Science | NPR News

If the U.S. does drop a powerful "bunker buster" bomb on a suspected underground nuclear weapons site in Iran, experts in radiation hazards say there is little risk of widespread contamination.

The pilot of a small plane that crashed near an airport tried to avoid hitting a turtle on the runway, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. The pilot and a passenger were killed.

The reason why birds make such a racket at dawn is still unclear. But researchers are now pouring cold water on one popular idea about why.

Buried in the Trump administration's proposed 2026 budget is the near elimination of something called the Ecosystems Mission Area. It's a program that monitors living things and the health of the land and water they inhabit. NPR's Ari Daniel reports that career scientists are deeply concerned about the potential cut.

A SpaceX rocket being tested in Texas exploded Wednesday night, sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky. The company said the Starship "experienced a major anomaly."

So far, strikes on Iran's facilities have created limited chemical and radiological hazards. Experts say that's not likely to change even if the U.S. uses a big bomb.

Billions of nocturnal Bogong moths migrate up to 1,000 km to cool caves in the Australian Alps that they have never previously visited. New research shows how they may find their way there and back.

Author Dan Rubinstein paddled from Ottawa to New York City and back to understand how being near water benefits people. His book is called "Water Borne."

Goliath had been paired with several female tortoises before, in hopes of producing a hatchling, but the process wasn't successful until earlier this month.

Jeremy Greenberg was in charge of coordinating federal help after hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes and other emergencies. He has resigned from leading FEMA's National Response Coordination Center.