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Dec 10, 2019
Scientists report progress using gene therapy to treat sickle cell disease, a common and devastating genetic blood disorder.
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Dec 05, 2019
New York has awarded two contracts for large offshore wind farms, with more anticipated. Researchers are surveying whales in the area to craft strategies to mitigate dangers to them and their habitat.
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Dec 04, 2019
Researchers have found that women who use permanent hair dye and chemical hair straighteners have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women who don't use these products.
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Dec 04, 2019
Doctors used to worry that antiretroviral drugs were too powerful for HIV-positive newborns. More evidence is emerging that, in fact, early treatment can be safe and effective.
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Dec 04, 2019
In a fit of anger or in the grip of fear, many of us make decisions that we never would have anticipated. Researchers say it is very hard to understand how we'll act in certain situations.
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Dec 03, 2019
Elephants, snakes and crocodiles? Researchers around the globe faced risky situations to gather wild relatives of key foods. That genetic pool could be vital to helping crops adapt to climate change.
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Dec 03, 2019
NPR's David Greene talks to Dr. Steven Woolf, lead author of a study that finds U.S. life expectancy is declining, and is not keeping pace with other wealthy countries.
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Dec 01, 2019
There's a new apple called the Cosmic Crisp. Kate Evans is one of the Washington State University researchers who helped develop it.
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Dec 01, 2019
Researchers have found that by playing the sounds of healthy reefs in places where coral has died, fish are more readily attracted back, and help speed the reef's recovery.
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Nov 28, 2019
Every day, as many as 500 babies in sub-Saharan Africa are born with HIV. A study out of Botswana finds that if newborns are given treatment right away, the virus becomes almost undetectable.
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Nov 26, 2019
Participants in the U.K. experimental study dramatically reduced their average alcohol intake for months after the initial dose. Ketamine has also been used to treat severe depression.
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Nov 25, 2019
Research suggests the most effective way to help poor people can be to give them no strings attached cash. A new study finds even neighbors who don't get the aid benefit from a big ripple effect.
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Nov 24, 2019
Young Arctic researchers get their first glimpse of sea ice — and reflect on how the ice caps may melt away over the course of their careers.
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Nov 24, 2019
Scientists have come to realize that flu vaccines are less effective for people who are overweight or obese. Now researchers are trying to figure out why and hope to develop better vaccines.
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Nov 22, 2019
Helen Fisher says love is a biological drive and a survival mechanism. She discusses the science of love and how much control we have over who we love, how we love, and whether that love lasts.
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Nov 20, 2019
Syllables are the building blocks of spoken language. And now a study of brain activity hints at how we extract them from a stream of speech.
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Nov 13, 2019
A new technique uses the CRISPR molecule to snip away at the part of RNA viruses that allows them to spread infection by making copies of themselves.
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Nov 11, 2019
Scientists say their goal was to rediscover a type of chevrotain that had been "lost to science" for nearly 30 years. Chevrotains are the world's smallest hoofed mammal, or ungulate.
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Nov 11, 2019
For some patients in pain, opioids are still part of the long-term solution, doctors say. But by adding meditation, hypnosis or other treatments, the opioid dose can be reduced.
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Nov 09, 2019
The University of Maryland, Baltimore, now has a master's program dedicated to the science and therapeutics of medical weed because of a growing number of students looking for expertise in the field.
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Nov 09, 2019
A national survey by psychologists shows a significant rise in U.S. stress in 2019. Mass shootings, the election campaign and concerns about health care costs and access top the list of stressors.
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Nov 08, 2019
Research shows that when boys and girls as old as 10 do math, their patterns of brain activity are indistinguishable. The finding is the latest challenge to the idea that math is harder for girls.
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Nov 08, 2019
Brain scans of 104 boys and girls doing basic math tasks found no gender differences. The finding adds to the evidence that boys and girls start out with equal ability in math.
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Nov 07, 2019
Researchers combed Vatican archives to find records of how ancient church policies shaped Western values and family structures today.
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Nov 07, 2019
Dengue afflicts nearly 400 million people worldwide every year, but a vaccine has remained elusive. New research offers a path forward.
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Nov 06, 2019
A new study in Brazil finds that urban apartments have more diverse fungi — some healthy, some potentially not — than villages in the Amazon rainforest.
