Health & Science

NPR

Health

The WHO is seeking a new treaty on handling future pandemics. It could be a hard sell

4 years ago

Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies before the Senate

NPR

Health

Fauci says the omicron variant will inevitably appear in the U.S.

4 years ago

Travellers walk near an electronic flight notice board displaying cancelled flights at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on November 27, 2021, after several countries banned flights from South Africa following the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant Omicron. - A flurry of countries around the world have banned ban flights from southern Africa following the discovery of the variant, including the United States, Canada, Australia,Thailand, Brazil and several European countries. The main countries targeted by the shutdown include South Africa, Botswana, eSwatini (Swaziland), Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. (Photo by Phill Magakoe / AFP) (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)

NPR

Health

The omicron variant spreads across Europe as new travel bans take effect

4 years ago

Three generations, (from left to right) grandmother Genoveva Calloway, daughter Petra Gonzales, and granddaughter Vanesa Quintero sit together in their shared backyard in San Pablo on Nov. 3, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

NPR

Health

COVID hit 13 members of their family the first time. A year later it struck again

4 years ago

A petrol attendant stands next to a newspaper headline in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. As the world grapples with the emergence of the new variant of COVID-19, scientists in South Africa — where omicron was first identified — are scrambling to combat its spread across the country. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

NPR

Health

How vaccine makers plan to address the new COVID-19 omicron variant

4 years ago

In this Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016 photo, Chinese doctor Peng Limei looks at a CT scan of a lung cancer patient at the Jingdong Zhongmei private hospital in Yanjiao, China's Hebei Province. As China considers a nationwide ban on smoking indoors, the fight is well underway in Beijing, which banned smoking in restaurants and other public places 18 months ago. Zealous volunteers and anti-smoking advocates have made some headway against millions of occasionally intransigent smokers and the state-run cigarette monopoly, a large and powerful force in China’s government and economy

Health

Physicians urge preventative screenings this Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Lung cancer kills more people in the U.S. each year than colon, breast or prostate cancer combined. Screening can catch it while it’s treatable.

4 years ago

A sign reading ’Stay safe’ in Regent Street, in London, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. A slew of nations moved to stop air travel from southern Africa on Friday, and stocks plunged in Asia and Europe in reaction to news of a new, potentially more transmissible COVID-19 variant

Health

COVID variant spreads to more countries as world on alert

The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus has popped up in more European countries, just days after being identified in South Africa.

4 years ago

People line up to get on the Air France flight to Paris at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday Nov. 26, 2021. A slew of nations moved to stop air travel from southern Africa on Friday in reaction to news of a new, potentially more transmissible COVID-19 variant that has been detected in South Africa. Scientists say it is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country's most populous province

Health

Omicron: What is this new COVID variant in South Africa?

In a statement on Friday, the World Health Organization designated it as a “variant of concern."

4 years ago

Health

FDA: Merck COVID pill effective, experts will review safety

U.S. health officials say Merck's experimental COVID-19 pill is effective but they raised questions about its safety during pregnancy.

4 years ago

People lineup to get vaccinated at a shopping mall in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday Nov. 26, 2021. A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province

Health

New omicron variant stokes world fears, triggers travel bans

A World Health Organization panel has classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern.

4 years ago

A human head shaped by colorful pixels of light

The Pulse

Science

How We Process Information

The human brain has an incredible capacity for processing information, from sensory data, to casual conversations, to everything we hear ...

Air Date: November 26, 2021

Listen 48:10

Auditory processing disorder refers to any failure along the pathway, from our ears into our brains. (carloscastilla /bigstock)

The Pulse

Science

Trouble understanding, but your hearing checks out fine. What’s at play?

Researchers are strategizing ways to discover whether auditory processing disorders are at play.

4 years ago

Listen 12:24

Brian Catania works aide Taylor Putnam through the Row Dog, one of the six core activation exercises he and Travis Ross developed.

Health

NFL puts core strengthening program of Delaware therapists in its playbook

One devotee of the training and stretching technique is Delaware native Troy Reeder, who starts at linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams.

4 years ago

Native tribes have responded to the pandemic with creative ways to stay connected. Veronica Concho and Raymond Concho Jr. grew traditional Pueblo foods and Navajo crops with their grandchildren Kaleb and Kateri Allison-Burbank in Waterflow, N.M.
(Joshuaa Allison-Burbank/NPR)

NPR

Health

Hit hard by COVID, Native Americans come together to protect families and elders

4 years ago

Black Friday shoppers wearing face masks wait in line to enter a store at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif., Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Health

Holiday season moves into high gear but challenges remain

The big question is how much will supply shortages, higher prices and staffing issues dampen shoppers’ mood this holiday season.

4 years ago

Studio 2

Listen Live

Here and Now

Health & Science