Health & Safety

The reporter's kids, Sasha and Noa, both love falling asleep to lullabies. This is a sleeping self-portrait by Sasha, age 4. With great attention to detail, she has drawn the unicorns on her comforter.

A lullaby really can work magic. Science tells us why and how

2:18pm June 02, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Sometimes the right lullaby sends my kids off to dreamland so fast it makes me feel like I have a parenting superpower. Turns out the wonder of lullabies is confirmed by scientific research.

A new study finds that stimulating the brain during sleep can improve memory.

Scientists zap sleeping humans' brains with electricity to improve their memory

10:36am June 02, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

Scientists have shown that deep brain stimulation during sleep can help people retain new information. The approach could help people with memory problems related to disorders like Alzheimer's.

2 members of support group for living with mental illness find love in Utah

7:56am June 02, 2023

Julianne Larsen, who's been living with schizophrenia since her 20s, and Mar Fenix Nauta, who manages bipolar disorder and PTSD, discuss how they're about to celebrate 13 years as a couple.

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Health & Safety

In series 'From Birth To Death,' AP reporters examine health care and racism

5:10am June 02, 2023

At every stage of life, Black Americans grapple with health care challenges directly tied to racism. NPR's Michel Martin talks to Associated Press reporter Kat Stafford, about the year-long probe.

This week in science: a paralyzed man walks again and a sticker-like vaccine patch

4:42pm June 01, 2023

Short Wave hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber talk about a paralyzed man that walked again, a sticker vaccine and the science behind a crop of new RSV vaccines.

By boosting memory consolidation, scientists may be able to help Alzheimer's patients

4:19pm June 01, 2023

by Jon Hamilton

During sleep, the brain strengthens memories it expects to use in the future. Now, scientists say they've found a way to enhance this process. This research might someday help people with memory loss.

Joy Ryan and her grandson Brad at the National Park of American Samoa. The pair visited all 63 U.S. national parks together

Health & Safety

How a 93-year-old visited every national park and healed a family rift in the process

3:05pm June 01, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Grandma Joy Ryan, the 93-year-old behind @grandmajoysroadtrip on Instagram, says she's the "oldest old lady to ever visit every national park."

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Samira Muhammadi, the owner of Banowan-e-Afghan restaurant, prepares food for a birthday party.

Health & Safety

A pop-up restaurant in Kabul is run by women for women. The Taliban is watching

12:57pm June 01, 2023

by Maija Liuhto

This start-up aims to provide both food and economic opportunity to Afghan women. But success means first overcoming economic crises, cultural taboos and Taliban interference.

Health & Safety

The story of how the birth control pill was invented and tested

5:21am June 01, 2023

by Gabrielle Emanuel

As the FDA considers whether to make birth control pills available over the counter, some are looking back at the controversial history of the development of "the pill."

Many medical students do not attend lectures in the first two years, instead opting to watch recorded classes on their own time.

Medical students aren't showing up to class. What does that mean for future docs?

5:01am June 01, 2023

Most first- and second-year medical students don't attend lectures. A student and a professor suggest it's a good time to think a lot about medical education, starting with "flipping the classroom."