Health & Safety

In a village outside of Jenin, in the West Bank, Palestinian farmers harvest wheat early and burn the husks to yield the smoky, nutty grain known as freekeh.

Game For Ancient Grain: Palestinians Find Freekeh Again

7:03am May 26, 2015

by Daniella Cheslow

The young, roasted form of wheat has been eaten in the Middle East for millennia. But over time many Palestinians replaced it with rice. Now it's becoming a nutritious, native food worthy of pride.

World Health Organization Considers Measures To Quicken Outbreak Response

6:45pm May 25, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

The consensus is that the World Health Organization's performance on Ebola was miserable. At the agency's annual meeting, the WHO is set to adopt reforms to make sure what happened with Ebola doesn't happen again.

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Health & Safety

How Dangerous Is Powdered Alcohol?

6:54pm May 24, 2015

Last month, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved a powdered alcohol product, making both parents and lawmakers nervous. Some states have already banned powdered alcohol. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with Brent Roth of Wired, who made his own powdered concoction and put it to the test.

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The Speck air quality monitor costs $200, but is available to all through Pittsburgh's public library system.

A Home Air Quality Monitor That Can Be Checked Out From The Library

6:54pm May 24, 2015

by Larkin Page-Jacobs

In polluted Pittsburgh, a new device from a local university helps residents assess indoor air. It's not the only monitor on the market — but is the only one available to borrow from a public library.

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Francisco Ramirez, a sexual-health educator, offers free advice to a passerby.

Take It Outside: Teaching Sex Ed On The Streets Of New York

9:48pm May 23, 2015

by Jasmine Garsd

Sex education often occurs in one of two places: at home or at school. Francisco Ramirez is bringing the subject out into the open.

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Various food items that contained trans fats in November 2013. That month, the Food and Drug Administration first announced plans to ban partially hydrogenated vegetable oils from all food products. A final rule is expected any day now.

Adios, Trans Fats: FDA Poised To Phase Out Artery-Clogging Fat

5:39pm May 22, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

Any day now, the FDA could announce a final rule aimed at removing much of the remaining trans fats out of the food supply. It could amount to a near ban on the fats, which wreak cardiovascular havoc.

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This fungus among us — baker's yeast, aka Saccharomyces cerevisiae — is useful for more than just making bread.

You And Yeast Have More In Common Than You Might Think

4:02pm May 22, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Genetically, at least, not that much has changed in the billion years since you two last shared a relative. Roughly half the 500 genes yeast need for life are interchangeable with the human versions.

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Hope Barrone-Falk and J.D. Falk on their wedding day in 2009.

Coded Talk About Assisted Suicide Can Leave Families Confused

4:02pm May 22, 2015

by April Dembosky

In veiled conversations, some doctors may explain to dying patients how to hasten death. But overwhelmed families are left with profound questions and the feeling that no one can answer them.

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A 3-D simulation of a human heart created by The Living Heart project.

Health & Safety

The Future Of Cardiology Will Be Shown In 3-D

3:41pm May 22, 2015

by Christina Farr

The Living Heart Project aims to create a detailed simulation of the human heart that doctors and engineers can use to test experimental treatments and interventions.

National Geographic writer and explorer Dan Buettner studies the world's longest-lived peoples and their lifestyles.

What Are The Secrets of Centenarians?

1:45pm May 22, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

To find the path to long life and health, Dan Buettner studies the world's "Blue Zones," communities whose elders live longer than anyone else on the planet.

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