Humans

Working memory is what allows the brain to retain a new piece of information even when our attention is temporarily directed elsewhere.

Zap! Magnet Study Offers Fresh Insights Into How Memory Works

6:25pm December 01, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

A magnetic pulse to a certain spot in the brain of healthy volunteers restored recently "forgotten" thoughts, researchers found. The study is shifting the understanding of short-term recall.

Queue Listen Now

6 Potential Brain Benefits Of Bilingual Education

11:09am November 29, 2016

by Anya Kamenetz

Kids are showing reading gains in dual-language classrooms. There may be underlying brain advantages at work.

Nick Fugate (center) with his parents, Julie and Ron, has been adjusting to life on Kansas' waiting list to get life-assistance services through Medicaid.

To Get Disability Help In Kansas, Thousands Face A 7-Year Wait

11:07am November 28, 2016

by Alex Smith

Nick Fugate has a cognitive disability, but held a job and was independent for years. Then he lost his dishwashing job and learned there are long delays getting help he needs from Medicaid in Kansas.

Queue Listen Now

People stare, point, and laugh at boy with dyslexia who is trapped inside a letter.

Millions Have Dyslexia, Few Understand It

8:31am November 28, 2016

by Gabrielle Emanuel

It's the most common learning disability, yet it's still hard to answer the question: What is it? An NPR reporter who has dyslexia talks with other people — young and old — in search of answers.

CDC Study: Babies Of Mothers With Zika Didn't Show Symptoms For Months

8:39am November 27, 2016

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found some of the babies didn't show symptoms of microcephaly for months. NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks to the CDC's Dr. Denise Jamieson.

Science

Researchers Explore The Struggle Of Recognizing Faces

4:29pm November 24, 2016

by Shankar Vedantam

Being able to recognize faces is a crucial part of life. But why are some of us so good or bad at it, and how skilled at it are we on average? The answers might surprise you.

A football field makes an enormous (and illuminating) timeline.

Watch Earth's History Play Out On A Football Field

4:39pm November 22, 2016

by Adam Cole

If our planet's 4.5 billion-year existence were laid out on a 100-yard timeline, when and where would humans first show up? Good question. NPR's Skunk Bear hits the gridiron for a reality check.

Stephen Agyei (left) and Roy Wood Jr. talk about what it takes to make it in comedy.

Arts

To Make It In Comedy You Have To Bet On Yourself

4:39pm November 22, 2016

by NPR Staff

Stephen Agyei is a Denver-based comedian who's ready to quit his day job and take his comedy full time. The Daily Show's Roy Wood Jr.'s advice? Move to a coast.

Education may help brains cope with cognitive decline, and treatments for high blood pressure and other health problems may decrease dementia risk.

Dementia Risk Declines, And Education May Be One Reason Why

11:50am November 22, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

The prevalence of Alzheimer's and other dementias declined by almost 3 percent from 2000 to 2012, a study finds. That could be a result of people getting more education, and better health overall.

Queue Listen Now

Protest signs at the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board's meeting Saturday in Marathon, Fla.

Florida Keys Approves Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Fight Zika

2:58pm November 20, 2016

by Greg Allen

In the Florida Keys, no cases of locally transmitted Zika have been reported, but officials have decided to go ahead with trials of a genetically modified mosquito to combat the spread of the disease.

Queue Listen Now