Humans

Helping those who are suffering know they are not alone is one step toward suicide prevention, researchers say.

U.S. Suicide Rates Are Rising Faster Among Women Than Men

2:38pm June 14, 2018

by Rhitu Chatterjee

You can help prevent suicide, researchers say, by knowing the signs and reaching out. More boys and men in the U.S. take their own lives than women and girls, but that difference has narrowed.

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Victorian print of a large dinner party of dogs in formalwear and cat servants; hand-colored engraving, 1893.

Science

Hungry, Hungry Hippocampus: Why and How We Eat

9:00pm June 11, 2018

Food fills many of our needs. Hunger is just one. Paul Rozin explains the profound role that food plays in our lives.

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If you start to feel hangry, eat something!

How Hunger Pangs Can Make Nice People 'Hangry'

5:00pm June 11, 2018

by Angus Chen

For someone to become "hangry," context is key. People need to be in a negative situation or subject to negative stimuli to have a hangry response.

The Perils Of Pushing Kids Too Hard, And How Parents Can Learn To Back Off

5:00pm June 11, 2018

Part of a parent's job is to help kids do their best, but pushing too hard can backfire. Research shows kids in high-achieving communities are at higher risk of anxiety, depression and substance use.

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CRISPR and other gene technology is exciting, but shouldn't be seen as a panacea for treating illness linked to genetic mutations, says science columnist and author Carl Zimmer. It's still early days for the clinical applications of research.

A Science Writer Explores The 'Perversions And Potential' Of Genetic Tests

3:07pm June 11, 2018

by Terry Gross

Carl Zimmer wondered what secrets lurked in his genetic code — so he decided to have his genome sequenced. He writes about the implications of the study of genetics in She Has Her Mother's Laugh.

Want Your Child To Eat (Almost) Everything? There Is A Way

8:09pm June 09, 2018

by Maria Godoy

Giving kids a diet varied in flavors and textures from the get-go can help them be more open to trying new foods. The problem is America's food landscape makes that ideal hard to live up to.

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Some ancient statues on Easter Island wear multi-ton stone "hats" known as pukao. A team of researchers say that a technique called parbuckling was most likely used to move the hats into place.

How Did Easter Islanders Lift Statues' 13-Ton Hats? Researchers May Have The Answer

9:05pm June 07, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

3-D models show that grooves had been worn down the center of the stones, suggesting that a technique known as parbuckling might have been used.

A diamondback rattlesnake — not this one — injected a Texas man with a dangerous dose of venom even though it had been decapitated. The man is in stable condition.

Science

Man Kills Snake; Snake Tries To Kill Him Back

7:14pm June 07, 2018

by Vanessa Romo

Trying to save his wife from a diamondback rattler, Jeremy Sutcliffe decapitated the snake with a shovel. But when he went to pick up the head, it bit him — delivering a near deadly dose of venom.

Making food allergy awareness part of the curriculum may help prevent bullies from using these foods as a threat.

Parents, Schools Step Up Efforts To Combat Food-Allergy Bullying

8:00am June 05, 2018

by Tove Danovich

Up to 32 percent of kids with food allergies have been taunted with foods that make them sick. Schools are moving beyond allergy awareness and "nut-free zones" to address this dangerous behavior.

"I'm one of the lucky ones," says Judy Perkins, of the immunotherapy treatment she got. The experimental approach seems to have eradicated her metastatic breast cancer."

Therapy Made From Patient's Immune System Shows Promise For Advanced Breast Cancer

9:39pm June 04, 2018

by Rob Stein

An experimental therapy seems to have eradicated cancer in a patient with metastatic breast cancer who had failed every other treatment. The goal is to reliably repeat that success in more people.

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