Science

Urine samples for analysis in test tubes. Science Photo Library/Getty Images hide caption

Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans, by Michaeleen Doucleff Avid Reader Press hide caption

Can the epigenetic effects of experiences be inherited? Eternity in an Instant/Getty Images hide caption

Tyler Hollon, who works for a construction company in Utah, says eliminating natural gas from apartment buildings can reduce costs. Hollon's company now shares its designs and budgets with other builders. "The reason we're giving it away is to clean up the air," Hollon says. "We want everybody to do it. It's everybody's air that we're all breathing. Makes my mountain bike ride that much easier." Kim Raff for NPR hide caption

Soil on hilltops in this photo is lighter in color, revealing a loss of fertile topsoil. Evan Thaler for NPR hide caption

Dr. Rochelle Walensky likens the call she got from the Biden team, asking her to lead the CDC amid a pandemic, to a hospital alarm that goes off when a patient's heart has stopped. "I got called during a code," she says. "And when you get called during a code, your job is to be there to help." Susan Walsh/AP hide caption

The magnets used in these letters are one of the more obvious uses of magnets, but magnets are also found in many other household objects. Fred Tanneau/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Throughout his long career in STEM, James West has been an advocate for diversity and inclusion. Will Kirk/Johns Hopkins University hide caption

In this photograph taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter the various components of the Mars mission are seen on the planet's surface following landing. NASA hide caption

Tyler Hollon, who works for a construction company in Utah, says eliminating natural gas from apartment buildings can reduce costs. Hollon's company now shares its designs and budgets with other builders. "The reason we're giving it away is to clean up the air," Hollon says. "We want everybody to do it. It's everybody's air that we're all breathing. Makes my mountain bike ride that much easier." Kim Raff for NPR hide caption

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced in late December that residents older than 80 would be able to receive doses of the vaccine from their county health departments. Chris Jackson/AP hide caption

A nurse takes a Moderna Covid-19 vaccines ready to be administered at a vaccination site at Kedren Community Health Center, in South Central Los Angeles. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Before the flood, Aaron Trigg says, there were baseball games and kids playing on the playground near his house in Rainelle. After the flood, that changed. "Now, it was just silence," he remembers. "It affected the spirit of the town." Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

Dwane Day throws flowers onto the casket of Bishop James N. Flowers Jr., the pastor of the Shining Star Freewill Baptist church, on April 13, 2020. Bishop Flowers passed away after contracting COVID-19. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Rob Martin, who has been fishing off his boat for the last 29 years, and his partner haul up a 150-pound end trap while ropeless lobster fishing in Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts. Eve Zuckoff/WCAI hide caption

Artistic rendering of Octavia Butler. Joelle Avelino hide caption