2 NASA astronauts return to Earth after an unexpectedly long mission in space NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were on the International Space Station more than nine months, despite launching into space in June for what was expected to be an eight-day mission. Joe Hernandez
How astronauts adjust when back on Earth after being in space Astronauts face several risks during spaceflight, including exposure to radiation. Chandelis Duster
These scientists are building a cat database to understand why they act like that The project, called Darwin's Cats, aims to enhance our understanding of feline behavior and genetics. Manuela López Restrepo
How land-loving iguanas from North America may have ended up in Fiji A new study suggests iguanas reached Fiji by rafting around 5,000 miles from North America. Jonathan Lambert Play AudioListen 3 mins
New 'baby pictures' of the cosmos show the universe in its infancy If our 13.8 billion-year-old cosmos could be considered middle-aged, researchers note these new images captured around its 380,000th birthday represent a snapshot of the universe as a newborn. Joe Hernandez
This astronaut spent over 100 days in space. Here's how he says that affected him Jack Fischer spent more than 100 days aboard the International Space Station in 2017. He described to NPR what being in space for so long does to the body and what it feels like to return home. A Martínez Obed Manuel Play AudioListen 4 mins
Dark energy is weakening and the universe could (eventually) collapse, study says The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is studying dark energy and the accelerated expansion of the universe. Chandelis Duster
Why don't we remember being babies? Brain scans reveal new clues Why can't we remember when we were babies? Scientists who scanned infants' brains found that they do make memories. The findings suggest these memories may still exist, but are inaccessible to us. Ari Daniel Play AudioListen 5 mins
This week in science: origins of life, birds speech, and how TikTok gets ADHD wrong In this week's Short Wave roundup, Berly McCoy and Regina Barber talk about the origins of life on Earth, what bird brains illuminate about human speech and how ADHD is mischaracterized on TikTok. Berly McCoy Regina G. Barber Play AudioListen 8 mins
Is planting trees 'DEI'? Trump administration cuts nationwide tree-planting effort The Trump administration's efforts to end DEI programs is hitting some unexpected targets, including a nationwide effort planting shade trees in neighborhoods to reduce extreme heat. Eva Tesfaye
