Health & Safety

Florida Department of Health workers at a temporary clinic set up in Miami Beach in September package up a urine sample to be tested for the Zika virus. Pregnant women in Texas and Florida have complained it can take as long as a month or more to get thei

Public Health Labs Hope Federal Funds Will Speed Zika Test Results

2:01pm October 06, 2016

by Shefali Luthra

But they'll have to wait a while. The portion of the $394 million Congress allocated to help pregnant women find out more quickly if they have Zika isn't expected to get to strained labs until 2017.

Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes appears during a 2015 interview with CNBC.

Theranos Is Shutting Its Blood-Test Facilities, Shedding 40 Percent Of Workers

12:37pm October 06, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The company has been under scrutiny from federal regulators over its blood-testing technology. Theranos says it will focus on a testing product called miniLab.

A number of states recently have dedicated more money to educating women and health care providers about the 99 percent effectiveness of long-acting, reversible forms of contraception, like the intrauterine device, or IUD — shown here.

Long-Term, Reversible Contraception Gains Traction With Young Women

10:28am October 06, 2016

by Michael Tomsic

Implants and intrauterine devices are endorsed by pediatricians, OB-GYNs and health officials as a way to help girls and women space their pregnancies and reduce the risk of having a premature baby.

Fiancee Jessica Paker looks on as Ret. Marine Sgt. John Peck works with occupational therapist Meredith Grinnell. Peck, who was injured in Afghanistan in 2010, recently received a double arm transplant after a two-year wait on a transplant list.

Former Marine Receives Double Arm Transplant

8:27pm October 05, 2016

by Richard Gonzales

Then-Sgt. John Peck lost all four limbs to an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Afghanistan in 2010. He is reported to be the second war veteran to receive a double arm transplant.

Episode 521: The Town That Loves Death

4:38pm October 05, 2016

On today's episode, we'll take you to a place where dying has become acceptable dinner conversation. A place that also happens to have the lowest healthcare spending of any region in the country.

Queue Listen Now

A researcher says the typical maximum human life span may have peaked at around 115 years, despite medical advances.

Has The Human Life Span Hit The Ceiling?

4:37pm October 05, 2016

by Rob Stein

An analysis of global demographics indicates the maximum human life span may have peaked at around 115 years. That's despite medical advances and the occasional person who lives a few years longer.

We got a big response from you on Facebook about a piece on morning sickness.

Health & Safety

Women Say Ginger Doesn't Tame Morning Sickness

4:03pm October 05, 2016

by Nancy Shute

The lack of effective remedies for morning sickness is frustrating, and can mean months of suffering. An obstetrician explains that few medications have been tested for use during early pregnancy.

A man carries a Nile Perch of about 175 pounds caught in a lake in Uganda. The huge fish — they can weigh up to 440 pounds — were introduced to several African lakes and have wiped out hundreds of local species.

Why A Really Big Fish Isn't Always Good For Business

3:59pm October 05, 2016

by Natalie Jacewicz

Developing countries have been invaded by 200-pound Nile perch, pretty flowers and beavers. A new study asks: What's the impact?

Children make their moves at the Katwe Chess Academy, located in a slum in Kampala, Uganda. The Academy is where Phiona Mutesi, whose story is the basis for the movie Queen of Katwe, learned to play.

PHOTOS: They're All Kings And Queens Of Katwe

12:29pm October 05, 2016

by Michael O'Hagan

Kids in a Uganda slum learn that chess has a lot in common with life. You can't change the way you start out — but you can decide your next move.

Biotrial, a French company that runs clinical studies, has opened a facility in Newark, N.J.

Company That Ran Fateful Drug Trial In France Opens Test Facility In U.S.

11:09am October 05, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Months after a man died in a botched clinical trial in France, the company that ran it has opened a big research facility in New Jersey, where as many as 50 clinical trials could be done each year.