Science
![A man crosses a flooded street in the wake of Superstorm Sandy on Thursday in Little Ferry, N.J. Surprise coastal surge floods caused by the storm battered Little Ferry, Moonachie and some other towns along the Hackensack River in Bergen County, all areas unaccustomed to flooding. A man crosses a flooded street in the wake of Superstorm Sandy on Thursday in Little Ferry, N.J. Surprise coastal surge floods caused by the storm battered Little Ferry, Moonachie and some other towns along the Hackensack River in Bergen County, all areas unaccustomed to flooding.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/11/02/ap495634911746-305bb85fff18f9ef92b28e7ad1ecac943467c16c-s2.jpg)
A man crosses a flooded street in the wake of Superstorm Sandy on Thursday in Little Ferry, N.J. Surprise coastal surge floods caused by the storm battered Little Ferry, Moonachie and some other towns along the Hackensack River in Bergen County, all areas unaccustomed to flooding.
Levee Rebuilding Questioned After Sandy Breach
()Experts are taking a close look at the country's levees after the failure of one caused massive flooding in New Jersey during Superstorm Sandy. Some argue that rebuilding levees may only set the stage for the next flooding disaster.
![Joe's Big Idea](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://www.npr.org/assets/multimedia/2012/07/jbi_brick.jpg)
Special Series
Joe's Big Idea
How do ideas become inventions and innovations? An NPR experiment explores.
Animals
Move Over, Parrot: Elephant Mimics Trainer At Zoo()
![Koshi, an elephant, makes sounds that imitate Korean words. Koshi, an elephant, makes sounds that imitate Korean words.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/11/01/elephant-poster-ccfbcc4b7896763e37d815b1f99e0dc611b5b519-s1.jpg)
November 2, 2012 Scientists say an Asian elephant at a South Korean zoo can imitate human speech, uttering five Korean words that are readily understood. "This is not the kind of sound that Asian elephants normally make, and it's a dead-on match of the speech of his trainers," a researcher says.
Shots - Health News
How An Antibody Found In Monkeys Could Help Make An Ebola Vaccine()
![A microbiologist runs an experiment to count hemorrhagic fever viruses at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. A microbiologist runs an experiment to count hemorrhagic fever viruses at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/10/31/10728_lores_promo-d51abe4121f3bd7ab29a574a10033a80db43adf8-s1.jpg)
November 1, 2012 Although there's no cure for Ebola, scientists have been experimenting with a vaccine for years. But there's been no easy way to test it in people. A study in monkeys offers a way around this obstacle and sheds light on how the immune systems fights off the deadly virus.
Energy
Fixing NYC's Underground Power Grid Is No Easy Task()
![Consolidated Edison workers try to repair damage near the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Consolidated Edison workers try to repair damage near the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/11/01/nyc-electrical-repair-c40ca532418c3e109b8a43340b266458f677a8f3-s1.jpg)
November 2, 2012 An army of electrical workers is squirming through the tunnels beneath New York City, checking transformers, cables and power systems. And though it'll likely take days to get everything back online, experts say the storm would have damaged aboveground infrastructure even more drastically.
Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond
Sandy's Two-Fisted Attack: Water From Air And Sea()
![Promo image for Sandy video. Promo image for Sandy video.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/10/31/sandyrainfallpromo-7ef4ca1f8ed2e3d96b813b28bb291729269dd512-s1.jpg)
November 1, 2012 Superstorm Sandy dumped several inches of rain on Maryland and Delaware and forced enormous waves to slam into New York and New Jersey. Watch an animation of the rain that fell between Monday and Wednesday.
Shots - Health News
Cancer, Heart Research Threatened By Power Outage At NYU Hospital()
![Researchers at New York University Hospital worry the mice they use to study human disease may have perished in the flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy. Researchers at New York University Hospital worry the mice they use to study human disease may have perished in the flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/10/31/mouse-75c1f4c8f47784e4c4db8d030cdb15ffb6914868-s1.jpg)
October 31, 2012 Specially bred mice and rats perished in the flooding from Superstorm Sandy. Now cell lines and DNA stored in refrigerators and freezers might be dying as the temperature rises. The loss could set researchers back years.
Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond
High-Def Storm Models Yielded Accurate Predictions()
![These computer models from Oct. 26 of then-Hurricane Sandy show different predictions for the storm's path. These computer models from Oct. 26 of then-Hurricane Sandy show different predictions for the storm's path.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/10/31/sandy102612-a877d59060f688ff3e5f73acf47e903ffb25a46b-s1.gif)
October 31, 2012 Hurricane forecasters predicted that Sandy would be an odd storm, and they were right. It turned left when most hurricanes turn right, it maintained its strength even as it struck land, and it joined forces with a winter storm. The computer models that characterized the storm's behavior are much more accurate and faster than they used to be.
The Salt
Finding New Tricks To Get More Satisfaction Out Of Low-Fat Foods()
![The secret to making something low-fat taste good and keep us fuller longer may be in its thickness. The secret to making something low-fat taste good and keep us fuller longer may be in its thickness.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/10/31/istock_000003087366large-f062ebcb81897dddfb6e8075357ea8b018ad43b4-s1.jpg)
October 31, 2012 While both thickness and creaminess sensations contribute to our eating satisfaction, thick foods keep us from feeling hungry longer, researchers say. That could help scientists in their continued quest to develop low-calorie foods that are more satisfying in the long run.
Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond
Sandy Raises Questions About Climate And The Future()
![Taxis sit in a flooded lot in Hoboken, N.J., after Hurricane Sandy caused massive flooding across much of the Atlantic Seaboard. Taxis sit in a flooded lot in Hoboken, N.J., after Hurricane Sandy caused massive flooding across much of the Atlantic Seaboard.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/10/31/155048713-2e99cb56006bcbb173f3fb1a3bac39bf7dc857f1-s1.jpg)
October 31, 2012 If you ask climate scientist Radley Horton, it's difficult to say that Hurricane Sandy was directly caused by climate change, but he says there are strong connections between the two. He talks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about climate change and preparing for severe weather.
The Salt
Behind A Halloween Mask, Even 'Good' Kids Can Turn Into Candy Thieves()
![Is there an angel or a devil behind the mask? Scientists say it may not matter in terms of anonymous behavior. Is there an angel or a devil behind the mask? Scientists say it may not matter in terms of anonymous behavior.](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/10/31/154981267-6--446dbdbcce2715023b467ee4c7db5a2e46a69772-s1.jpg)
October 31, 2012 Results of a 1976 experiment involving masked trick-or-treaters still hold true today: We're more likely to do bad things — like stealing candy — when we're anonymous. And that tells researchers about the ways adults break the rules, too.
Krulwich Wonders...
When A Whale Goes Trick Or Treating, What Does It Wear? ()
![Orca Orca](https://web.archive.org/web/20121105010556im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/10/30/orca-e64f786f163e698e11109f9681348259374f15a1-s1.jpg)
October 31, 2012 Liz Climo, an artist who works on Fox's "The Simpsons" by day, spends her off-hours imagining animals who seem to be imagining being little humans.