Alan Yu
Alan was a Kroc Fellow at NPR and worked at WNPR as a reporter for three months. He is interested in everything from health and science reporting to comic books and movies. Before joining us, he studied journalism at Northwestern University, and worked at Psychology Today, NPR's Weekend Edition, and WBEZ in Chicago.
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Congress is once again considering a federal ban on shark fins, used in soup. But scientists are divided about whether a ban is the best way to protect the creatures, which are imperiled worldwide. -
Researchers are looking for alternatives to salt or harmful chemicals, including using concrete that can safely conduct electricity and heat road surfaces to keep them clear of ice and snow. -
Some compare the democratization of personal computing in the 1970s to the current changes in access to genetic engineering tools, in part thanks to the CRISPR gene editing tool. -
Digesters convert livestock manure into electricity. Farmers can use it to power their operations or even sell some back to the grid. But some have found the technology too pricey to maintain. -
Foreign fisheries exporting seafood to the U.S. will now have to meet the same standards for protecting whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals as American fisheries do. -
A diet high in saturated fats and sugars can affect the parts of the brain that are important to memory. Diet-linked brain changes can also make people more likely to crave unhealthful food. -
In a new book, journalist and author John Pomfret tackles a relationship that stretches back to America's earliest years and is now more important — and challenging — than ever.
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Using light-conductive materials, researchers have built a robot hand that can sense shapes and textures. Soft robotics holds promise for better prosthetics or machines with a more "human" touch. -
In her new book, Sarah Lohman says that even though America is culturally and ethnically diverse, its food is united by a handful of tastes that have permeated the nation's cuisine for centuries. -
Too much salty goodness isn't great for health. Food companies looking to cut the sodium while keeping the flavor have a promising candidate: potassium chloride. But it's far from perfect.
