Science

By measuring activity in different parts of the brain, neuroscientsts can get a sense of how some people will respond to treatments.

Brain Scans May Help Predict Future Problems, And Solutions

5:55pm January 08, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

Brain imaging can help researchers tell if people are more likely to be able to quit smoking or have trouble with reading. But those tests aren't yet ready for the doctor's office or classroom.

Queue Listen Now

The human papilloma virus causes most — but not all — cases of cancer of the cervix.

Specialists Split Over HPV Test's Role In Cancer Screening

12:49pm January 08, 2015

by Rob Stein

An HPV test could replace the Pap smear for many women, two groups of physicians say. But other doctors, including the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, still urge dual testing.

Queue Listen Now

You don't want to run into methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria. A potential new antibiotic could help fight this bug.

Scientists Hit Antibiotic Pay Dirt Growing Finicky Bacteria In Lab

12:39pm January 08, 2015

by Richard Harris

A natural compound kills germs that have become resistant to antibiotics, researchers say. If it works in humans, it could help combat diseases like tuberculosis.

Queue Listen Now

A hand-drawn map on the wall of a rural clinic shows health workers where a woman with Ebola may be hiding.

As Ebola Pingpongs In Liberia, Cases Disappear Into The Jungle

9:47am January 08, 2015

by Kelly McEvers

A woman is thought to be spreading Ebola in a remote village. So health workers spend four hours trekking through the bush to track her down. By the time they make it, it's too late.

Queue Listen Now

Cape Cod's Offshore Wind Project In Jeopardy

6:17pm January 07, 2015

by Sean Corcoran

A controversial offshore wind project under development in Cape Cod has lost both of the buyers for its power. Without financing, Cape Wind is missing deadlines to deliver.

Queue Listen Now

Why The U.S. Still Bans Blood Donations From Some U.K. Travelers

6:17pm January 07, 2015

Rules governing who can donate blood in the United States have recently changed. But anyone who spent more than three months in the UK between 1980 and 1996 is still prohibited from donating.

Queue Listen Now

Kwesi Bido, 14, (right) stops to fix 13-year-old Inusa Mohammed's flip flop. Both spend evenings and weekends searching for scrap at Agbogbloshie, an electronic waste dump in Accra, Ghana.

A Shadow Economy Lurks In An Electronics Graveyard

3:53pm January 07, 2015

by NPR Staff

Two decades ago, the region of Agbogbloshie in Ghana was a lush mangrove swamp. Now, reporter and photographer Yepoka Yeebo explains, it's a vast dump full of electronic waste and young scavengers.

Queue Listen Now

Entrepreneurs Find Ways To Make Money From Carbon Emissions

3:52pm January 07, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

President Obama in September set a formidable goal for American industry and agriculture — reduce greenhouse gases by a quarter in 10 years. But several states are ahead of the game.

Queue Listen Now

The IUCN says the Atlantic bluefin tuna is endangered. Its stocks have declined globally between 29 percent and 51 percent over the past 21 to 39 years, according to the conservation group.

Why Some Chefs Just Can't Quit Serving Bluefin Tuna

2:28pm January 07, 2015

by Eliza Barclay

Japanese sushi chefs often can't resist bluefin tuna on offer. Some American chefs can't either, even though conservation groups and marine biologists have been badgering them about bluefin for years.

Dr. Richard Schlegel and postdoctoral fellow Nancy Palechor-Ceron use a microscope to look at human epithelial cells growing on mouse fibroblasts at Georgetown University Medical Center.

A Bed Of Mouse Cells Helps Human Cells Thrive In The Lab

12:35pm January 07, 2015

by Richard Harris

Researchers have developed a powerful method for growing human cells in the laboratory that has led to some unusual findings. Cell tests suggest a malaria drug might work against cervical cancer.

Queue Listen Now