David Kestenbaum
David Kestenbaum is a correspondent for NPR, covering science, energy issues and, most recently, the global economy for NPR's multimedia project Planet Money. David has been a science correspondent for NPR since 1999. He came to journalism the usual way — by getting a Ph.D. in physics first.
In his years at NPR, David has covered science's discoveries and its darker side, including the Northeast blackout, the anthrax attacks and the collapse of the New Orleans levees. He has also reported on energy issues, particularly nuclear and climate change.
David has won awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
David worked briefly on the show This American Life, and set up a radio journalism program in Cambodia on a Fulbright fellowship. He also teaches a journalism class at Johns Hopkins University.
David holds a bachelor's of science degree in physics from Yale University and a doctorate in physics from Harvard University.
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Policymakers and scientists are strongly criticizing comments by Michael Griffin, the head of NASA. In an earlier interview with NPR, he said that he's not sure global warming is an issue that the space agency — or humans — need to "wrestle with."
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Physicists are building a particle accelerator that will smash subatomic particles together with tremendous force. What they find may solve some fundamental mysteries about how the universe is constructed — IF everything works.
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Of all mammals, dogs have the greatest size diversity within their species. A large dog can be 80 times heavier than a small dog. A new study identifies a gene that may be responsible for these enormous size differences.
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When a folder called "Anna's Music" popped up on NPR reporter David Kestenbaum's computer — with music he absolutely loved — he followed a trail that led to an awkward encounter.
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In the coming weeks, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue a regulation that will extend 1 million years into the future. But the EPA doesn't even know if humans will exist a million years from now.
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The world's astronomers finally voted today on the highly controversial issue of how to define a planet. The official definition means Pluto is no longer a planet. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports on the pandemonium in the convention halls of Prague, where the astronomers are meeting.
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A Russian named Grigory Perelman, is credited with helping solve a famous 100-year-old math problem. Both the problem and the man who solved it are a bit of a puzzle.
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In a stunning reversal of fortune, it now seems likely that Pluto will lose its title of planet. Scientists meeting in Prague were presented with a new definition of the word "planet" last week, which would have included Pluto as a planet. But the proposal met with fierce protests. Opponents say there are hundreds of objects like Pluto.
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Astronomers meeting in Prague are considering a new definition for the word "planet." Under the new rules, Pluto would still qualify as a planet, despite its small size. But some say the rules would open the door to dozens of new planets.
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An international panel has unanimously recommended that Pluto retain its title as a planet, and it may be joined by other undersized objects that revolve around the sun.