Podcast: Why modern-day animals are so much smaller than dinosaurs

Podcast: Why modern-day animals are so much smaller than dinosaurs

Eyder Peralta | NPR | 
Researchers think they understand how some dinosaurs grew so large. NPR's Eyder Peralta talks with Michael D'Emic, paleontologist at Adelphi ...
AIDS vaccine: Why the COVID vaccine was developed so quickly but one for HIV remains elusive

AIDS vaccine: Why the COVID shot was developed so quickly but one for HIV remains elusive

Susan Brink | NPR | 
Since 1982, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control first named the syndrome "AIDS," there have been years of fear ...
‘We’ve found 1-in-a-million type of cancers’: A common prenatal blood test ‘accidentally’ identifies rare tumors

‘We’ve found 1-in-a-million type of cancers’: A common prenatal blood test accidentally identifies rare tumors

Nell Greenfieldboyce | NPR | 
An expectant mother's bloodstream doesn't just contain bits of free-floating DNA associated with the fetus. It's also chock full of ...
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Gregor Mendel

Podcast: 200 years after the birth of father of genetics Gregor Mendel, scientists unearth his body and sequence his DNA

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics, a group of scientists decided ...
As China’s daily COVID cases soar into the millions, questions remain about the country's vaccines. Here are the answers

As China’s daily COVID cases soar into the millions, questions remain about the country’s vaccines. Here are the answers

Michaeleen Doucleff | NPR | 
China is in the midst of its first major COVID surge, and it's one of the world's largest. China rolled ...
‘We’re at war with nature’: Can the UN biodiversity convention make real progress?

‘We’re at war with nature’: Can the UN biodiversity convention make real progress?

Nathan Rott | NPR | 
Delegates from around the world are gathering in Montreal to address what United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has described ...
7 to 10 years: That’s how long it’s expected to take to develop cutting-edge male contraceptives

7 to 10 years: That’s how long it’s expected to take to develop cutting-edge male contraceptives

Regina Barber | NPR | 
A growing range of pills, patches and implants became available to women. And yet, a stretchy sheath that covers the ...
Slaughter-free, climate-friendly cultured meat on the horizon

Slaughter-free, climate-friendly cultured meat on the horizon

Allison Aubrey | NPR | 
Imagine a way to produce meat without slaughtering animals. Instead of raising livestock on farms, Uma Valeti, a cardiologist, and ...
Ketamine may become the next in-demand' antidepressant

Video game therapy? Upbeat computer games boost ketamine’s power as an antidepressant

Jon Hamilton | NPR | 
Computer games designed to boost self-esteem appear to prolong the antidepressant benefits of the mind-bending anesthetic ketamine. A recent study ...
‘Children of Omicron’: What public health threats lie ahead as COVID evolves?

‘Children of Omicron’: What public health threats lie ahead as COVID evolves?

Rob Stein | NPR | 
Throughout the pandemic, the virus that causes COVID-19 has been evolving fast, blindsiding the world with one variant after another ...
Neanderthals lived in communities

‘So much more than cave-dwelling thugs with clubs’: Neanderthal DNA gives us a look into ancient family life

Geoff Brumfiel | NPR | 
One of the things that makes us special as a species is our ability to form communities, but we humans ...
Artificial intelligence could help with illness diagnostics.

AI-powered speech-analyzing app could diagnose Parkinson’s, stroke, depression or cancer from just the sound of your voice

Carmen Acosta | NPR | 
Voices offer lots of information. Turns out, they can even help diagnose an illness — and researchers are working on ...
Does your sweat reek? It could be protecting you from serious illnesses

Does your sweat reek? It could be protecting you from serious illnesses

Michaeleen Doucleff | NPR | 
Back in 2020, [microbiologist Gavin] Thomas and his colleagues found that one critter on the skin, called Staphylococcus hominis, produces an especially pungent ...
Most terminal cancer patients don’t fully grasp the severity of their prognoses. Why?

Most terminal cancer patients don’t fully grasp the severity of their prognoses. Why?

