Health & Science Audio/Video - NPR

In 2005 and 2006, winds off of Africa contained large amounts of dust, which scientist say may have dampened storms in the Atlantic Ocean. But this year, the air is clear and powerful storms are lining up to strike the U.S.

Behind the foreclosure numbers are a lot of families under severe stress. A family in Tracy, Calif. explains how their financial problems are impacting their health.

Sea levels could rise between 2.5 and 6 feet this century as a result of global warming, a new study reports. That estimate is lower than some widely circulated figures.

One of the biggest, fastest and warmest fish in the sea is also one of the most sought after, and one of the most threatened. Can bluefin tuna stocks around the world be saved? Experts explain the history of the tuna, and discuss tracking methods that might help preserve the fish.

A health research advocacy group recently sent a questionnaire to both campaigns asking for policy details on issues such as health care coverage, stem cell research, the Medicare prescription drug benefit, and funding for NIH, FDA and CDC. Mary Woolley, president of Research!America, talks about the candidates' responses.

Conservationists are starting to raise the alarm about native oysters and their disappearing habitat. The situation is so serious that a band of scientists went to a remote inlet on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in search of Olympia oyster reefs.

Scientists are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of what used to be called "junk" DNA. Yale researchers have found a region of DNA that appears to be crucial in making a human limb. Although it's not a gene in the traditional sense of the word, it is inherited.

In his memoir, Scattershot, David Lovelace chronicles what he calls "the family sickness." Terri Cheney joins the discussion and shares details from Manic, a chronicle of her own struggle with bipolar disorder.

For people in the middle of a heart attack, angioplasty is a life-saver. The treatment is also used for non-emergency heart disease. A new study found that the treatment is not very useful for these non-urgent cases.

The creator of The Sims has a new game out. In Spore, players create their own worlds — starting from creatures the size of a cell, and evolving until an entire civilization springs up.

Female athletes are more prone than their male counterparts to certain injuries — namely knee problems and tears to the ACL. A prevention program has been developed by researchers at the University of Cincinnati to curb these injuries.

Tropical cyclones have been getting stronger over the past several decades, according to a new report in the journal Nature. This finding supports a theory that storms will get stronger as the surface of the ocean heats up because of global warming.

A new study suggests that a single gene may help determine how well men form bonds with their romantic partners. Researchers found that some men with a certain variant of the gene seemed more likely to have trouble in their relationships.

Researchers say they've found a genetic variation that may be responsible for weakening some men's ability to be monogamous. We break down the findings and what they mean for relationships.

Louisiana loses a football-sized area of wetlands every 40 minutes due to damage caused by levees, some estimate. Robert Twilley of Louisiana State University tells Melissa Block that Gustav hit smack in the middle of the state's most vulnerable coastal area. Can it recover?

The first thing to know is that earwax is a beneficial, self-cleaning agent and should be removed only if it builds up to the point that it causes pain or hearing loss. And the American Academy of Otolaryngology deals another blow to cotton-tipped swabs.

As summer fades away, we take a last look at the ups and downs of the season. Farmer Ken MacCaulay provides a closer look at fresh summer corn, and mosquito expert Carl Olson explains why some people get more bites than others.

Explorers looking for the lost cities in the Amazon have famously come up empty-handed. But now, scientists have found the remains of numerous smaller villages clustered around larger villages. Urban life may have been a part of the ancient Amazon after all.

The GeoEye-1 satellite will be capable of making out details on Earth just 16 inches across. It will be the highest resolution satellite run by a private company; it's images will be marketed to a range of governments and private customers.

The massive Large Hadron Collider at CERN is just a few weeks away from startup. The particle accelerator has passed several key performance tests, and is on track to send the first beam of particles through the ring of the accelerator on Sept. 10.

State and local governments across the country are requiring a growing list of vaccinations for children entering school. Public health advocates say that the vaccines are well-tested and serve a vital role in preventing disease outbreaks, but some parents still have concerns.

Scientists report that they have been able to selectively kill the defective autoimmune cells that were destroying insulin-producing islets in samples of human blood. Denise Faustman, director of immunobiology at Massachusetts General Hospital East, describes the latest diabetes research.

Callers share their scientific triumphs from the summer months. Did you find a fossil? Outfit your house with solar power? Grow a prize-winning pumpkin? Tell us about it.

Bioengineering researcher Michael Dickinson used superslow-motion video cameras to study how flies are so effective at avoiding swatters. He found that flies perform an elegant ballet with their legs — responding to threats in less than 1/10 of a second.

High-speed cameras reveal that flies perform an elegant little ballet with their legs. In less than a 10th of a second, flies perceive the direction of the threat and use their legs to angle their bodies for the quickest escape route.

A new study finds oxygen has probably not varied all that dramatically since dinosaurs first roamed the Earth. Scientists in Ireland say the atmosphere seems to have been at least 15 percent oxygen for hundreds of millions of years.

For five generations, Patrick Tracey's family has been plagued by what he calls "a perfect storm of schizophrenia." In his new book, Stalking Irish Madness, he traces his family lineage — and the roots of the disease — all the way back to Ireland.

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.

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.

Florida's biggest business is tourism, and its beaches are the state's crown jewel. The state's tourism industry has strongly opposed offshore oil drilling, but in September, an annual tourism convention will focus on the risks and rewards of this practice.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.