Rebecca Hersher

Rebecca Hersher appears in the following:

Mother Bears Are Staying With Their Cubs Longer, Study Finds

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

In many parts of the world, it is illegal to shoot a brown bear with cubs. The restrictions have made mother bears more likely to spend an extra year with their cubs.

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Former Coal Lobbyist On Tap For No. 2 Spot At EPA

Saturday, March 17, 2018

The man hoping to help lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, is a former lobbyist for coal and natural gas companies. As a young EPA lawyer, he worked on hazardous chemical rules.

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After Decades Of Air Pollution, A Louisiana Town Rebels Against A Chemical Giant

Tuesday, March 06, 2018

Neighborhoods around a Louisiana chemical plant have the highest cancer risk in the U.S. Residents felt powerless, until the Environmental Protection Agency released data on what they were breathing.

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Report: Science On Gun Laws Is Lacking

Saturday, March 03, 2018

The RAND Corporation has published an unflattering report about U.S. gun policy. It identified only 62 studies testing the effectiveness of policies such as background checks and buying restrictions.

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Lethal Pneumonia Outbreak Caused By Low Chlorine In Flint Water

Monday, February 05, 2018

Two new studies confirm that an outbreak of deadly Legionnaires' disease in Flint, Mich., was caused by the city's water crisis in 2014 and 2015.

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Some Types Of Songs Are Universally Identifiable, Study Suggests

Thursday, January 25, 2018

To see if music really is a universal language, researchers gave people 14 second samples of songs from around the world and asked them to say what kind of song it is.

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'Butterfly Tongues' Are More Ancient Than Flowers, Fossil Study Finds

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Scientists have discovered the proboscis butterflies use to suck nectar from flowers existed before flowers did. So: What were ancient butterflies using their long, tongue-like suckers for?

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Amber-Trapped Tick Suggests Ancient Bloodsuckers Feasted On Feathered Dinosaurs

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

The tick was with a feather from a dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous Period. Modern ticks love to bite mammals, and scientists have long wondered what the tiny vampires ate millions of years ago.

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Climate Scientists Watch Their Words, Hoping To Stave Off Funding Cuts

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

After years of budget and political pressure, some climate scientists are changing the way they describe their research, and avoiding the term "climate change."

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NASA Taps Young People To Help Develop Virtual Reality Technology

Friday, November 24, 2017

Scientists at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center are hoping to use virtual reality technology to study space, and Earth, without leaving their offices. Talented high school students are helping.

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Slow And Upbeat EPA Response To Hurricane Harvey Pollution Angers Residents

Monday, November 13, 2017

Hurricane Harvey caused industrial facilities to release an extra 5.98 million pounds of air pollution. Some people who live and work near the plants are frustrated with the federal response.

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After Chemical Fires, Texans Worry About Toxic Effects

Thursday, November 02, 2017

Some residents and first responders are suing the chemical company Arkema, saying it didn't do enough to protect them from fires that started at one of its plants near Houston after Hurricane Harvey.

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Digging In The Mud To See What Toxic Substances Were Spread By Hurricane Harvey

Monday, October 23, 2017

Hurricane Harvey dumped 50 inches of rain on parts of Houston. Scientists are now trying to identify contaminants spread by the storm, including those in mud at the bottom of the Houston Ship Channel.

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Young Doctors Were Put To The Test After Vegas Mass Shooting

Monday, October 09, 2017

Surgical fellows at the only Level 1 trauma center in Las Vegas got their medical board certification just three days before the mass shooting, and tested all their training that night.

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Why Counting Injuries Is Difficult

Wednesday, October 04, 2017

It's hard to get an exact number of the people shot during the massacre in Las Vegas, especially because of the enormous number of victims.

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Pregnant Women Should Still Get The Flu Vaccine, Doctors Advise

Monday, September 25, 2017

Researchers and physicians say a study suggesting a link between the flu vaccine and miscarriage in a limited population is cause for more research, not a reason to change vaccination recommendations.

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An Accident On The Moon, Young Lawyers To The Rescue

Friday, September 22, 2017

Each year, law students argue hypothetical, futuristic case that takes place in space. This year, it's about who pays when two machines collide on the moon.

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Air Pollution From Industry Plagues Houston In Harvey's Wake

Thursday, September 14, 2017

Flooding in Houston and utility outages led to belches of fumes from refineries and other industrial sites. Residents of a region already struggling with air pollution wonder: Is it safe to breathe?

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Houston Methadone Clinics Reopen After Harvey's Flooding

Wednesday, September 06, 2017

Hurricane Harvey disrupted treatment for people addicted to opioids. Many need to get connected to a specialty clinic that can provide medication-assisted treatment.

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In Texas, Concerns About Damage To Flooded Toxic Waste Sites

Monday, September 04, 2017

Environmental officials are inspecting toxic waste sites in southeast Texas that were flooded and potentially damaged last week.

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