Health & Safety

The genetic variation Chinese scientist He Jiankui was trying to re-create when he edited twin girls' DNA may be more harmful than helpful to health overall, a new study says.

2 Chinese Babies With Edited Genes May Face Higher Risk Of Premature Death

7:59pm June 03, 2019

by Rob Stein

Analysis of DNA from more than 400,000 people in the U.K. suggests a genetic modification that protects against HIV may actually increase the overall risk of premature death.

Queue Listen Now

Dr. Omar Ibrahim: "You have to be calm because people are scared, the civilians and the patients are scared, and they can't see you scared."

Health & Safety

As Bombs Fall, A Neurosurgeon Tells How He Keeps Calm In Syria

7:31pm June 03, 2019

by Diane Cole

Dr. Omar Ibrahim spoke to NPR via Skype from the only working hospital in south Idlib province. The staff, he says, has "just moved into the basement [because of] the attacks."

A California two-spot octopus extends a sucker-lined arm from its den. In 2015, this was the first octopus species to have its full genetic sequence published.

Why Octopuses Might Be The Next Lab Rats

5:29pm June 03, 2019

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Move over, fruit flies, rats and zebrafish. Squid and octopuses have elaborate brains and behaviors, and scientists say studying them in the laboratory could yield important biological insights.

Mim Akter Tania, 22, thought she was getting a job as a hospital custodian in Saudi Arabia. Instead, she says, she ended up as a domestic servant with an abusive boss.

They Pump $15 Billion A Year Into Bangladesh's Economy — But At What Cost?

4:40pm June 03, 2019

by Jason Beaubien

Bangladeshis who want to work abroad can pay thousands of dollars for a permit. The reward is a chance for a job that allows them to send cash back home. But there's a potential for abuse as well.

Johnson & Johnson faces multiple lawsuits, including one over the opioid epidemic. A reputation for corporate responsibility, dating back to the Tylenol scandal, offers a measure of protection, but no guarantee, analysts say.

Health & Safety

Johnson & Johnson, Under Fire, Has Track Record Of Weathering Trouble

11:26am June 03, 2019

by Scott Horsley

The health care giant faces multiple lawsuits, including one over opioids. A reputation for corporate responsibility, dating back to the Tylenol scandal, offers some protection but no guarantee.

Health & Safety

State To Investigate Child Deaths At N.C. Children's Hospital

10:22am June 03, 2019

by Paul Garber

State health officials will investigate a North Carolina hospital where the number of children's deaths from heart surgeries may have been higher than expected.

Health & Safety

More than a Medical Record: Storytelling Helps Fill the Gaps Between Patients and Hospital Staff

7:44am June 03, 2019

by Bram Sable-Smith

VA hospitals are pioneering the use of storytelling to strengthen the relationships patients have with doctors and nurses. With more information about patients, there may be some health benefits.

Queue Listen Now

We Asked, You Answered: Are Fly-In Medical Missions Helpful Or Harmful?

7:00am June 02, 2019

by Marc Silver

Our readers weigh in on volunteer missions, where Western medical workers spent a short time in a poor country providing free care.

Talking about sex and consent can be awkward, but it's important — learning to do it better can help make sure that everyone is on the same page and also that you have the kind of sex that you want to have, whether that involves handcuffs or not.

Health & Safety

How To Talk About Sex (And Consent): 4 Lessons From The Kink Community

5:03pm June 01, 2019

by Mallory Yu

A lot of us stumble over conversations about sex. But people who are into kink make an art of talking about what they want or don't want. Here's their advice for making awkward talks sexy.

This photo depicts two Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks, commonly known as the longhorned tick. It has been linked to the spread of a hemorrhagic fever in China. The smaller of the two ticks on the left is a nymph. The larger tick is an adult female.

Another Tick-Borne Disease To Worry About

12:51pm June 01, 2019

by Susan Brink

Called ALSV, the virus causes headache and fever and was found in Inner Mongolia. Scientists say the discovery illustrates how much we still don't know about ticks.