Health & Safety

Cover art from Black Man in a White Coat, by Damon Tweedy.

A Physician Asks: Is Being Black Bad For Your Health?

10:57am September 10, 2015

Damon Tweedy discusses race and medicine in his new memoir Black Man in a White Coat. "There's been a long history of African-Americans being mistreated by the health care system," he says.

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Black mambas are one of the fastest snakes in the world and grow up to 14 feet long. But their venom is no match for the antidote Fav-Afrique.

Health & Safety

The World Is Running Out Of A Critical Snakebite Antidote

7:55pm September 09, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

If a venomous snake bites you in Africa, you're likely to survive when you're near a hospital. That might not be the case next year.

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A newborn in Sierra Leone is treated after delivery by Caesarean section. The country's child mortality rate has dropped from 264 per 1,000 in 1990 to an estimated 120 this year.

How Many Children Under 5 Die A Year In The U.S. Vs. Angola?

2:47pm September 09, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

A new report emphasizes significant progress in cutting the number of deaths of children before age 5. But in some parts of the world, the rate is still depressingly high.

An experimental contact lens being developed by Google can painlessly measure glucose levels in tears.

Why Google Is Going All In On Diabetes

11:09am September 09, 2015

by Christina Farr

Google made a name for itself with search technology, but it has dabbled in moonshot projects like self-driving cars. Now the company's life science unit is looking for better diabetes treatments.

Health & Safety

Congress Weighs Budget Cuts For Wide Range Of Health Programs

11:09am September 09, 2015

by Julie Rovner

As federal lawmakers return to work, they faces tough choices about the budget, worrying advocates for medical research, teen pregnancy prevention and other health initiatives.

Playing Youth Sports Takes A Lot More Green Than It Used To

11:08am September 09, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

Kids on club teams have an advantage in making the high school team. But many families are being priced out by the high cost of league fees, equipment, and travel that club sports require.

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Preemies' Survival Rates Improve, But Many Challenges Remain

7:51am September 09, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Extremely premature babies, those born between 22 and 28 weeks of gestation, are more likely to survive now than they were 20 years ago. But the very youngest still have serious health problems.

The parts of the brain known to help process fear and negative emotion are hyperactive when someone with math anxiety confronts a tricky problem, scientists say.

1 Tutor + 1 Student = Better Math Scores, Less Fear

6:53pm September 08, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

Math anxiety is much like other fears, say scientists who scanned the brains of third-graders. One-on-one tutoring soothed the fear circuit in anxious kids' brains and improved performance, too.

Health & Safety

Cellphone Records Could Help Predict Dengue Outbreak

6:17pm September 08, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A team of researchers recently found that mobility patterns revealed by cellphone data let them accurately model the spread of a large dengue outbreak in two regions of Pakistan in 2013.

Pope Francis Announces Window To Forgive Women Who Had Abortions

4:11pm September 08, 2015

by Sylvia Poggioli

Pope Francis is giving all priests a window of discretion to forgive women who have had abortions. The window is during the upcoming holy year, which will begin in December.

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