Health & Safety

Seaweed farms like this one on Nusa Lembongan Island, in Indonesia, are the main sources of carrageenan.

Carrageenan Backlash: Food Firms Are Ousting A Popular Additive

5:11pm December 12, 2016

by Dan Charles

Food manufacturers are under pressure to replace carrageenan, an ingredient that's widely used in products — from protein drinks to sliced deli meat. The organic industry just moved to ban it.

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The holiday season can be a difficult time to avoid alcohol.

Health & Safety

Eat, Don't Drink And Still Be Merry: Staying Sober Through The Holidays

2:39pm December 12, 2016

by Sarah Hepola

Before she stopped drinking, Sarah Hepola relied on alcohol to get her through the holiday season. "What nobody mentions about all the holiday spirit is how much booze it requires," she says.

Bobo gives her mother a kiss. Her mother can't talk or move her arms or legs.

Caring For A Loved One At Home Can Have A Steep Learning Curve

7:41am December 12, 2016

by Taunya English

People caring for someone at home often have zero training. Many learn on the fly, and some states are passing laws to make sure caregivers get at least basic instruction in home care.

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Why People Believe Conspiracy Theories

5:18pm December 11, 2016

After a man took a gun to a pizzeria to investigate a fake conspiracy theory, psychology professor Viren Swami of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, U.K. discusses why people are susceptible.

A woman uses the IDE-India foot-powered pump to suction water out of the ground and irrigate her crops.

Health & Safety

Tech Awards Pick Biggest Hits From 15 Years Of Anti-Poverty Honorees

12:00pm December 11, 2016

by Malaka Gharib

The 6 winners include a job app for out-of-work youth, radio shows that talk about sex and love and a solar lamp you can pay off in tiny increments.

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a soft robotic hand with a touch delicate enough to sort tomatoes and find the ripest one.

Behold A Robot Hand With A Soft Touch

8:16am December 11, 2016

by Alan Yu

Using light-conductive materials, researchers have built a robot hand that can sense shapes and textures. Soft robotics holds promise for better prosthetics or machines with a more "human" touch.

Breaking The Taboo Of Talking About Periods

6:22am December 11, 2016

by Chhavi Sachdev

A group of students at the Calicut Medical College wanted to get people to speak more openly about menstruation. So they launched a poetry contest.

The bacteria were discovered in New Mexico's Lechuguilla Cave — a part of Carlsbad Caverns and the deepest cave in the continental U.S.

Health & Safety

Million-Year-Old 'Hero Bug' Emerges From Cave

7:11pm December 10, 2016

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Scientists were shocked to see what happened when this ancient bacterium encountered modern antibiotics.

Ohio Gov. Kasich Mulling State Abortion Bans

5:06pm December 10, 2016

This week Ohio lawmakers passed a ban on abortions after just six weeks of pregnancy. But they also passed a 20-week ban, which the governor may be more likely to sign into law.

Don't Skip Medicare Coverage For Doctor Visits, Even If You Have Other Insurance

11:33am December 10, 2016

by Susan Jaffe

As more seniors keep working and maintain health coverage on the job, there is greater potential for costly confusion about when and how to sign up for Medicare.