Research News

Science

Natural History Museums Rife With Mislabeled Specimens, Researchers Find

4:14pm November 17, 2015

As many as half of all natural history specimens sitting in our museums are mislabeled, according to a team at the University of Oxford and the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.NPR hears from Zoe Goodwin who is the lead author the study.

An image from the Allen Institute's Brain Explorer shows gene expression across the human brain.

A Genetic Map Hints At What Makes A Brain Human

7:20pm November 16, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

Differences in the patterns of genes that are turned on in brains of people and mice suggest glial cells may have helped humans develop brains that can acquire language and solve complex problems.

Queue Listen Now

People who drank three to five cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of premature death than those who didn't drink, a new study finds.

Drink To Your Health: Study Links Daily Coffee Habit To Longevity

5:29pm November 16, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

People who drank three to five cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of premature death than those who didn't drink, a new study finds. Decaf seems to have the same benefit.

Kate Teague, a registered nurse at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, in Palo Alto, Calif., holds a premature baby's hand.

In Caring For Sickest Babies, Doctors Now Tap Parents For Tough Calls

3:43pm November 16, 2015

by Jenny Gold

Doctors were once unquestioned authorities on how aggressively to treat the sickest and most premature babies. Then parents started pushing back for more say. The responsibility can be excruciating.

Queue Listen Now

Science

Despite Encouragement To Eat Better, Obesity Rises Among U.S. Adults

10:29pm November 14, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

The number of obese Americans is up, especially for middle-aged adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 36 percent of adults and 17 percent of youth under 19 are obese.

Queue Listen Now

Omar looks through Kai's photo book. The charges for the infant's six months of care in the neonatal intensive care unit totaled about $11 million, according to the family, though their insurer very likely negotiated a lower rate.

An Ill Newborn, A Loving Family And A Litany Of Wrenching Choices

6:01pm November 13, 2015

by Jenny Gold

As families consider how far to push an infant's medical care, a chasm can open between the parents' hopes and what doctors and nurses consider realistic. How do you measure a baby's quality of life?

Queue Listen Now

Science

Can Life Insurance Affect The Propensity To Commit Suicide?

2:17pm November 12, 2015

by Shankar Vedantam

Economists talk about moral hazards. When you protect people against risk you prevent bad things from happening. But something curious happens: Some start to take more risks because they feel safer.

Queue Listen Now

Researchers at Brown University's computer science department are studying whether a robot called Baxter can be taught to pick up different objects.

Science

How Can Robots Learn New Tasks? Practice, Practice, Practice

8:41pm November 11, 2015

by Joe Palca

Even the smartest robot does a miserable job picking up objects it hasn't been programmed to recognize. One way robots may get better at it is to learn by experience, a researcher says.

Queue Listen Now

A hollow log hive in the Cevennes region of France reveals the details of circular comb architecture of the Western honeybee. New research shows the partnership between humans and bees goes back to the beginnings of agriculture.

Science

Farmers Have Been Enjoying The Fruits Of Bee Labor For 9,000 Years

4:10pm November 11, 2015

by Jeremy Cherfas

Bees play a vital role in pollinating the crops we eat. Turns out, that relationship with agriculture began shortly after the rise of settled farming, new research shows.

Birth control pills are 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy, research shows — but only if you remember to take them as prescribed. Rod-shaped implants, T-shaped IUDs and vaginal rings are other options.

More Women Opt For IUD, Contraceptive Implant For Birth Control

2:52pm November 10, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

The number of U.S. women choosing long-acting, reversible birth control methods has more than quadrupled since 2002, data suggest. Use of the pill, condoms and female sterilization has dipped a bit.