Humans

Kenyan health officials take the temperatures of passengers arriving at the Nairobi airport on Thursday. Kenya has no reported cases of Ebola, but it's a transportation hub and so is on alert.

A Virtual Outbreak Offers Hints Of Ebola's Future

8:07pm August 14, 2014

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

As the Ebola outbreak rages in West Africa, it is also unfolding — in a virtual sense — inside the computers of scientists trying to predict how far the outbreak will spread and when it will end.

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Workplace drug testing for marijuana may need updating in light of changing laws, a case before the Colorado Supreme Court suggests.

Colorado Case Puts Workplace Drug Policies To The Test

5:23pm August 14, 2014

by Yuki Noguchi

The urine test employers typically use to detect marijuana picks up cannabis smoked or swallowed days or weeks earlier. Should firms be allowed to fire workers who legally use marijuana at home?

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A Scientist's Mission To Break The Itch-Scratch Cycle

2:49pm August 14, 2014

Dr. Gil Yosipovitch is a leading scientist in the field of itch. He says he hopes to gain more respect for the debilitating power of chronic itch — and to get more doctors on the search for a cure.

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This young male, buried at a prehistoric site in Central Sudan, probably munched on the roots of a plant called purple nutsedge.

This Dirty Little Weed May Have Cleaned Up Ancient Teeth

8:19am August 03, 2014

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Turns out that for 7,000 years, snacking on nutsedge may have helped people avoid tooth decay. But at some point, the root it lost its charm. By the 1970s, it was branded "the world's worst weed."

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Science

If Dogs Feel Jealousy, It May Run Deeper In Us Than We'd Thought

7:43am July 31, 2014

Dr. Christine Harris co-authored a study that examined whether dogs exhibit jealous behavior, hoping to see if jealousy is an emotion unique to humans. Audie Cornish asks Harris: Does it take complex cognitions to trigger the emotion?

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Will it rain or not? How you interpret the forecast could mean the difference between getting soaked or staying safe.

Pop Quiz: 20 Percent Chance Of Rain. Do You Need An Umbrella?

5:04pm July 23, 2014

by NPR Staff

What does a 20 percent chance of rain or snow actually mean? Interpreting probabilities in forecasts can be hard even for mathematicians and meteorologists — never mind the average person.

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One of three marijuana plants growing in the backyard of a 65-year-old retiree from Pompano Beach, Fla. He grows and smokes his own "happy grass" to alleviate pain.

Entrepreneurs Buzzing Over Medical Marijuana In Florida

9:57am June 30, 2014

by Greg Allen

Polls show that Sunshine State voters are likely to approve a measure legalizing medical marijuana in November. Businesses are already flocking to the state, eager to set up shop.

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Over the past century and a half, visitors have traveled through Yosemite on foot, by carriage, by tram and by car. Now some regions will be once again be accessible only by foot, to protect delicate regions of the park.

As Yosemite Park Turns 150, Charms And Challenges Endure

12:04am June 29, 2014

by Sasha Khokha

In 1864, Abraham Lincoln set aside the nation's first federally-protected wilderness areas. Visitors have enjoyed Yosemite's wonders ever since — sometimes to the point of endangering them.

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Doctors used a rapid DNA test to identify a Wisconsin teen's unusual infection with Leptospira bacteria (yellow), which are common in the tropics.

Quick DNA Tests Crack Medical Mysteries Otherwise Missed

9:07am June 07, 2014

by Richard Harris

Scientists used high-powered DNA sequencing to diagnose infections missed by usual lab tests. The pricey method is still experimental, but might offer a way to identify tough-to-diagnose infections.

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Science

How A Scientist Of Psychedelics Became The 'Godfather Of Ecstasy'

7:18pm June 04, 2014

The man known as the "godfather of ecstasy" has died at the age of 88. Scientist Alexander Shulgin rediscovered a chemical known as MDMA, which was eventually adopted as the club drug ecstasy.

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