Dec 11 Watch 7:33 A little-known casualty of the Cold War? U.S. nuclear workers By PBS News Hour More than 33,000 men and women who worked at nuclear facilities have died from related illnesses, and more than 100,000 Americans were diagnosed with cancer and other diseases after helping build the country's nuclear stockpile. That toll had never fully… Continue watching
Dec 10 The story behind Alfred Nobel's spirit of discovery By Dr. Howard Markel Every Dec. 10 for the past 114 years, the eyes of the world have turned to Stockholm, Sweden, where the Nobel Prizes are formally awarded to the brilliant men and women who have made exemplary inroads in Medicine or Physiology,… Continue reading
Dec 09 Watch 7:59 Living with stress for too long may be giving kids asthma By PBS News Hour The number of Americans diagnosed with asthma has grown dramatically, with high-crime cities being hit especially hard. In a joint report with The Detroit News, special correspondent Indira Lakshmanan examines emerging research that indicates stress, abuse and violence may play… Continue watching
Dec 09 Why stress may be fueling the childhood asthma epidemic By Karen Bouffard, The Detroit News In a study done exclusively for The Detroit News and PBS NewsHour, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found about 2 of every 3 children in Detroit face “adverse childhood experiences,” such as household substance abuse,… Continue reading
Dec 09 Don't blame grandma yet, but your asthma may be her fault By Nsikan Akpan Emerging research into epigenetics may rewrite the fates of those dealing with diseases like asthma, schizophrenia and obesity. Continue reading
Dec 07 Watch How an environmental group is trying to clean up China's pollution problem By PBS News Hour China, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, has paid a great environmental price for becoming the world's factory. But experts say there is growing political will in Beijing to tackle the crisis. Special correspondent Fred de Sam… Continue watching
Dec 03 Gene editing designer babies would be 'irresponsible,' says international scientific committee By Nsikan Akpan, Alexandra Sarabia The committee at the International Summit on Human Gene Editing called for a pause on tweaking DNA for reproductive medicine, but stopped short of recommending a moratorium on research. Continue reading
Dec 01 Major insurer will offer individual life insurance coverage to people with HIV By Barbara Feder Ostrov, Kaiser Health News Prudential Financial Inc., one of the nation’s largest life insurers, plans to announce this week that it will offer traditional individual policies to eligible people living with HIV. Continue reading
Dec 01 Maker of $1,000 hepatitis C pill was focused on profits, not patients, report finds By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press WASHINGTON — A bipartisan investigation by U.S. senators finds that the makers of a breakthrough drug for hepatitis C infection put profits before patients in pricing the $1,000-per-pill cure. Continue reading
Nov 30 No, Oscar Wilde probably didn't die of syphilis By Dr. Howard Markel The long-held theory was that Oscar Wilde succumbed to the ravages of end-stage syphilis. Fortunately, a London neurologist and two ear surgeons from South Africa have spent considerable time poring over Wilde’s medical and prison records to propose an entirely… Continue reading