Humans

The Haven for Hope, a homeless shelter in San Antonio, is one of dozens of locations around 20 South Texas counties where people are now being tested for latent tuberculosis infections.

South Texas Fights Tuberculosis One Blood Test At A Time

1:21pm August 04, 2017

by Wendy Rigby

Texas has one of the highest rates of TB among U.S. states. A sweeping effort is underway, largely funded by Medicaid, to diagnose and treat people who don't know they harbor the lung infection.

Blogger Alva Noe asks: Is putting an information chip under your skin really different from wearing one on your arm?

Science

Technology Gets Under The Skin

8:54am August 04, 2017

by Alva Noë

Last week, a Wisconsin company offered its employees the option to have a chip inserted into their bodies in an effort to help them navigate the workplace. Alva Noë asks: What's the big deal?

University of Vermont medical students in the school's new Larner classroom, built to facilitate the active learning environment.

Vermont Medical School Says Goodbye To Lectures

4:57pm August 03, 2017

The University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine is planning to phase out lectures by 2019. The dean behind the effort says lectures aren't good at engaging learners.

This June 2008 photo shows an ancient Aboriginal rock carving in the Burrup Peninsula in the north of Western Australia.

Science

Animal Images In Prehistoric Rock Art: Looking Beyond Europe

8:25am August 03, 2017

by Barbara J. King

Animals are depicted in rock art in more than 100 countries, not just in the famous "painted caves" of Europe. Barbara J. King talks to an archaeologist with a global view of human meaning-making.

The first sign of successful in vitro fertilization, after co-injection of a gene-correcting enzyme and sperm from a donor with a genetic mutation known to cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Scientists Precisely Edit DNA In Human Embryos To Fix A Disease Gene

10:33pm August 02, 2017

by Rob Stein

In experimental embryos, scientists were able to repair the gene that causes a serious heart disorder. More research is needed to confirm the method would produce healthy babies, they say.

Queue Listen Now

Indian female farmers sow paddy in a field during monsoon season near Allahabad on July 19, 2014. The monsoon rains, which usually hit India from June to September, are crucial for farmers whose crops feed hundreds of millions of people.

Carbon Dioxide May Rob Crops Of Nutrition, Leaving Millions At Risk

2:30pm August 02, 2017

by Courtney Columbus

Two new studies suggest that changing atmospheric conditions could reduce protein and iron in food, leading to more health problems for people in countries where malnutrition is already a problem.

Sunset at Paranal Observatory in northern Chile.

Science

Why We Are Naively Optimistic About Climate Change

8:36am August 02, 2017

by Marcelo Gleiser

Unfortunately, we are failing in the goal to make our children's world better than our own — and those who deny it won't have to see the consequences of their choices, says blogger Marcelo Gleiser.

Proper eye protection is a must for anyone looking up at a solar eclipse. Eclipse glasses are far darker than regular sunglasses.

Planning To Watch The Eclipse? Here's What You Need To Protect Your Eyes

4:29pm August 01, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A total solar eclipse is one of the most magnificent sights you can ever see. But you need the right kind of eye protection, and some of what's being sold out there isn't safe.

Queue Listen Now

After 400-grandmas back, your ancestors start to look less and less like modern-day humans, says Adam Frank.

Science

Who Were Your Millionth-Great-Grandparents?

1:02pm August 01, 2017

by Adam Frank

Our pre-human ancestors are back there somewhere in the deep time that makes up Earth's braided history of life and change — and we are the tip of the spear moving that life forward, says Adam Frank.

While the number of Asian-Americans lawyers and law students increased greatly in recent decades, there are still few Asian-American lawyers in top positions in the legal field.

National

What's Keeping Asian-American Lawyers From Ascending The Legal Ranks?

6:00pm July 31, 2017

by Kat Chow

While the number of Asian-Americans lawyers and law students increased greatly in recent decades, there are few Asian-American lawyers in top positions in the legal field.