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Nov 06, 2019
Attempts to use the gene-editing tool CRISPR to develop a treatment for cancer seem safe and feasible in the earliest findings from the first three patients. "So far, so good," scientists say.
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Nov 05, 2019
It's been debated a long time: Does being part of organized religion improve your mental health? A new study finds that religion can buffer adolescents against depression.
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Nov 04, 2019
Journalist and Brain on Fire author Susannah Cahalan writes in an urgent, personal book that the '70s study by David Rosenhan had an outsized effect on psychiatry — and may have been fatally flawed.
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Oct 31, 2019
A study of 11 sleeping brains sheds some light on the mysterious link between sleep problems and Alzheimer's disease. The flow of cerebrospinal fluid through the brain appears to be the key.
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Oct 31, 2019
Common vampire bats might drink the blood of their prey, but it turns out that these fearsome beasts can be warm and fuzzy when it comes to their fellow bats.
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Oct 24, 2019
Scientists from nations including Iran, Mexico, and India were refused visas to attend this year's Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago. Some researchers got stand-ins to present their work.
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Oct 23, 2019
Starting to vape is easy, but quitting a nicotine habit can be tough, teens are finding. Some vaping cessation programs have begun to reach out to teens where they live — on their phones.
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Oct 22, 2019
The first global analysis of blood supply and demand finds that many developing countries are relying on risky emergency donations.
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Oct 21, 2019
A new technique, dubbed 'prime editing,' appears to make it even easier to make very precise changes in DNA. It's designed to overcome the limits of the CRISPR gene editing tool.
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Oct 21, 2019
Diabetes can double a person's chances of developing Alzheimer's. Now researchers are beginning to understand the role of brain metabolism in the development of the dementia.
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Oct 21, 2019
Pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease are particularly vulnerable to flu complications yet lag the elderly in getting vaccinated.
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Oct 20, 2019
NPR was the only news organization allowed into the lab to witness the moment the releases began this year. The goal is to create a powerful new weapon in the fight against malaria.
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Oct 18, 2019
Black scientists more often seek grants for community health studies, but molecular-level research proposals win more funding. More diversity throughout the process could help close the gap, says NIH.
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Oct 17, 2019
The drive to make more milk has had an unsavory side effect: Cows have become more genetically similar and less fertile. Scientists are trying to recover valuable genetic variation that was lost.
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Oct 11, 2019
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration treats most data it gets on the development of new drugs and medical devices as confidential to companies. Critics say making the data public would help patients.
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Oct 10, 2019
She's the first patient with a genetic disorder to be treated with the powerful gene-editing technique CRISPR. The treatment has wrapped up and now she's waiting to see if it brings relief.
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Oct 10, 2019
She's the first patient with a genetic disorder to be treated with the powerful gene-editing technique CRISPR. The treatment has wrapped up, and now she's waiting to see if it brings relief.
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Oct 09, 2019
A new review of research on the Zika virus since 2016 finds there is still much scientists don't understand about the pandemic — including when another may strike.
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Oct 09, 2019
Depression symptoms dropped significantly in a group of young adults who ate a Mediterranean-style diet for three weeks. It's the latest study to show food can influence mental health.
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Oct 09, 2019
It can feel impossible to escape outrage nowadays. Anger is present across our screens — from TV news to social media. New social science research asks: What's the effect of all this outrage?
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Oct 09, 2019
The prize was awarded jointly to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino." Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized our lives," the Nobel Committee said.
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Oct 05, 2019
A suite of new research shows the country beating infectious diseases over the last two decades. But deaths from lifestyle-related diseases like cancer and diabetes are on the rise.
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Oct 04, 2019
More than 200 years ago, a scroll damaged by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius was unrolled and pasted onto cardboard, even though it had writing on the back. New imagery shows some of what's hidden.
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Oct 04, 2019
An ambitious Arctic expedition has reached a milestone. Researchers have found an ice floe to freeze into, from which they'll study Arctic systems from a ship and an observatory they'll construct.
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Oct 04, 2019
An ambitious Arctic expedition has reached a milestone. Researchers have found a floe to freeze into, where they'll construct an observatory and study Arctic systems from a ship.
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Oct 04, 2019
A new study finds that tuna harvests, including of some species considered "vulnerable," have increased by an astonishing 1,000% in the last 60 years — a rate some scientists warn is unsustainable.
