.
Millions of Americans witnessed today's solar eclipse
Monday, April 08, 2024
In the wake of the total solar eclipse, many Americans experienced it in different ways. Here are the highlights.
These kids saw the last total solar eclipse in the U.S. This is how it changed them
Monday, April 01, 2024
Several kids have gotten not one but two opportunities to see total solar eclipses while growing up. We asked some of them what they remember of the last one, and how it changed them.
Questions arise amid the collapse of the Key bridge in Baltimore
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
The bridge collapse in Baltimore has raised questions about engineering, safety and construction. Experts are trying to understand what happened and why — and what can be done to protect other bridge
We look back at what made the Voyager 1 special
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
NASA is troubleshooting a glitch on Voyager 1, the first human-made object to leave the solar system. It'd take a miracle to regain control of the spacecraft and its historic mission may soon be over.
Getting Personal With Science
Thursday, February 01, 2024
NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce on her new memoir.
Don't look so blue, Neptune: Now astronomers know this planet's true color
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Neptune isn't as blue as people think, and astronomers have figured out why Uranus sometimes appears a tad greener. (Story aired on All Things Considered on Jan. 5, 2024.)
NPR staffers share their non-fiction picks from Books We Love
Sunday, December 17, 2023
NPR staffers recommend non-fiction reads from our Books We Love list: "On Minimalism," "Anansi's Gold," "Asian-Americans in an Anti-Black World," and "The Wager."
Clouds made of sand make for a strange kind of rain on this hot planet
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
On Earth, clouds and rain are made of water. But the James Webb Space Telescope has found that on a planet called WASP-107b, the rain and clouds are made of sand.
More medical gloves are coming from China, as U.S. makers of protective gear struggle
Friday, November 03, 2023
The federal government has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to boost American production of medical gloves, but some companies say it's not enough when imported gloves have gotten cheaper.
Despite post-COVID efforts, the U.S. is still undersupplied with domestic-made PPE
Wednesday, November 01, 2023
Nearly a billion dollars went to trying to boost domestic manufacturing of PPE like masks and gloves. Experts say the effort is foundering and the nation isn't better off than it was three years ago.
These American birds and dozens more will be renamed, to remove human monikers
Wednesday, November 01, 2023
The official naming organization for birds in the U. S. is making a bold move, after concerns were raised about birds being named after people with questionable histories.
Take a peek at what NASA brought back from an asteroid
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Scientists are thrilled with the tiny asphalt-black rocks, and most of the sample hasn't even been revealed yet.
NASA unveils rocks brought back from an asteroid
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
NASA held a briefing to reveal the rocks returned by the OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission. The asteroid material was delivered to Earth in late September in a space capsule that landed in Utah.
This next NASA mission to an asteroid is seriously metal
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
A NASA mission called Psyche is about to launch on a mission out to an unusual asteroid that's scientists believe is largely composed of metal.
