Lauren Sommer
Stories
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Environment
Whales Get A Break As Pandemic Creates Quieter Oceans
A drop in shipping traffic is reducing underwater noise, so scientists are listening for how whales and other marine life are responding.
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Health
How What You Flush Is Helping Track The Coronavirus
Researchers are testing sewage in hopes of getting a jump on COVID-19 outbreaks in communities — monitoring for when they begin and how quickly they spread.
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Environment
How The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Affecting Environment
NPR's science correspondent answers listener questions about the impact the pandemic has had on climate change and wildlife.
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Science
Antarctica And Greenland Are Losing Thousands Of Gigatons of Ice — That's A Lot
A new NASA satellite is providing a detailed look at how much polar ice is melting, raising sea levels around the world.
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Science
The Killer At Home: House Cats Have More Impact On Local Wildlife Than Wild Predators
They may look cute and fluffy, and they don't go far, but cats are deadly stalkers who rule concentrated areas of their neighborhoods.
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Environment
Carbon Emissions Are Falling, But Still Not Enough, Scientists Say
The global slowdown could create a historic drop in carbon emissions, but it's still not enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
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Environment
Listener Questions About The Impact Of Stay-At-Home Orders On The Environment
An NPR climate change correspondent answers questions about how the transportation slowdown brought on by the coronavirus epidemic has impacted air quality and climate change.
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Health
Are We Flattening The Curve? States Keep Watch On Coronavirus 'Doubling Times'
It is starting to take more time for cases, hospitalizations and deaths to double in several states, indicating social distancing is working. Here's how to make sense of those numbers.
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Science
One More Coronavirus Problem: Accurate Weather Forecasts
Weather forecast models rely on commercial airplanes for massive amounts of real-time data. With widespread flight cancellations, meteorologists are concerned.
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Science
Pandemic Delays International Climate Change Negotiations
Many countries were expected to release ambitious new climate plans at a conference this fall, but United Nations officials say governments are focusing on the coronavirus crisis.