Nell Greenfieldboyce
Nell Greenfieldboyce is a NPR science correspondent.
With reporting focused on general science, NASA, and the intersection between technology and society, Greenfieldboyce has been on the science desk's technology beat since she joined NPR in 2005.
In that time Greenfieldboyce has reported on topics including the narwhals in Greenland, the ending of the space shuttle program, and the reasons why independent truckers don't want electronic tracking in their cabs.
Much of Greenfieldboyce's reporting reflects an interest in discovering how applied science and technology connects with people and culture. She has worked on stories spanning issues such as pet cloning, gene therapy, ballistics, and federal regulation of new technology.
Prior to NPR, Greenfieldboyce spent a decade working in print, mostly magazines including U.S. News & World Report and New Scientist.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins, earning her Bachelor's of Arts degree in social sciences and a Master's of Arts degree in science writing, Greenfieldboyce taught science writing for four years at the university. She was honored for her talents with the Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for Young Science Journalists.
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Around 20% of U.S. adults live with chronic pain. Medical schools traditionally haven't dedicated much time to teaching about pain and pain control, but one top school now has a mandatory course.
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Alternative tests are emerging, the agency says, such as computer modeling and tissue studies of cells grown in the lab. Environmental advocates say the move is too quick, and disregards human health.
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A squirrel wondering if it's safe enough to forage for food apparently listens for the reassuring chatter of nearby birds, a study finds.
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Historic portraits of revered scientists and doctors can be found all over medical schools and universities — and, as it happens, most feature white men. Some say this sends the wrong message.
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The scientists captured the acrobatic jumps of a tiny maggot-like creature with high-speed cameras to figure out how it does this trick with no arms, legs, or wings.
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New research shows that young children have a negative reaction to beards, but that changes as they get older. Children with bearded fathers did feel more warmly toward facial hair.
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Many shark species tend to congregate in the same areas as industrial fishing ships, a study finds. As a result, tens of millions of sharks in the open ocean end up caught either as food or bycatch.
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NASA is building its most powerful rocket ever, a moon rocket, which will cost billions of dollars. But the effort has sparked debate about whether NASA should rely on cheaper, commercial rockets.
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The International Space Station is getting older, and NASA is hoping that commercial businesses will take over so that the space agency can focus its efforts on a return to the moon.
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Scientists often share their latest research on posters displayed at big conferences. Posters are a long-standing tradition, but one reformer says they're mostly terrible and need to change.