Humans

Australia had a particularly hard flu season this year, which may predict similar challenges for the U.S.

In The U.S., Flu Season Could Be Unusually Harsh This Year

5:34pm December 08, 2017

by Rob Stein

Health officials fear the U.S. may have a nasty flu season because the main flu virus circulating this year tends to hit people hard and the flu vaccine may be weaker than normal.

Wanda and Shalon were so close, "they were like the Gilmore Girls," one friend said.

Black Mothers Keep Dying After Giving Birth. Shalon Irving's Story Explains Why

7:51pm December 07, 2017

Black women are three times more likely to die from complications of childbirth than white women in the U.S. Racism, and the stress it causes, can play a leading role in that disparity.

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I guess it's too late to change my mind.

Why Your Brain Has Trouble Bailing Out Of A Bad Plan

4:40pm December 07, 2017

by Jon Hamilton

Researchers say it takes a lot of brainpower to stop an action, once it's underway. A study found that when people have to change a planned movement, 11 different brain areas have to get involved.

Researchers Look For Gun Violence Clues In Google Searches And Background Checks

2:01pm December 07, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

After the 2012 mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., there was a spike in gun sales. A study examined the spike and links increased gun exposure to more accidental firearm deaths.

An artist's rendering of ripples in space-time.

Science

Strange Parallels: Alternative Histories In Physics And Culture

1:14pm December 07, 2017

by Paul Halpern

Ideas of parallel universes and alternative histories, once confined to mere rumination about lost opportunities and fictional scenarios, are now a part of science, says guest writer Paul Halpern.

Even Low-Dose Contraceptives Slightly Increase Breast Cancer Risk

10:22am December 07, 2017

by Patti Neighmond

The absolute risk is very low. But low-dose formulations of birth control pills and other hormone-releasing contraceptives pose about the same risk to breasts as older formulations, a big study finds.

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The science process can teach us about life, too, says Marcelo Gleiser.

Science

Can Science Teach Us Something About How To Live?

1:37pm December 06, 2017

by Marcelo Gleiser

In science, and in life, there is an artful balance between being cautious and adventurous; to find the balance takes experimentation, tolerance for mistakes, and humility, says Marcelo Gleiser.

National

Homeless Good Samaritan Is Homeless No Longer

9:20pm December 05, 2017

by Richard Gonzales

A woman aided by a homeless man on an interstate exit ramp late one night raises almost $400,000 to say thank you. He's bought himself a home.

Audrey Degraaf (left) found out this summer that she's pregnant with triplets. Lorie Shelley gave birth to triplets — two boys and a girl — nearly 20 years ago.

Arts

Color Coding Your Babies And Other Tips For Raising Triplets

8:01pm December 05, 2017

by Luke Vander Ploeg

Audrey Degraaf is having triplets and is pretty terrified. Lorie Shelley just sent her triplets to college. Get ready for exhaustion and giggling, and to be amazed at your capacity for love, she says.

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The first baby born as a result of a womb transplant in the United States in the neonatal unit at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

First Baby Born To U.S. Uterus Transplant Patient Raises Ethics Questions

5:34pm December 05, 2017

by Greta Jochem

A woman who received a uterus transplant recently delivered a healthy baby boy. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with the doctors working on the experiment about its ethics, risk, and cost implications.

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