Ari Daniel
Ari Daniel is a freelance contributor to NPR's Science desk.
He has always been drawn to science and the natural world. As a graduate student, he trained gray seal pups (Halichoerus grypus) for his Master's degree in animal behavior at the University of St. Andrews, and helped tag wild Norwegian killer whales (Orcinus orca) for his Ph.D. in biological oceanography at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. For more than a decade, as a science reporter and multimedia producer, he has interviewed a species he's better equipped to understand — Homo sapiens.
He has reported across six continents on science topics ranging from astronomy to zooxanthellae. His radio pieces have aired on NPR, The World, Radiolab and Here & Now, and he contributes stories to the New York Times. He formerly worked as a reporter for NPR's Science desk where he covered global health and development. Before that, he was the Senior Digital Producer at NOVA where he helped oversee the production of the show's digital video content. He is a co-recipient of the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Gold Award for his radio stories on glaciers and climate change in Greenland and Iceland.
In the fifth grade, he won the "Most Contagious Smile" award.
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New research at the American Chemical Society meeting showcased a potentially edible cookie made out of — plastic!
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Snails are slimy. But there's more to it than meets the eye. It's a fact that may help inspire the creation of new materials. (This story first aired on All Things Considered on August 6, 2026.)
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Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment while appearing before a committee chaired by Sen. Rand Paul. Now, the senator is saying he will move to hold Fauci in contempt.
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At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Anthony Fauci is likely to face questions from Sen. Rand Paul related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's what you need to know -
Researchers have developed a new kind of robot that flies through the air, swims through the water, and transitions between the two realms.
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When red-tailed hawks lose feathers, they adapt their wing and tail movements to keep performing certain flight maneuvers, a finding that could inspire aircraft design.
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To clean animal skeletons used for research and education, scientists are turning to a new type of beetle larva. These "superworms" provide an efficient solution to a difficult challenge.
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Five winning images from a photo contest show scientists at work and capture the wonder of research and discovery. -
Baby calves rely on it to build up their immune systems and gut. And now marketers are promoting it for humans. Here's what scientists say. -
Authorities are monitoring passengers who disembarked a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship while tracking down people who came in contact with them.
