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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Greenhouse gas emissions will have to drop 40 to 70 percent by 2050 鈥� and then drop even more, to nearly zero by the end of this century 鈥� a new U.N. report says. -
Researchers ignited a debate three years ago when they changed a deadly flu virus so that it could spread between people. Only five mutations are needed to turn the virus into a pandemic threat. -
Curators say they'll use the big grant from Boeing to better highlight how exploratory flight 鈥� from the Spirit of St. Louis to the Starship Enterprise 鈥� has transformed the world. -
Risks to astronauts on extended missions include vision impairment, weakened bones and radiation exposure. There are also psychological risks from facing danger while being stuck inside a small craft.
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The tiny world is a pink-hued ball of ice in an area of space once thought to be relatively empty. But the new findings hint of other small objects 鈥� and perhaps an unseen planet bigger than Earth.
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In the 1980s, NASA engineer Robert Farquhar came up with a sly plan to divert the ISEE-3 satellite from its original path to visit a comet instead. Now Farquhar has another big plan for his "baby." -
Zircon crystals found in sandstone on an Australian sheep ranch are so tiny that you'd need a magnifying glass to see them. But recent measurements confirm they offer our earliest glimpse of Earth. -
A huge amount of ancient helium rises from the rocks beneath Yellowstone National Park each week 鈥� about enough to fill a Goodyear blimp. Scientists say it's due to a huge volcano underneath the park. -
Termites are masters of construction in the insect world, working together to construct complex, sky-scraping homes with neither blueprint nor foreman. Harvard engineers have created 8-inch-long robots that can build in the same way 鈥� by sensing their environment, and applying a few rules. -
Ten pharmaceutical companies have agreed to cooperate with the National Institutes of Health in the hunt for new medicines to treat Alzheimer's disease, Type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. All the scientific data produced by the venture will be shared publicly.
