National

Electrical impulses generated by a pacemaker-like device are transmitted to the vagus nerve by electrodes.

A Weight-Loss Device Aims To Curb Hunger By Zapping A Nerve

11:56am January 16, 2015

by Alison Bruzek

A surgically implanted device similar to a pacemaker gained FDA approval after showing some weight loss in people who are obese. But people in a study who had sham devices lost weight, too.

A new U.S. citizen holds an American flag during a naturalization ceremony in July. An Arizona law will require graduating high school seniors to pass the same civics test given to candidates for U.S. citizenship.

Arizona 1st In Nation To Require High Schoolers To Pass Civics Test

11:18am January 16, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The state's governor signed a bill into law that will require graduates to pass the same civics test given to candidates for U.S. citizenship. Similar measures are being considered in other states.

Martin Pistorius sometime between 1990 and 1994, when he was unable to communicate.

Trapped In His Body For 12 Years, A Man Breaks Free

10:43am January 16, 2015

by Lulu Miller

Martin Pistorius spent more than a decade unable to move or communicate, fearing he would be alone, trapped, forever. NPR's new show Invisibilia tells how his mind helped him create a new life.

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Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, will deliver the GOP response to the president's State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 20.

Iowa's Sen. Ernst Grabs Spotlight That's Often Proven Too Hot

10:43am January 16, 2015

by Ron Elving

As often as not, the opportunity to speak right after the president has been the kiss of death for aspiring politicians — especially for the GOP during the Obama years.

National

Tech Giants Will Pay $415 Million To Settle Employees' Lawsuit

10:04am January 16, 2015

Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe were accused of colluding to keep tech worker salaries low and avoid recruiting one another's employees.

Tilda the orangutan, relaxing between gabfests at the Cologne Zoo.

From The Mouths Of Apes, Babble Hints At Origins of Human Speech

8:56am January 16, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

You say banana; this orangutan says ... well, it's hard to tell what she's saying. But the rhythmic, speechlike sounds of the zoo-dwelling ape have started scientists talking.

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Alaska: home to Denali National Park and Preserve, grizzly bears and some very pricey health insurance.

Health Insurance Prices: Highest In Alaska, Lowest In Sun Belt

8:56am January 16, 2015

by Jordan Rau

A look at the 10 least and 10 most expensive places for health insurance shows a wide gap in prices for the same level of coverage.

Dr. Leana Wen became Baltimore's health commissioner on Thursday.

Why I Left The ER To Run Baltimore's Health Department

8:56am January 16, 2015

by Leana Wen

Dr. Leana Wen decided to leave frontline medical care to tend to the city of Baltimore's health needs. Geography and circumstance shouldn't determine someone's health destiny, she says.

Geniuses in movies aren't always played by Benedict Cumberbatch, but they are almost always men.

Do Fictional Geniuses Hold Back Real Women?

8:39am January 16, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

A new study finds that the academic disciplines most associated with "geniuses" are also the fields in which women are underrepresented.

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Bar-headed geese after a molt, hobnobbing in Mongolia.

Highflying Geese Save Energy By Swooping Like A Roller Coaster

7:59am January 16, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

They could shoot up to 24,000 feet and maintain that altitude in a long-distance migration across the Himalayas. But it's more efficient for bar-headed geese to soar and dive, scientists find.

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