Basic Research

WATCH: Dr. Jay Bhattacharya testifies at NIH oversight hearing before House panel

By Molly Finnegan

National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya testified Tuesday in an oversight hearing before the House Appropriations Committee.

Is spring really, finally here? What to know about the vernal equinox

By Associated Press

It's far from clear if the weather is planning to cooperate, but spring arrives — technically, at least — Friday.

Oldest known recording of a whale song could unlock mysteries of the ocean

By Patrick Whittle, Associated Press

Researchers say the discovery of the oldest known recordings of whale sounds could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate.

What are peptides, and are they safe? Here's what to know

By Grace Abels, PolitiFact

Lots of people are talking about peptides. But what are they? Here’s a quick primer on the health trend and what we know about peptides’ safety.

U.S. forecasts blizzard, polar vortex, heat dome and atmospheric river all at once

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

Experts link the stretch of U.S. weather extremes to a sharply dipping jet stream.

Twin lava fountains from Kilauea volcano trigger park and highway closures

By Jennifer Kelleher, Associated Press

Kilauea, on Hawaii's Big Island, has been dazzling residents and visitors for more than year with an on-and-off eruption that periodically sends fountains of lava soaring into the sky.

Study finds sea levels are higher than we thought, placing millions more at risk

By Seth Borenstein, Annika Hammerschlag, Associated Press

Climate change's rising seas may threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government planners originally thought because of mistaken research assumptions on how high coastal waters already are, a new study said.

Novartis settles with Henrietta Lacks' estate over use of her cancer cells to advance medicine

By Brian Witte, Associated Press

Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks that alleged the pharmaceutical giant unjustly profited off her cells, which were taken from her tumor without her knowledge in 1951 and reproduced in labs to enable major medical…