Trying To Do Good
We know our actions affect those around us. But how do we know whether our impact is positive? This week on Hidden Brain, what it means to do good in the world.
Science
Human Genomics Research Has A Diversity Problem
Studies on the genetics of human diseases have focused largely on people of European descent. Researchers say this lack of diversity is bad science and exacerbates health inequities.
Fentanyl-Linked Deaths: The U.S. Opioid Epidemic's Third Wave Begins
Overdose deaths involving fentanyl are rising — up 113 percent on average each year from 2013 to 2016. Dealers are adding cheap fentanyl to the illicit drug supply, and some users get it accidentally.
Statisticians' Call To Arms: Reject Significance And Embrace Uncertainty!
Scientists and statisticians are putting forth a bold idea: ban the very concept of "statistical significance." A bit more humility would be in order to account for the ambiguity in the world.
In 'Horizon,' Considering All That Is Connected
Barry Lopez's new book is a biography and a portrait of some of the world's most delicate places, but at heart it's a contemplation of the belief that the way forward is compassionately, and together.
Aspiring Doctors Seek Advanced Training In Addiction Medicine
Once a tiny specialty that drew mostly psychiatrists, addiction medicine is expanding its accredited training to include residents from specialties like family medicine who see it as a calling.
Massive U.S. Machines That Hunt For Ripples In Space-Time Just Got An Upgrade
The twin sites in the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory are about to go back online. New hardware should make them able to sense more colliding black holes and other cosmic events.
Sex, Empathy, Jealousy: How Emotions And Behavior Of Other Primates Mirror Our Own
Primatologist Frans de Waal believes that the way humans experience emotion is not unique: "That's a spectrum of behavior that we have, and the same thing is true for many other species."
U.S. Mathematician Becomes First Woman To Win Abel Prize, 'Math's Nobel'
"I find that I am bored with anything I understand," Karen Uhlenbeck once said. That sentiment is part of why she won what many call the Nobel of mathematics Tuesday.
Marcelo Gleiser Wins Templeton Prize For Quest To Confront 'Mystery Of Who We Are'
The prestigious award comes with nearly $1.5 million in winnings. The physicist, who teaches at Dartmouth and has written for NPR, says he's driven by the "many questions we still have no clue about."