science

From molds and yeasts to the mushrooms we fear and love, fungi are connected to life and death on our planet — but they're often misunderstood. We only know about 10% of the estimated 3.8 million species that exist. Mycologist Giuliana Furci wants us to separate “fungal fact” from “fungal fiction," and give this kingdom the legal recognition it deserves.

Scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City have made a major breakthrough in discovering how Huntington's disease, a rare neurodegenerative disorder, forms in the brain.

Theoretical physicist Stephon Alexander and NEA Jazz Master Donald Harrison are exploring their theory of quantum improvisation. The two will bring their collaborations to a Kansas City stage for the first time next week.

20 years after scientists finished the sequencing of the first human genome, scientists around the world — including from the Stowers Institute in Kansas City — have taken another monumental step.

A new podcast from KCUR Studios and the Stowers Institute called "Seeking A Scientist with Kate The Chemist" is out now wherever you get your podcasts.

In 1997, Captain Charles Moore first discovered the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” the largest accumulation of plastic waste in the ocean. Since then, scientists have documented how plastic has permanently damaged marine ecosystems and even altered evolution — and the problem has only grown larger. But Moore and other researchers aren’t giving up hope that we can still save the oceans.

We tend to think of getting older as inevitable, but what if it’s actually something we can control? Researchers like David Sinclair and Nir Barzilai have discovered some of the secrets to reversing aging, found animals who defy our understandings of life, and turned old mice young again. But even if humans could live forever, should we?

We tend to think of getting older as inevitable, but what if it’s actually something we can control? Researchers like David Sinclair and Nir Barzilai have discovered some of the secrets to reversing aging, found animals who defy our understandings of life, and turned old mice young again. But even if humans could live forever, should we?

Amelia Earhart spent part of her childhood in Atchison, Kansas. Now her hometown is celebrating the famous aviator's life and adventures with a new museum.

After joining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1990, Dr. Ellen Ochoa has flown in space four times and logged nearly 1,000 hours in orbit. Ochoa is visiting Kansas City in April for an event at the Linda Hall Library.

The future is scary, but it doesn’t have to be! In a new podcast from KCUR Studios, host Kate Biberdorf (aka Kate the Chemist) is seeking scientists to guide us into the great unknown. From fungus zombies to feeling young forever, we’re puzzling out what our world could look like — and how we can get ready. Supported by The Stowers Institute For Medical Research.

Noor Haideri, a 16-year-old high school junior from Overland Park, won first prize and a $250,000 college scholarship from the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, for a science video she created about blue light and how it disrupts our sleep cycle.