Health & Safety

These button cell batteries can prove too tempting for toddlers looking for something to put in their mouth

Health & Safety

Armor For Batteries Could Protect Hungry Kids From Harm

12:42pm November 05, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

Thousands of children swallow tiny batteries used in watches, calculators and toys each year. A team from MIT and Harvard is working on a pressure-sensitive insulating shield to prevent damage.

To keep kidney stones at bay, drink plenty of cool, clear water.

Health & Safety

To Prevent Kidney Stones: Go Easy On Soda And Drink Lots Of Water

12:42pm November 05, 2014

by Allison Aubrey

Research shows that simple changes in drinking habits can help people who've had kidney stones lower the odds that they'll strike again. Consuming plenty of fiber may make a difference, too.

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Contemplating Brittany Maynard's Final Choice

12:41pm November 05, 2014

by Nancy Shute

People who choose assisted suicide tend to be over 65, white and well-educated. And they want to feel in control of their fate. When a young person chooses that route, it draws fresh questions.

Daniela Chavarriaga holds her daughter Emma as Dr. Jose Rosa-Olivares administers a measles vaccination at Miami Children's Hospital.

Vaccine Controversies Are As Social As They Are Medical

11:02am November 05, 2014

by NPR Staff

In writing her new book On Immunity, Eula Biss found that questions about vaccination touch on attitudes about environmentalism, citizenship and trust in the government.

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Researchers Tap Web Chatter To Figure Out Who's Sick

9:03am November 05, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

With the help of online data, doctors and public health officials are tracking the spread of illnesses and predicting where they might strike next. The analyses also provide clues for prevention.

Debra Blackmon (left) was sterilized by court order in 1972, at age 14. With help from her niece, Latoya Adams (right), she's fighting to be included in the state's compensation program.

Payments Start For N.C. Eugenics Victims, But Many Won't Qualify

8:13am November 05, 2014

by Eric Mennel

North Carolina forcibly sterilized thousands of people between 1929 and 1976. The state has begun compensating victims, but some who were sterilized may never receive restitution from the fund.

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The scariest part of the holiday comes in the days that follow, as parents fight and negotiate to limit how much candy their kids eat. NPR's Gisele Grayson decided to pay her kids off to give up their loot.

How To Wean Your Kids Off Halloween Candy: Cold, Hard Cash

10:34pm November 04, 2014

by Gisele Grayson

After the costumes and candy comes the hard part: the fights and negotiations that go along with trying to limit kids' sugar intake. Why not skip the ordeal by paying kids to give up their treats?

Gloria Gxebeka (left) visits Leona Mqhayi and types her health information into a cell phone

Grannies Taking Care Of Grannies Is Good For Everyone

6:32pm November 04, 2014

by Anders Kelto

Who better to check on the health of older folks than other older folks? That's what AgeWell Global, an innovative program in South Africa, is doing.

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Harvard evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman has studied the evolution of running.

What Makes Kenya's Marathon Runners The World's Best?

5:57pm November 04, 2014

by Mary Brophy Marcus

Kenyan distance runners won both the men's and women's divisions of Sunday's New York City Marathon. A Harvard evolutionary biologist suggests some possible reasons why.

This gladiator tombstone was excavated in a cemetery for these ancient power athletes in what was once Ephesus, in modern-day Turkey.

Gladiator Gatorade? Ancient Athletes Had A Recovery Drink, Too

5:54pm November 04, 2014

by Maria Godoy

Gladiators guzzled a drink made from plant ash to help their bodies recover after a hard day of sword fighting, according to Roman accounts. New tests of old bones back up that idea.