Nell Greenfieldboyce
NPR
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Nell:
Arts Week: Harnessing Bacteria For Art
Pull out your art supplies because it's time to get crafty—with agar! We're beginning Arts Week at the intersection of biology and art. Therein lies a creative medium that's actually alive. Scientists and artists practice etching designs on petri dishes with bacterial paint that can grow and multiply. This encore episode, Aaron talks with science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce about her… → Read More
The James Webb telescope shows how starlight transforms a distant, Jupiter-like planet
Scientists studying a gas giant planet have found that it's partly cloudy and that its atmosphere gets altered by starlight from its host star. → Read More
NASA once again declines to rename the James Webb Space Telescope
NASA says an extensive review of historical records found no evidence that Webb ever led or supported purges of government employees who were gay. But some astronomers think that's a pretty low bar. → Read More
James Webb telescope spots galaxies near the dawn of time, thrilling scientists
Galaxies that existed soon after the Big Bang turn out to be surprisingly bright, a discovery that's both thrilled and puzzled scientists who study how the universe evolved over time. → Read More
After a night of uncertainty, NASA's Artemis moon rocket takes to the skies
NASA's Artemis moon rocket has finally launched after months of setbacks, from fuel leaks to hurricanes. If successful, the mission signals a big step toward returning humans to the moon. → Read More
Watch Live: NASA's Artemis moon rocket counts down to launch
The space agency has been trying for months to send its giant moon rocket on its first test flight. The goal is to send a crew capsule, with no astronauts on board, around the moon and back. → Read More
How do you save the beloved box turtle? A 100-year-long study
This wrinkled ol' pal, found across much of the U. S., may be in decline. A huge study in North Carolina plans to track box turtles for 100 years, to learn how to best protect them. → Read More
100 Years Of Box Turtles
The common box turtle is found just about anywhere in the continental United States east of Colorado. For all their ubiquity, it's unclear how many there are or how they're faring in the face of many threats—from lawn mowers to climate change to criminals. So today, science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce presents the researchers hunting for turtles—and for answers. They're creating a… → Read More
Move over, Bruce Willis: NASA is shoving an asteroid to test planetary defense
Hollywood likes to blow up incoming asteroids with nukes, but NASA's first test of whether it can change the trajectory of a space rock will try just giving one a little nudge. → Read More
Asteroid Deflection Mission, Activate!
In movies, asteroids careening towards Earth are confronted by determined humans with nuclear weapons to save the world! But a real NASA mission wants to change the course of an asteroid now (one not hurtling towards Earth). The Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, launched in 2021 and on Monday, September 26, 2022, makes contact with the celestial object. In 2021, NPR science… → Read More
NASA won't try to launch the Artemis 1 moon mission again for at least a few weeks
A recurring leak of liquid hydrogen fuel forced NASA on Saturday to postpone a scheduled launch for the second time this week. The earliest possible launch date is Sept. 19. → Read More
Artemis: NASA's New Chapter In Space
Humans haven't set foot on the moon in 50 years, but NASA hopes to take one step closer with the launch of a new rocket and space capsule on Monday. Today, science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce joins Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber to talk about what NASA hopes to learn from this test flight and why it might be difficult to justify the program's cost.Planning to tune in for Monday's… → Read More
Sweating Buckets... of SCIENCE!
Sweating can be unpleasant, but consider the alternatives: You could roll around in mud. You could spend all day panting. You could have someone whip you up a blood popsicle. Sweating turns out to be pretty essential for human existence, AND arguably less gross than the ways other animals keep from overheating. On today's episode, a small army of NPR science reporters joins host Emily Kwong to… → Read More
Why scientists have pumped a potent greenhouse gas into streams on public lands
A 30-year, nationwide study of ecological changes — including the effects of climate warming — has been releasing a powerful greenhouse gas, and critics want it to stop. → Read More
Why this key chance to getting permanent birth control is often missed
Doctors say they're seeing a surge in the number of women who want their "tubes tied." But hospital capacity, paperwork, religion and personal opinion are just some of the reasons requests get denied. → Read More
Micro Wave: Scientists Discover GINORMOUS Bacteria
The Caribbean is home to gorgeous beaches, mangroves and ... the biggest bacteria known to humankind. Find out exactly how big from science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce in this Micro Wave. Then, stay for the listener mail, where we answer YOUR questions — all hosted by our new senior editor, Gabriel Spitzer!Do you have a question for Short Wave? Email us a voice memo at shortwave@npr.org. → Read More
Let's Get Crafty With Agar Art!
Pull out your art supplies because it's time to get crafty--with agar! At the intersection of biology and art lies a creative medium that's actually alive. Scientists and artists practice etching designs on petri dishes with bacterial paint that can grow and multiply.Aaron Scott talks with science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce about her foray into the agar art world.Have another craft… → Read More
Think all bacteria are microscopic? Tell that to these centimeter-long monsters
The largest bacteria known to science have been discovered in the Caribbean. They're visible to the naked eye and surprisingly complex. → Read More
In a place with little sea ice, polar bears have found another way to hunt
An isolated population of polar bears in southeast Greenland has learned to hunt on freshwater glacier ice. That means they may be able to survive longer as climate change makes sea ice scarce. → Read More
What Research Says About Mass Shootings
Parkland, Fla. Buffalo, NY. Uvalde, Texas. Every mass shooting in the U.S. raises calls for better policies to prevent such tragedies. There's evidence suggesting that certain kinds of laws may reduce deaths from mass shootings, say scientists who study the field — but those policy options are not the ones usually discussed in the wake of these events. Furthermore, the amount of resources… → Read More