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Oct 02, 2019
A new study shows many of the world's streams and rivers could dry up because people are draining underground aquifers that sustain streams through dry periods. Climate change won't help matters.
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Oct 02, 2019
Irreversible lung disease has started to show up among young workers who cut, grind and polish countertops made of increasingly popular "engineered" stone. The material is more than 90 percent silica.
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Sep 30, 2019
New treatment guidelines don't assuage concerns that some children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are being prescribed medication too soon, before behavioral interventions are tried.
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Sep 30, 2019
U.S. adults put on about a pound a year on average. But people who had a regular nut-snacking habit put on less weight and had a lower risk of becoming obese over time, a new study finds.
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Sep 28, 2019
NPR's Michel Martin speaks with anthropology professor Daniel Fessler about UCLA's new Bedari Kindness Institute.
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Sep 26, 2019
Research finds that triathletes who train too hard can impair a brain area involved in achieving goals like winning a race. Fatigued athletes choose immediate gratification over long-term rewards.
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Sep 25, 2019
The remnants of ruminant milk were found in tiny vessels buried with infants thousands of years ago. Scientists say the ancient "baby bottles" were sometimes shaped like "mythical animals."
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Sep 25, 2019
The remnants of ruminant milk were found in tiny vessels buried with infants thousands of years ago. Scientists say the ancient baby bottles were sometimes shaped like "mythical animals."
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Sep 24, 2019
Labs are churning out more and more synthetic DNA for scientists who want to use it to reprogram cells. Some say the technology has outpaced government safety guidelines put in place a decade ago.
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Sep 23, 2019
Never mind a runner's high — the buzz some people say they get after a run. Neuroscientist Benedict Kolber was more interested in how to generate pain relief via a brisk walk. It can really work.
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Sep 19, 2019
Researchers estimate that the bird population has fallen by a quarter since 1970. More than 90% of the loss can be attributed to just a dozen bird families, including sparrows, blackbirds and finches.
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Sep 19, 2019
An ambitious Arctic expedition launches Friday. Scientists want to get their icebreaker stuck in the ice for a year so they can study the ice, ocean and atmosphere and how it's changing.
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Sep 18, 2019
Type 1 diabetes can be well managed with insulin if blood sugar is consistently monitored. But insurance rules can make it hard for patients to get the medical supplies their doctors say they need.
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Sep 16, 2019
Pregnant women at high or even moderate risk of developing the life-threatening condition preeclampsia should consider taking a very small dose of aspirin daily to prevent it, doctors say.
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Sep 11, 2019
Researchers safely used CRISPR gene-editing techniques in a patient with HIV. The research provides evidence the approach may be promising for treating HIV infection.
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Sep 11, 2019
Researchers hope large numbers of very primitive, slightly incomplete human embryos will lead to new insights into early human development and ways to prevent miscarriages and birth defects.
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Sep 11, 2019
Researchers hope large numbers of very primitive, slightly incomplete human embryos will lead to new insights into early human development and ways to prevent miscarriages and birth defects.
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Sep 11, 2019
Researchers hope large numbers of very primitive, embryo-like structures will lead to new insights into early human development and ways to prevent miscarriages and birth defects.
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Sep 10, 2019
Alternative tests are emerging, the agency says, such as computer modeling and tissue studies of cells grown in the lab. Environmental advocates say the move is too quick, and disregards human health.
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Sep 08, 2019
Prenatal classes often focus on Mom-to-be — on her shifting role and emotional needs, along with new skills. But if Dad gets sidelined early into a supporting role, research shows, everybody loses.
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Sep 07, 2019
Earth has experienced cataclysmic life-destroying events before. NPR's Scott Simon reflects on what this means for humans in the midst of climate change.
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Sep 06, 2019
Medical and genetic data from more than a million Americans are now in scientific databases. Some programs hoard the data, while others share widely with scientists, hoping to speed medical discovery.
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Sep 05, 2019
New York officials say tests found high levels of vitamin E in cannabis vaping products used by people who developed lung damage. But it's only one of many possible causes still under investigation.
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Sep 04, 2019
A squirrel wondering if it's safe enough to forage for food apparently listens for the reassuring chatter of nearby birds, a study finds.
