Ari Daniel is a science and environment reporter for PRI's The World and many museum, non-profit, academic and news organizations. He is passionate about telling human stories about science and empowering others to do the same.
I've always loved science. As a graduate student, I trained gray seal pups (Halichoerus grypus) for my Master's degree at the University of St. Andrews and helped tag wild Norwegian killer whales (Orcinus orca) for my Ph.D. at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
These days, as a science reporter, I record a species that I'm better equipped to understand — Homo sapiens. My radio stories have been featured on PRI’s The World, Radiolab, and NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered. In the fifth grade, I won the “Most Contagious Smile” award.
Despite prevailing narratives of coral bleaching and decline, the reefs of American Samoa have been particularly resilient to warming temperatures that have laid waste to other corals. Scientists there are finding out why, and looking for ways to use this knowledge to help reefs in other parts of the world.
All over the world, the scientific community is feeling the impact of the coronavirus, both in the field and in the laboratory. In some cases, research has been paused or discontinued. For some, it means changing plans — staying put instead of going abroad, or not being able to return home.
Doctors in China and the US have transfused antibodies from recovered patients directly into the blood of people with severe cases of COVID-19. Dr. Mario Ostrowski and his collaborators want to identify the genes that encode these antibodies and use them to mass produce lab-grown versions — to turn into a drug to treat the infection.
It’s hard explaining to kids what COVID-19 is, much less the new restrictions that come with it. Reporter Ari Daniel spoke to a bunch of families all over the world about their challenges and how they’re making do.
About a half hour east of Reykjavik, the ground seethes with steam — a bizarre, thick fog pouring out of the pebbly earth.
The global circulatory system is incredibly complex, and parts of it, like the North Icelandic Jet, are barely understood. That's why these scientists are in Iceland in the dead of winter.
Humans are the only creatures on Earth that can choke on their own food. Yes, that’s right. Why would humans have evolved such potentially fatal architecture? Some experts say the reason is speech. This week on the podcast, we explore several theories about where language comes from.
After more than 20 years, NASA today said goodbye to the Cassini space probe and sent it plunging into Saturn's atmosphere to burn up. It was the end of a remarkable mission that revealed deep secrets of the ringed planet and its many moons.
Over the centuries, solar eclipses have helped us learn about the Earth, the sun and the universe, and have proved the power of the scientific method itself.
The curious parallels between love and the bizarre — but potentially very useful — phenomenon called "quantum entanglement."
Climate change research in extreme environments is a dangerous business, but scientists say getting boots on the ground is vital to understanding where we're headed as we warm the planet.