Health & Safety

AP Study Finds Viruses Linked To Raw Sewage In Rio De Janeiro Olympic Waters

6:24pm July 30, 2015

NPR's Melissa Block speaks with the AP's Brazil bureau chief Brad Brooks about the investigation, which found high levels of dangerous viruses in water venues for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

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The bar chart tells all: That's how eighth-graders at Bakgatle Community Junior Secondary School in Botswana can compare the HIV infection rate of older men and of teenage boys.

What Botswana's Teen Girls Learn In 'Sugar Daddy' Class

5:28pm July 30, 2015

by Don Boroughs

They often think an older guy is a great boyfriend. They believe he's less likely to have HIV than a teenager. Plus, he's flush with cash. How do you get them to change their mind?

Texting While Walking: Are You Cautious Or Clueless?

3:53pm July 30, 2015

by Nadia Whitehead

People who text while walking change their pace and seem to walk more cautiously, a study says. But that doesn't mean you're not a menace to yourself and others.

The Savory Summer Cobbler from the Cheap and Good cookbook features seasonal vegetables under a peppery biscuit crust.

Cheap Eats: A Cookbook For Eating Well On A Food Stamp Budget

2:41pm July 30, 2015

by Eliza Barclay

A Canadian scholar was unimpressed with the cookbooks available for people on food stamps in the U.S. So she decided to come up with her own set of tips and recipes for eating well on $4 a day.

Glowing bacteria is part of a project on the open-source laboratory Arcturus BioCloud.

Biohackers Aim To Make Homebrew Insulin, But Don't Try It Yet

2:23pm July 30, 2015

by Miriam E. Tucker

Insulin can be expensive even with insurance, and millions of people need it to stay alive. Proponents of the biohacking movement say it should be possible to make it safely and cheaply.

Frustration with a crying baby can lead some parents and caregivers to shake a baby.

Doctors Devise A Better Way To Diagnose Shaken Baby Syndrome

10:30am July 30, 2015

by Tara Haelle

Doubters have said that merely shaking a baby can't cause brain damage or death. Listing six injuries associated with the syndrome will make it easier to identify child abuse, a study says.

A Yale University study analyzed the experience of 60 million Americans covered by traditional Medicare between 1999 and 2013, and found "jaw-dropping improvements in almost every area," the lead author says.

Happy 50th Birthday, Medicare. Your Patients Are Getting Healthier

8:49am July 30, 2015

by Richard Harris

The past 15 years have seen a drop in deaths and hospitalizations among Medicare patients — people 65 and older. Teasing out why is tricky, but it seems a good trend for the 50-year-old program.

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Anil Ananthaswamy is a consultant for New Scientist Magazine.

A Sense Of Self: What Happens When Your Brain Says You Don't Exist

8:49am July 30, 2015

In his new book, The Man Who Wasn't There, Anil Ananthaswamy examines the ways people think of themselves — and how those perceptions can be distorted by certain brain conditions.

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"It now pays to get a lot of pleasure out of a little bit of sugar," says Danielle Reed, a scientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center.

The Gene For Sweet: Why We Don't All Taste Sugar The Same Way

7:00pm July 29, 2015

by Eliza Barclay

We know that a gene can determine how strongly we experience bitter flavors. Scientists wanted to know if this was also true for sweet. Their study shows genetics may affect our taste for sugar, too.

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At a camp for overweight children in Beijing, students stretch after taking a swim.

Some Chinese Grandparents Are Making Their Grandkids Fat

6:36pm July 29, 2015

by Linda Poon

A new study shows that children in China who are mainly cared for by grandparents instead of Mom and Dad are twice as likely to be overweight — contributing to the country's obesity epidemic.