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Sep 04, 2019
Fentanyl, Inc. author Ben Westhoff says the opioid, while useful in hospitals, is killing more Americans as a street drug than any other in U.S. history. Here's how it moves from China to your corner.
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Sep 03, 2019
A poor diet can lead to vision loss, experts say. For a teen, it's certainly rare, but a new case study documents blindness in a boy who ate lots of chips, white bread and bits of processed meat.
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Sep 02, 2019
Americans born in the '70s and '80s may not be immune to measles, health officials say. If you're traveling to a country or region having an outbreak, consider a second dose of vaccine before you go.
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Sep 01, 2019
Smithsonian researcher Anna Phillips led the recent discovery of the new medicinal species. Its superficial similarities to a North American leech species helped prevent its detection before.
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Sep 01, 2019
Pessimists may suspect this finding, but researchers who tracked the health outcomes of thousands of adults across many years found optimists were much more likely to reach 85. Optimism is teachable.
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Aug 31, 2019
A project that shares medical information from 500,000 volunteers is driving innovative research around the world. The richness of the database means scientists are motivated to make it even better.
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Aug 30, 2019
"Despite concerted efforts and investments, the condition of the Great Barrier Reef has declined since 2014, and this is largely due to the impacts from climate change," the main scientist said.
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Aug 29, 2019
Researchers say clusters of human brain cells grown in the lab can spontaneously generate electrical patterns similar to the brain waves of 6-month-old fetus.
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Aug 26, 2019
Many of the 26 million Americans with asthma use a low-dose steroid inhaler daily to prevent symptoms. But a recent study raises questions about this strategy for people with mild, persistent asthma.
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Aug 22, 2019
NPR got exclusive access to the only lab known to be trying to edit the DNA in human sperm, which raises all the same thorny issues as modifying genes in human embryos
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Aug 21, 2019
Picture a hairless, wrinkly rodent about the size of a small sweet potato — kinda cool, kinda weird. They also are extraordinarily long-lived. Researchers are lining up to study their secrets.
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Aug 21, 2019
Picture a hairless, wrinkly rodent about the size of a small sweet potato — kinda cool, kinda weird. They also are extraordinarily long-lived. Researchers are lining up to study their secrets.
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Aug 21, 2019
A detailed comparison of mouse and human brain tissue found differences that could help explain why mice aren't always a good model for human diseases.
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Aug 20, 2019
Though tobacco ads have been banned from TV for about 50 years, the marketing of electronic cigarettes isn't constrained by the law. Public health advocates consider that a loophole that hurts kids.
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Aug 19, 2019
A recent study found virtual reality experiences were better at easing pain than watching televised nature scenes. Immersive distraction seems key to the success, scientists say.
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Aug 15, 2019
No ordinary pair of shorts, these were designed by Harvard scientists to work with the wearer's own leg muscles when walking or running, and might make a soldier's heavy loads easier to carry.
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Aug 12, 2019
Drugs tested in the Democratic Republic of Congo are effective in treating Ebola, scientists say. They have run a study in the midst of a deadly epidemic and in the face of armed assaults on doctors.
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Aug 09, 2019
The scientists captured the acrobatic jumps of a tiny maggot-like creature with high-speed cameras to figure out how it does this trick with no arms, legs, or wings.
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Aug 07, 2019
The flightless bird weighed 15 pounds and was about 3 feet tall and probably feasted on other parrots. Study lead Trevor Worthy made the discovery after examining two 19-million-year-old leg bones.
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Aug 06, 2019
Studies are revealing new, unintended threats that neonicotinoid pesticides pose to insects. The chemicals, widely used by farmers, are difficult to control because they persist in the environment.
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Aug 05, 2019
An interdisciplinary team in San Francisco uses acupressure, massage, counseling and other methods, as well as medicine, to help kids get relief from chronic pain. But such pediatric centers are rare.
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Aug 02, 2019
New research suggests allergies to sesame are comparably prevalent as those to some tree nuts. The findings come as the FDA weighs whether to require sesame to be listed as an allergen on food labels.
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Aug 02, 2019
The proportion of people who say they have a "great deal" of confidence in scientists to act in the public interest increased from 21% in 2016 to 35% in 2019, according to the Pew Research Center.
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Aug 02, 2019
The proportion of people who say they have a "great deal" of confidence in scientists to act in the public interest increased from 21% in 2016 to 35% in 2019, according to the Pew Research Center.
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