Humans

Nancy Writebol, a missionary who recovered from Ebola she contracted in Liberia in 2014, told a reporter last July that she was still experiencing knee pain and hadn't fully regained her energy.

From Joint Aches To Insomnia, Ebola's Effects Linger In Survivors

8:16pm December 16, 2015

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Ebola's physical legacy doesn't end when a patient leaves the hospital. A follow-up of the small group of patients treated in the U.S. finds many experienced various symptoms for months.

Ed White completes the first American space walk in 1965.

NASA Is Seeking Astronauts. Do You Have The Right Stuff?

7:59pm December 16, 2015

by Adam Cole

Less than 1 percent of applicants make the cut. But there's more than one way in. Passion helps. Be persistent. Oh, and be tops in what you're doing right now.

Queue Listen Now

Thomas Laqueur is a professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley. His other books include Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud and Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation.

Bodies Through Time: A Historian Traces Our Evolving Relationship With The Dead

12:40pm December 16, 2015

Thomas Laqueur, author of The Work of the Dead, discusses the ways people have dealt with human remains over the course of history. Modern cemeteries, he says, are byproducts of the French Revolution.

Queue Listen Now

Martha Lucia (from left), Bienvendida Barreno and Jorge Baquero discuss health insurance options with agents from Sunshine Life and Health Advisors at a Miami mall last month.

Obamacare Sign-Ups Could Get A Bump As Higher Penalties Kick In

9:14pm December 15, 2015

by Alison Kodjak

The deadline for buying health insurance that starts Jan. 1 has arrived. Many people who lack coverage in 2016 will face fines that could reach thousands of dollars.

Queue Listen Now

Climate scientists who scrutinized the U.N. accord are urging citizens to keep a sharp eye on each nation's leaders to make sure they follow through on pledges to reduce emissions.

Scientists See U.N. Climate Accord As A Good Start, But Just A Start

5:18pm December 15, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Many analyzing the deal hammered out in Paris say it's way better than no plan at all. But proof, they warn, will be in the execution of efforts to cap global temperature rise at 2 degrees C or less.

Queue Listen Now

Carmen Smith now gets the insulin she needs via her doctor's prescription. When she lacked health insurance, buying a version of the medicine over the counter was cheaper, she says. But it was hard to get the dose right.

You Can Buy Insulin Without A Prescription, But Should You?

12:22pm December 14, 2015

by Sarah Jane Tribble

Versions sold over the counter are based on older formulas and make tight control of blood sugar harder. But they're cheaper and might save a patient with diabetes whose alternative is to go without.

Queue Listen Now

Cessation of breathing is a rare, but serious risk for some children who take cough syrup or painkillers that contain codeine, research shows. Advisers to the FDA say no one under 18 should take the drug.

Limits Urged On The Use Of Codeine To Stop Kids' Coughs And Pain

1:46pm December 11, 2015

by Rob Stein

Codeine can trigger rare, but life-threatening, breathing problems in kids. Food and Drug Administration advisers want to more tightly restrict the drug's use by anyone under 18.

Queue Listen Now

Fear of cancer's return may be driving women with an early diagnosis of breast cancer to have one or both breasts removed, though research shows milder treatment is just as effective.

Mastectomy No Better Than Lumpectomy For Early Breast Cancer

7:23pm December 10, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

A comparison of common treatments for early-stage breast cancer finds lumpectomy with radiation is essentially equal to breast removal in terms of recurrence and survival, with fewer complications.

Study Finds Happiness Doesn't Guarantee Longer Life

7:10pm December 10, 2015

A recent study finds that being happy doesn't always mean living longer.

Queue Listen Now

Condoms are seen on the production line at the Unidus Corp. factory in Jeungpyeong, South Korea.

The CDC Gives U.S. Schools Low Marks In Sex Ed

8:45am December 10, 2015

by Meg Anderson

The topics least likely to be taught were how to get and use condoms. See the breakdown of which subjects make it into the classroom, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.