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NPR Topics: Health & Science
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The latest health and science news. Updates on medicine, healthy living, nutrition, drugs, diet, and advances in science and technology. Subscribe to the Health & Science podcast.
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Football Uniforms Turn Up The Heat
Injury-inducing collisions aren't the only safety issues football coaches and trainers need to worry about, physiologists say. High temperatures and humidity can also take a serious toll on players wrapped up in pads and uniforms.
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As Kids Grow Older, Egalitarianism Honed
A study in Nature shows that egalitarianism begins to appear in most kids between ages 3 and 8. Scientists who studied 229 Swiss children found that at age 3, 9 percent were willing to share candy with another person. But by age 8, that number rose to 45 percent.
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Medication Error Death Rate Up 500 Percent
Painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs are being prescribed to out-patients in high doses, without the oversight of a doctor. A new study found that in the last 20 years there has been a 500 percent increase in the death rate from medication errors made at home.
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Breast Exam Rebuttal: 'An Exam Saved Me'
Last week we reported on a study that showed that self breast exams don't help prevent death from breast cancer in women. The interview generated quite a response from listeners. Several women wrote in to say that they had found cancerous lumps in their own breasts and wouldn't be alive today if not for breast self exams.
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A Partisan Divide On Health Care Reform
While both John McCain and Barack Obama agree that the American health care system needs reform, the candidates differ markedly in their vision of the remedy. Political scientist Jonathan Oberlander offers an in-depth comparison of the candidates' proposals.
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Web Sites Compare How Hospitals Measure Up
A new Web site called "Hospital Compare" evaluates hospital death rates around the country and shows how individual hospitals stack up against the national average. Guests discuss the reliability of the data on the site and describe the measures hospitals are taking to improve performance.
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Doctors Fear Effects Of Illegal Immigrant's Arrest
The recent arrest of a popular woman who happens to be an illegal immigrant has some North Carolina doctors concerned. The woman's immigration status apparently was turned over to authorities after she received medical care. Doctors worry that illegal immigrants will be afraid to seek care, which might lead to public health problems.
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Moo North: Cows Sense Earth's Magnetism
A team of researchers sorting through satellite images of cows in 300 pastures makes a surprising discovery: Cows tend to face either magnetic north or south when grazing or resting.
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Treating Iraqi Children For PTSD
The war in Iraq has had a severe impact on the country's children. More than 650 children were reported killed there last year. Iraq's children also have been the victims of kidnapping, torture and rape. A clinic for children suffering post-traumatic stress disorder is opening this month in Baghdad.
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Sounds From The Wild: The Laughing Kookaburra
It's a common sound in the Australian bush, starting up just around daylight: the laughing call of the kookaburra. These birds get together in small groups, have a chat and then go into a full laughter song, letting other kookaburras know where their territory is.
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Eco-Camp Offers Lessons On Alternative Fuels
At Maryland's Camp Calleva, most campers engage in typical activities like rafting, kayaking or rock climbing. But a few spend a week in a program called Building Green, learning about environmentally friendly design and alternative energy. This year's project: alternative fuels.
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If Bigfoot Isn't In Georgia, Where Is He?
One more Bigfoot hoax went down in history this week. But Jeffrey Meldrum, a professor of anatomy and biological sciences at Idaho State University, says strange tracks are part of a growing body of evidence that something may be out there.
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Chemistry News Roundup
We bring you a roundup of research being presented at this week's American Chemical Society meeting in Philadelphia.
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Reading The Undecided Voter
New research published this week in the journal Science looks at "automatic mental associations" and finds that they can be good predictors of which way an undecided voter will sway.
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The Science of Getting A 'Yes'
Is persuasion an art or a science? We talk to Robert Cialdini, a social psychologist, who thinks a little psychology can improve your shot at getting what you want.
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