Science

Screening for lung cancer can catch tumors but it can also produce false positives. Patients need to decide whether it's right for them, but doctors often don't know how to advise them.

Should You Get That Scan? Your Doctor Might Not Be Great At Helping You Decide

5:55pm August 18, 2018

In a new study, researchers found that doctors are better at explaining the benefits of a common cancer screening that its potential downsides. But overtesting comes with risks and costs of its own.

Science

Eyeliner On Spiders: It's For Science

8:27am August 18, 2018

NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with University of Florida scientist Lisa Taylor about her lab's use of human makeup in experiments about spider coloration and mating.

'Ticker' And Building An Artificial Heart

8:27am August 18, 2018

NPR's Jennifer Ludden speak with author Mimi Swartz about her new book, Ticker. It tells the story of the quest to build an artificial heart.

Paul Gilding: How Do We Continue To Grow If The Earth Has Reached Its Limit?

10:04am August 17, 2018

by NPR/TED Staff

Environmental activist Paul Gilding says the world has been growing too fast for too long. And now...the Earth is full. The only solution, he says, is to radically change the way we consume.

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What Exactly Is K2, The Synthetic Cannabinoid?

6:20pm August 16, 2018

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks to Dr. Kathryn Hawk, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, about synthetic marijuana, also known as K2.

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Victoria gave birth to her daughter Lili while in treatment for opioid dependency.

Babies Born Dependent On Opioids Need Touch, Not Tech

6:03pm August 16, 2018

by Alex Smith

A pediatrician is working to make sure every hospital in Kansas can give babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome the soft start they need, ideally right next to their mothers.

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Science

A Grand Noodle Riddle, Cracked: Here's How To Snap Spaghetti Into Just 2 Pieces

6:01pm August 16, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

Humankind has long been taunted by the puzzle. Well, we've got some breaking news, folks — or at any rate some big news about breaking: The answer involves one very big twist.

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Patient Aaron Reid receives (CAR) T-cell therapy at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. The process took five minutes to complete.

Scientists Race To Improve 'Living Drugs' To Fight Cancer

1:31pm August 16, 2018

by Rob Stein

Researchers are working on better ways to teach patients' immune systems to root out and kill malignant cells. A promising approach involves cells that attack cancer two ways at one time.

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James Rees, left, and Nicholas Pinter of the University of California, Davis, gather housing data in the town of Odanah, Wis.

Wisconsin Reservation Offers A Climate Success Story And A Warning

8:17pm August 15, 2018

by Rebecca Hersher

Climate change is causing more severe flooding around the country, and a disproportionate number of Native American communities are on the front lines.

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By Creating Habitats For Monarch Butterflies In Cities, Scientists Hope To Save Them

5:34pm August 15, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

As summer draws to a close, conservationists are getting ready for the annual Monarch butterfly migration. One scientist thinks the best way to help the migration is to create more Monarch habitats in big cities.

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