The black hole is roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth — and more than 2,000 light-years closer than the next one known. What's more, scientists say, it may be just "the tip of an exciting iceberg."

Doctors in the U.S. and Europe are reporting a small wave of cases of what looks like a "shock syndrome" in young people. They have low blood pressure, inflamed hearts and other serious symptoms.

NPR's global health reporter answers listener questions about how the coronavirus is mutating.

Over a century ago, one part of our DNA got labelled the "sex chromosomes." Science and radio journalist Molly Webster explains the consequences of that oversimplification.

There are various studies looking at changes to the virus genome — and the possible impact on how the virus affects humans. Here's what we know (and don't yet know) about mutations.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that requires meat processing plants in the country to remain open to ensure the continued supply of products like beef, pork, and poultry to the public. Signing the order Tuesday, Trump said, "We're working very hard to make sure our food supply chain is sound and plentiful." U.S. meat processing plants had become COVID hotspots, where more t

The Philippine economy contracted for the first time since 1998 as coronavirus containment measures weighed heavily on investment and shipments, official data showed Thursday. Gross domestic product fell 0.2 percent on a yearly basis in the first quarter, in contrast to fourth quarter's revised 6.7 percent expansion, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported.

A report released by the Institute for Supply Management on Tuesday showed U.S. service sector activity contracted for the first time since December of 2009 in the month of April. The ISM said its non-manufacturing index tumbled to 41.8 in April from 52.5 in March, with a reading below 50 indicating a contraction in service sector activity.

The jobless rate in New Zealand came in at a seasonally adjusted 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2020, Statistics New Zealand said on Wednesday.

Private sector employment nosedived in the month of April, according to a report released by payroll processor ADP on Wednesday. The report said private sector employment plunged by 20.236 million jobs in April after slumping by a revised 149,000 jobs in May.

US author Colson Whitehead has achieved the rare honor of winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for a second time. The African-American writer is only the fourth person ever to win the coveted prize twice in its century-old history. Whitehead was adjudged the best fiction writer for his novel The Nickel Boys, whoch tells the devastating story of abuse of black boys at a reform school in Jim Cro

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a sharply higher opening on Friday, with stocks likely to add to the gains posted in the previous session.

Hightimes Holding Corp, the owner of the High Times cannabis brand, has agreed to acquire thirteen California dispensaries from Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. for $80 million.

World Health Organization revealed 'deeply concerning' estimate that half of the people who have died from Covid-19 in Europe were inmates of care homes. WHO's Europe Director Hans Kluge described it as "an unimaginable human tragedy" at a press conference Thursday. "This pandemic has shone a spotlight on the overlooked and undervalued corners of our society. Across the European Region, long-ter

President Donald Trump says all parts of the country are either in good shape or getting better based on reports that the infection rate has dropped significantly in several hotspots, including New York. Some states such as Texas, Alaska, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee and South Carolina are taking their first steps toward reopening. At a routine White House news conference on Monday, the President

Ethos Cannabis, a Pennsylvania-based multi-state cannabis operator, said it has agreed to acquire the rights to seven medical marijuana dispensaries in Maryland and Pennsylvania from 4Front Ventures Corp. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

While reporting financial results for the second quarter on Friday, life science company Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (VIVO) raised its adjusted earnings and revenue guidance for the full year 2020, despite the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the unprecedented demand for its Life Science products.

Production of N95 masks has increased, but health care workers now say there's a shortage of gowns as the two protective gears are competing for the same materials.

Birdwatching is a pastime for many during the quarantine, but one birdwatcher is deemed essential, the one who scares birds off a giant toxic lake at a Superfund site in Montana.

Drew Packham plays the puzzle with puzzlemaster Will Shortz and NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro

German stocks edged lower in cautious trade on Wednesday as the latest batch of earnings proved to be a mixed bag and U.S. President Donald Trump again took aim at China, urging the country to be transparent about the origins of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

NPR's Scott Simon talks to baseball legend Andre Dawson, a Hall-of-Fame member and National League MVP for the Chicago Cubs, about his second career as a Miami funeral director.

NPR's Scott Simon talks to U.K. broadcaster Johnnie Walker about Ronan O'Rahilly, the founder of the pirate Radio Caroline, who died on April 20 at the age of 79.

NPR's Scott Simon talks with economist William Rodgers about the spiraling U.S. job losses due to the pandemic. The unemployment rate is now the worst since the Great Depression.

The Taiwan stock market has finished higher in two straight sessions, gathering more than 50 points or 0.5 percent along the way. The Taiwan Stock Exchange remains just beneath the 10,775-point plateau and it's expected to remain in that neighborhood again on Thursday.

The services sector in Japan continued to contract in April, and at a much more severe rate, the latest survey from Jibun Bank revealed on Friday with a record-low services PMI score of 21.5.

Finland's industrial production rose for the second straight month in March, figures from Statistics Finland showed on Friday.

Estonia's consumer prices fell at the fastest rate in over four years in April, dragged down by the transport sector prices, data from Statistics Estonia showed on Friday.

Greece's consumer prices fell for the first time in six months in April, data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority showed on Friday.

Reflecting the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to contain it, the Labor Department released a report on Friday showing a record nosedive in employment in the U.S. in the month of April.

Reflecting the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to contain it, the Labor Department released a report on Friday showing a record nosedive in employment in the U.S. in the month of April. The report said non-farm payroll employment plummeted by 20.5 million jobs in April after tumbling by a revised 870,000 jobs in March.

The Czech Republic's central bank cut its key interest rate in May for a third policy session in a row and unveiled additional measures to provide more liquidity to the financial market after the coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic hurt economy severely.

Reflecting a steep drop in revolving credit, the Federal Reserve released a report on Thursday showing an unexpected decrease in U.S. consumer credit in the month of March.