James Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA has died at age 97. He was a scientific superstar until he made racist remarks that made him an outcast.
DNA
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Former police chief, serving murder and rape sentences, escapes from Arkansas prison
Grant Hardin was the police chief of Gateway, Ark. for about four months in 2016. Corrections officials did not provide any details about how he escaped.
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Cold case solved: College students help ID the remains of a 19th century sea captain
Remains of the “Scattered Man John Doe” began washing ashore in New Jersey in 1995 and went unidentified for the next three decades. Students at Ramapo College set about to solve the mystery.
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DNA reveals secrets of Australia’s elusive marsupial mole
Researchers have probed the genetics of one of Australia’s most elusory animals, the marsupial mole.
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An Indiana teen died in 1866. How did her skull end up in an Illinois house’s walls?
DNA tests identified a skull found during home renovations in 1978 as that of an Indiana teen who died after childbirth in 1866. Authorities say Esther Granger was likely the victim of grave robbing.
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After 41 years, a missing woman has been identified. Police want to know how she died
The mom whose remains were discovered in 1983 in what’s now Lake Forest, Calif., was positively identified Friday by authorities as Maritza Glean Grimmett, says the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
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Once lost to science, these “uncharismatic” animals are having their moment
Historic numbers of animals across the globe have become endangered or pushed to extinction. But some of these species sit in limbo — not definitively extinct yet missing from the scientific record. Rediscovering a “lost” species is not easy. It can require trips to remote areas and canvassing a large area in search of only a handful of animals. But new technology and stronger partnerships with local communities have helped these hidden, “uncharismatic” creatures come to light.
Have other scientific gray areas you want us to cover in a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org!
