Science

Dr. Janina Morrison, right, speaks with patient Jorge Colorado and his daughter Margarita Lopez about Colorado's diabetes at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

Community Health Workers Reach Some Patients That Doctors Can't

2:51pm October 29, 2015

by Anna Gorman

Los Angeles is finding that community health workers — problem solvers who are untrained in medicine, but fluent in compassion — can be key to helping the county's sickest and neediest get better.

Why Fighting Climate Change Requires Changing The Narrative

10:41pm October 28, 2015

by Adam Frank

NPR blogger Adam Frank says Americans need to stop carrying the guilt of climate change, so that we can move on and fix it.

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The Lone Star Tick May Be Spreading A New Disease Across America

4:15pm October 28, 2015

by Rae Ellen Bichell

An uptick in cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever might actually be due to a newer tick-borne bacterium. It looks like it's causing milder infections — and a lot of confusion.

E-cigarettes work by heating up a fluid that contains the drug nicotine, producing a vapor that users inhale. The devices are most popular among young adults, ages 18 to 24, a federal survey indicates.

Most E-Cigarette Users Are Current And Ex-Smokers, Not Newbies

3:06pm October 28, 2015

by Rob Stein

A large study suggests some may use e-cigarettes to quit smoking tobacco. But the survey also shows that nearly 10 percent of young adults who have never smoked tobacco have used the devices.

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A young boy talks with Tina Cloer, director of the Children's Bureau, in Indianapolis. The nonprofit shelter takes in children from the state's Department of Child Services when a suitable foster family can't be found. Cloer says the average length of sta

Heroin, Opioid Abuse Put Extra Strain On U.S. Foster Care System

6:59pm October 27, 2015

by Jake Harper

Roughly 265,000 U.S. kids entered foster care last year — the highest number since 2008. Officials say the abuse of heroin or prescription painkillers by more parents is one reason for the increase.

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Science

Candy For Your Vote, Kid? A Test Of Political Bribery

12:52pm October 27, 2015

by Shankar Vedantam

NPR's Shankar Vedantam tells Steve Inskeep about a Halloween experiment to see whether children can be swayed to change their political preferences with candy.

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Bad Day For Bacon: Processed Meats Cause Cancer, WHO Says

8:39pm October 26, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

The World Health Organization's decision puts bacon, hot dogs and sausages in the same category of cancer risk as tobacco smoking. And beef, pork, veal and lamb are "probably carcinogenic," WHO says.

'East Los High' Serves Up Sex Ed With Its Teen Drama

7:08pm October 26, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

For three seasons, fans have flocked to Hulu for East Los High. The teen soap follows its characters through the tumult of adolescence and uses a secret weapon to deliver life lessons along the way.

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How many hot dogs are safe to eat? We tackle your questions about an expert panel's conclusion that processed meats are carcinogenic.

Processed And Red Meat Could Cause Cancer? Your Questions Answered

6:35pm October 26, 2015

by NPR Staff

An expert panel's conclusion that hot dogs and yes, even turkey bacon are carcinogenic had many of you wanting more details. Which cancers? How much is safe to eat? We tackle your questions.

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Science

The Science Of A Cyclone: Dissecting Hurricane Patricia

2:41pm October 26, 2015

David Greene talks to tropical meteorologist Kristen Corbosiero of the University of Albany in New York about what made the once-mighty Hurricane Patricia so powerful and unpredictable.

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