Health & Safety

Perch exposed to the anxiety drug oxazepam were more daring and ate more quickly than fish that lived in drug-free water.

Traces Of Anxiety Drugs May Make Fish Act Funny

5:40pm February 14, 2013

by Richard Harris

Small amounts of the drugs that people take end up in wastewater and then in streams and rivers. It's usually not enough to harm the health of humans who swim in or drink the water. But there is growing evidence that pharmaceuticals in wastewater may affect wildlife.

Queue Listen Now

Notice anything unusual about this lung scan? Harvard researchers found that 83 percent of radiologists didn't notice the gorilla in the top right portion of this image.

Health & Safety

Why Even Radiologists Can Miss A Gorilla Hiding In Plain Sight

9:37am February 14, 2013

by Alix Spiegel

An attention researcher wanted to find out how radiologists would fare in a version of the famous Invisible Gorilla study. He found that 83 percent of the radiologists failed to spot an image of a gorilla on slides they were told to inspect for cancer. It's just one example of how, when people are asked to perform a challenging task, their attention can narrow and blocks things out.

Queue Listen Now

John David, 73, teaches fitness classes to help older people stay healthy and fit. Here he teaches an hourlong class at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

For One Senior, Working Past Retirement Age Is A Workout

8:29pm February 13, 2013

by Ina Jaffe

John David, 73, is one of the many faces of a growing group of Americans: seniors who work. The former TV producer switched careers in his 50s, becoming a fitness instructor. "This turned out to be the real calling," he says.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Governor Says NC Not Ready for Health Exchanges

11:24am February 12, 2013

Governor Pat McCrory issued a statement this morning, in which he said that, after reviewing the advantages and disadvantages of expanding Medicaid, he does not think North Carolina is ready to operate the health exchanges mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

Brad McDonald and his 14-year-old daughter, Madalyn, are working to understand each other during her teenage years.

Health & Safety

How Parents Can Learn To Tame A Testy Teenager

11:41am February 11, 2013

by Patti Neighmond

Whether fighting about texting or curfew, the key to resolving parent-child disputes is by helping them understand why they're angry in the first place. It usually turns out to be another stress like trouble at school or fear of embarrassment.

Queue Listen Now

Science of Slumber: How Sleep Affects Your Memory

3:55pm February 08, 2013

We spend a lot of time sleeping (roughly one-third of our lives, according to the National Institutes of Health). But how much downtime do our brains really need? Experts discuss the links between sleep, memory and cognition, and why our sleep patterns change as we age.

Queue Listen Now

Bonnie Brown with her daughter, Myra, 15. Despite Bonnie's disability, Myra says her mom is everything she needs from a parent.

A Life Defined Not By Disability, But Love

12:28pm February 08, 2013

by NPR Staff

When she was younger, Myra didn't realize her mom, Bonnie Brown, was "different" than most. Her mother's intellectual disability was only something she realized later when her mother told her, "I know I am not like your friends' mothers, but I'm doing the best I can."

Queue Listen Now

Home Care Aides Await Decision On New Labor Rules

4:11pm February 07, 2013

by NPR Staff

The industry has changed rapidly, but amendments exempting the workers from minimum wage and overtime pay have not. The Obama administration has yet to formally approve new rules, though the president has come out in favor of them.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Winston-Salem Art Show Benefits HIV/AIDS Organization

3:52pm February 07, 2013

by Keri Brown

A Winston-Salem Art gallery is partnering with a local organization to help raise money for Triad residents who have been infected with HIV/AIDS.

Queue Listen Now

A worker makes a cut in the side of a sandstone block at the Cleveland Quarries facility in Vermilion, Ohio, earlier this month. The legal limit on the amount of silica that workers can inhale was set decades ago.

Silica Rule Changes Delayed While Workers Face Health Risks

3:07pm February 07, 2013

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Regulations to restrict the amount of silica dust that workers can inhale were set decades ago, and workplace safety experts say that limit needs to be cut in half. A proposal for new rules was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for a 90-day review, but almost two years later, it's still under review.

Queue Listen Now