Octopuses and their arms are a bit of a mystery. Not because scientists don’t know how they work; they’re boneless hydrostats, made up of groups of muscles working together and capable of bending, twisting, elongating or shortening — like a frog’s tongue, or an elephant’s trunk. But because scientists are still figuring out how most octopuses use those arms in the wild.
Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole and the marine lab at Florida Atlantic University wanted to answer that question. By analyzing videos taken in the wild, they found that octopuses seemed to prefer doing certain tasks with certain arms… and that the majority of the time, they used their front arms to explore and their back arms to get around. Researchers on the project hope that furthering our understanding of octopus behavior and movement will be useful for developing things like soft robotics.
Interested in more science discoveries? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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1A - ICYMI: US Destroys Another Boat Coming From Venezuela
Fourteen people are dead after the U.S. military launched strikes on two Venezuelan boats this month in international waters. President Donald Trump says they were heading towards the U.S.
That’s despite reports from several agencies saying the boat attacked two weeks ago was headed away from the U.S. when it was hit. Trump is also accusing the boats of being connected to Venezuelan drug trafficking cartels that he says posed a threat to the U.S.
Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, says the U.S. is trying to start a war.
We discuss the stakes and what we know about the situation.
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That’s despite reports from several agencies saying the boat attacked two weeks ago was headed away from the U.S. when it was hit. Trump is also accusing the boats of being connected to Venezuelan drug trafficking cartels that he says posed a threat to the U.S.
Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, says the U.S. is trying to start a war.
We discuss the stakes and what we know about the situation.
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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Up First from NPR - Trump And Free Speech, CDC On Childhood Vaccines, Antifa Terror Designation
President Trump is pressuring the FCC to target broadcasters that criticize him, raising new questions about free speech and government power. A CDC vaccine panel, reshaped by RFK Jr.’s appointees, rolls back long-standing childhood vaccine guidance. And the president is moving to label Antifa a terrorist organization after the Charlie Kirk assassination.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Roberta Rampton, Jane Greenhalgh, Andrew Sussman, Mohamad ElBardicy and Olivia Hampton.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ana Perez and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is David Greenburg.
And our executive producer is Jay Shaylor.
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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘Long Way Down’ and ‘The Hate U Give’ are modern classics about gun violence
The final episode in our Back to School series focuses on two contemporary books that tell stories about gun violence. First, Jason Reynolds’ 2017 novel in verse Long Way Down centers on a moment of decision that occurs when a teenage boy is on his way to avenge his brother. In today’s episode, Reynolds speaks with NPR’s David Greene about avoiding one-dimensional characters and promoting literacy. Then, Angie Thomas’ 2017 debut The Hate U Give is about a girl who attends school in a neighborhood that’s very different from where she lives. In an interview with NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Thomas discusses codeswitching and combatting the “ghetto girl” stereotype.
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The Indicator from Planet Money - The Fed cuts rates, America’s FICO dips, and forever ends for sweepstakes winners
It’s … Indicators of the Week! Our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.
On today’s show: A rate cut and drama at the Federal Reserve, the average American gets a little less creditworthy, and those giant check sweepstakes winners? Well, they might have to get a job soon.
Related episodes: Why an aggressive rate cut could backfire on Trump Trump's unprecedented attack on the Fed What goes into a credit score?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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On today’s show: A rate cut and drama at the Federal Reserve, the average American gets a little less creditworthy, and those giant check sweepstakes winners? Well, they might have to get a job soon.
Related episodes: Why an aggressive rate cut could backfire on Trump Trump's unprecedented attack on the Fed What goes into a credit score?
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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Consider This from NPR - Kimmel cancellation renews questions about free speech
President Trump has said for years that he wants Jimmy Kimmel off the air.
Now, ABC and its parent company Disney have put the show on indefinite hiatus.
One key player here is the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr.
Today he applauded ABC’s decision, posting on X, “Broadcast TV stations have always been required by their licenses to operate in the public interest.”
Kimmel’s cancellation reopens questions about free speech, the role of the FCC, and the relationship between the commission and the White House.
NPR political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro and former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler shed some light on those questions.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Janse and Marc Rivers, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane and Tiffany Vera Castro.
It was edited by Megan Pratz and Sarah Handel.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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State of the World from NPR - Medical Innovations on the Battlefield
Along with the terrible cost in human lives, wars often bring rapid technological innovation and the war in Gaza is no different. More Israeli soldiers’ lives have been saved in this war compared to previous wars, thanks to medical advances, new technology and lessons learned on the operating table. We hear about some about some of the medical innovations being made.
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1A - ICYMI: FBI Director Kash Patel Appears Before Congress
FBI Director Kash Patel appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for a second day of questioning by lawmakers.
He faced questions about his leadership of the bureau including the firing of dozens of FBI agents and officials, the release of investigative files related to alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and the shooting of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.
Patel began his hearings on Wednesday by defending the agency under his leadership.
What were some of the biggest takeaways from the the hearing?
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He faced questions about his leadership of the bureau including the firing of dozens of FBI agents and officials, the release of investigative files related to alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and the shooting of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.
Patel began his hearings on Wednesday by defending the agency under his leadership.
What were some of the biggest takeaways from the the hearing?
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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Up First from NPR - CDC Meeting On Vaccines, Fed Rate Cuts, Kimmel Suspended
Vaccine advisers to the CDC meet today to decide on COVID boosters and childhood shots, with new members raising doubts about long-settled science. The Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by a quarter point to shore up a slowing job market, even as President Trump pushes for deeper cuts. And ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show after his remarks about Charlie Kirk’s killing.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Scott Hensley, Rafael Nam, Matteen Mokalla, Mohamad El-Bardicy and Olivia Hampton.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Ana Perez and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Zo van Ginhoven. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
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NPR's Book of the Day - What Toni Morrison learned from revisiting five of her most-read novels
Arguably, no high school reading list is complete without one of Toni Morrison’s books. In today’s episode, we look back at a 2004 conversation between the author and NPR’s Renee Montagne, who visited Morrison to talk about a new paperback re-release of five of her novels. The interview focuses on Morrison’s perspective on hauntings, apparitions and ghosts, including the way Morrison’s late father helped her complete Song of Solomon.
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To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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