Science

In his latest book, neuroscientist David Linden explains the science of touch. He tells Fresh Air how pain protects, why fingertips are so sensitive and why you can't read Braille with your genitals.

Greg O'Brien talks about how his life has changed in the five years since he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. "More and more I don't recognize people," he says.

Scientists launched a large trial Monday to test two vaccines. But testing Ebola drugs in West Africa is proving more difficult than expected because the disease is disappearing rapidly.

Construction is starting in Chile on a new sort of telescope. One aim is to survey huge swaths of sky for faint signals of a "Planet X" that may be lurking on the farthest edges of our solar system.

The British Parliament has voted to allow scientists to attempt to do "DNA transplants" on women's eggs to try to help them have healthy babies. Doctors want to do this to help families carrying devastating "mitochondrial diseases." But opponents question whether transferring DNA from healthy eggs into the eggs of women carrying these diseases is safe, and whether it would open the door to "designer babies."

As the country grapples with a growing outbreak of measles, Morning Edition delves into what works and what doesn't — and what might get people to vaccinate their kids.

It happened to Roald Dahl's daughter in 1962. It still happens today, in the U.S. and around the world. In rare cases, measles becomes an incurable disease.

In many areas, algorithms make fewer mistakes than humans. But new research suggests that we distrust algorithms when they make mistakes, in ways we do not distrust humans who make mistakes.

In many parts of the world, there's no direct translation for terms like depression or anxiety. Cambodians, for example, say "the water in my heart has fallen." So how does a doctor refill a heart?

Des Moines, Iowa, wants to control nitrate pollution — often called fertilizer runoff — in nearby rivers. But the best way to reduce it involves planting different crops, not using less fertilizer.

A play based on interviews with former NFL players, their families and fans digs deep: What's so fun about a sport that devastates bodies and brains? And what if it can't be made safer?

Human relationships are entanglements, and those connections often aren't clear to us at all. When Maria Bamford impersonated her mom, she realized what she loved about her — and about herself.