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.
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.
Audie Cornish speaks with Jonathan Auerbach, a PhD student in statistics at Columbia University who endeavored to get a better estimate of the New York City rat population.
Farmers will haul in a record-breaking harvest of soybeans and corn this year, but they could be victims of their own success: Prices for these crops, falling for months, are at five-year lows.
The U.S. is now the world's largest oil producer, and some worry that falling prices could mean an industry slowdown. But with production costs also falling, drillers are unlikely to cut back soon.
The star running back avoided jail time after being indicted in September for using a wooden switch to punish his 4-year-old son. The case reignited the debate over corporal punishment in the U.S.
Tom Magliozzi bantered weekly with his brother, Ray, on the public radio show. They joked, laughed and sometimes even gave good advice to listeners with car troubles. Tom Magliozzi was 77 years old.
As oil prices dip, controversial and relatively expensive production methods, like oil sands and fracking, have become less profitable. Some drillers are already cutting back on plans for more wells.