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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Federal lawmakers are moving toward a ban on using certain chemicals called phthalates in children's toys. Phthalates are chemicals that are used to make plastics more flexible.
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For the first time, a NASA lander has touched Martian ice. Scientists say they are convinced white chunks dug up by the Phoenix craft are in fact frozen water on the Red Planet.
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Advocates of NASA's plan to return to the moon are concerned that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has said he will raid NASA's budget to fund education. While the issue of space exploration hasn't gotten much attention this campaign season, it is a topic on which the candidates do differ.
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Now that space shuttle Atlantis has safely returned to Earth, the Pentagon plans to shoot down a failing spy satellite as early as Wednesday night. The Navy will launch a missile in an attempt to destroy the satellite before it crashes to Earth.
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In an effort to meet a Kyoto Protocol pledge, Japan managed to cut about 1.4 million tons of CO2 emissions last year. The nation reduced summer air-conditioning use, overturning a decades-old "suit and tie" tradition along the way. -
For most people, a makeover means losing weight and getting new clothes, hairstyle and makeup. But the body does its own extreme makeover each year, regularly replacing 98 percent of its atoms. The atomic makeover prompts a more philosophical question: Are people still themselves if their atoms are always new? -
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.