David Schultz | NPR | 
Doctors are often called upon to deliver bad news to patients, and there isn't much that's worse than a diagnosis ...
Coming down with monkeypox comes with a stigma. Here's how to talk about the virus

Coming down with monkeypox comes with a stigma. Here’s how to talk about the virus

Juliana Kim | NPR | 
As places like San Francisco and New York state declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency, there's a major ...
With monkeypox now an international public health emergency, what do you need to know?

With monkeypox now an international public health emergency, what do you need to know?

Dustin Jones | NPR | 
The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, but it's not a disease ...
Infographic: Trump-voting Republican counties suffered more than twice the death rate from COVID than Democratic ones

Infographic: Trump-voting Republican counties suffered more than twice the death rate from COVID than Democratic ones

Daniel Wood, Geoff Brumfiel | NPR | 
Even with widely available vaccines and newly effective treatments, residents of counties that went heavily for Donald Trump in the ...
Race-based medical differences: Alzheimer’s blood tests designed for white patients less accurate on blacks

Race-based medical differences: Alzheimer’s blood tests designed for white patients less accurate on blacks

Shahla Farzan | NPR | 
Several blood tests used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease are less accurate for African Americans than white patients, according to research ...
‘Protective devices’: Why some exposed people are unlikely to get COVID

‘Protective devices’: Why some exposed people are unlikely to get COVID

Michaeleen Doucleff | NPR | 
Over the course of the pandemic, my daughter has been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, ...
When does brain function peak? Scans show how brains grow and shrink

When does brain function peak? Scans show how brains grow and shrink

Jon Hamilton | NPR | 
The human brain starts with a bang and ends with a whimper. That's the conclusion of a project that used ...
Fall asleep with the TV on? Just one night of sleep with moderate light can can hurt your cardiovascular and metabolic health

Fall asleep with the TV on? Just one night of sleep with moderate light can can hurt your cardiovascular and metabolic health

Will Stone | NPR | 
New research suggests that one night of sleep with just a moderate amount of light may have adverse effects on ...
Some states are trying to limit residents from getting abortions or gender-affirming treatments in other jurisdictions. Is that legal?

Some states are trying to limit residents from getting abortions or gender-affirming treatments in other jurisdictions. Is that legal?

Vanessa Romo | NPR | 
Conservative lawmakers across the U.S. have let loose a wave of state legislation attempting to restrict access to abortions and ...
Will the fast-spreading Omicron variant BA.2 sideline momentum to near-normal return?

Will the fast-spreading Omicron variant BA.2 sideline momentum to near-normal return?

Rob Stein | NPR | 
As the omicron surge continues to decline in the U.S., infectious disease experts are keeping a close eye on an ...
Why art and music therapy appear to ease brain disorders, from Parkinson’s to PTSD

Why art and music therapy appear to ease brain disorders, from Parkinson’s to PTSD

Jon Hamilton | NPR | 
Arts therapies are increasingly being used to treat brain conditions including PTSD, depression, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. But most of these ...
Fertility fraud: Should there be laws to disclose whether an ‘anonymous sperm donor’ was actually the fertility clinic doctor?

Fertility fraud: Should there be laws to disclose whether an ‘anonymous sperm donor’ was actually the fertility clinic doctor?

Libby Denkmann, Sarah Leibovitz | NPR | 
A growing number of people are finding out through DNA testing that instead of being “donor conceived” — the product ...
Video: ‘Ultimately, I want to build a heart for sick kids’: Watch these robotic fish ‘swim’ using lab-grown cardiac muscle

Video: ‘Ultimately, I want to build a heart for sick kids’: Watch these robotic fish ‘swim’ using lab-grown cardiac muscle

Jon Hamilton | NPR | 
Scientists have built a school of robotic fish powered by human heart cells. The fish, which swim on their own, ...
If Omicron is so much milder than prior COVID variants, why are hospitals packed with patients?

If Omicron is so much milder than prior COVID variants, why are hospitals packed with patients?

Will Stone | NPR | 
Omicron has filled up U.S. hospitals with more COVID-19 patients than any other surge of the pandemic. But there's been ...
What is the science behind heartbreak?

What is the science behind heartbreak?

Terry Gross | NPR | 
When her husband left her after more than 25 years together, science writer Florence Williams says her body felt like ...
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