Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'human'

Reporting On 'The Real Price Of Gold'

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST

National Geographic reporter Brook Larmer and photographer Randy Olson collaborated in this month's cover story, "The Price of Gold." As the value of gold soars, Larmer and Olson expose the underlying human and environmental costs.

Why 'Animals Make Us Human'

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST

Why you should adopt a black cat instead of an orange one? Do dogs need a pack leader or a poppa? And how do you to draw blood from an antelope without terrifying it? These are some of the questions author and animal advocate Temple Grandin answers in her new book.

Stunted Coral Highlights Troubling Ocean Trends

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 16:00:00 EST

Coral in the Great Barrier Reef is showing significant signs of trouble, apparently the result of human activities. Scientists say one species of coral is growing much more slowly than it was 15 years ago. If current trends continue, this species of coral could stop growing altogether by the middle of the century. Scientists suspect that coral growth is being stunted by warmer ocean waters, as well as increasing acidity caused by carbon dioxide that's entering the ocean as a result of fossil fuel combustion.

FDA Reverses Cephalosporin Ban

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

The Food and Drug Administration had planned to ban the use of a popular antibiotic from use in animal feed. At the last minute, the agency pulled back. Cephalosporin is one of the most important drugs for treating infectious diseases in humans.

Toni Morrison On Human Bondage And A Post-Racial Age

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 12:00:00 EST

Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison is back on the literary scene with a new book, A Mercy. Set in 17th century America, the story follows a teenage girl enslaved during a time when many people, not just blacks, were in bondage. Morrison talks about her book, its characters and whether we're living in a post-racial age.

A Sly Cinderella: 'La Cenerentola'

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

La Cenerentola is Rossini's uproarious, yet touching version of the familiar Cinderella story — minus the magic pumpkin and the glass slipper, but with an added dose of telling, human foibles. Vivica Genaux stars in a production from the Grand Theatre of Geneva.

40 Years Later, Apollo 8 Moon Mission Still Awes

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:18:00 EST

On Christmas Eve 1968, people around the globe watched a live broadcast from Apollo 8 of the first humans ever to orbit the moon. The mission altered the way earthlings saw themselves and their world.

Fed Up, Ordinary Guatemalans Turn To Vigilantism

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:59:00 EST

Anger over rampant crime has led to widespread vigilantism in Guatemala. In the provinces, citizen patrols are taking justice into their own hands — including setting suspected gang members on fire. Residents praise the efforts, but human-rights monitors are alarmed.

HumanLight: December's Secular Holiday

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

While others are lighting Hanukkah candles and decorating Christmas trees, atheists and humanists are holding their own December celebrations. The secular holiday is known as HumanLight. And while there are no set traditions, many of these gatherings use familiar rituals such as singing and candle lighting to highlight reason and human achievement.

Gov. On Auto Bailout: 'Not Just About Michigan'

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:04:00 EST

After the Bush administration approved a short-term bailout plan, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm issued a statement that called the loans "a recognition by the administration that the nation's fragile economy simply cannot sustain the human and economic toll of further massive job loss."

Health Is A Human Right

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 06:00:00 EST

As an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Paul Farmer has traveled the planet to organize and provide medical treatment for people living in poverty. He believes good health care is vital but just the first step in creating a world free of all human suffering.

With Daschle, Obama Signals Health Will Be Priority

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:35:00 EST

By tapping former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle for the dual roles of health and human services secretary and head of the new White House Office of Health Reform, President-elect Obama shows he plans to prioritize an overhaul of the health care system.

Obama: Staff Had No Idea Of Ill. Scandal

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama says he is "certain" his staff had no role in the filling of his former Senate seat. The remarks came in a news conference called to name former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as his secretary of health and human services.

Rendition Victim's Suit Targets U.S. Officials

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:29:00 EST

A federal appeals court in New York hears arguments Tuesday over a lawsuit filed by Maher Arar, a Canadian detained at JFK airport in 2002 and deported to Syria, where he was tortured. Arar says his goal is to hold U.S. officials responsible for violating his human rights.

The Elders: Moral Authority Without Superpowers

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:10:00 EST

The group consists of a dozen former world leaders who tackle global issues such as war, poverty and human rights, as a group of elders would resolve conflicts in an African village. Musician Peter Gabriel came up with the concept in 1999.

Niall Ferguson On The Crucial 'Ascent Of Money'

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:51:00 EST

In his new book The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, historian Niall Ferguson argues that money, in its many forms, is the "root of most human progress." He traces money's evolution from Mesopotamia to modern microfinance.

Author Pieces Together Natural Mosaic

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 09:39:00 EST

The environmental author writes about the collision of the human and natural worlds. She's best known for Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place. Her new book is called, Finding Beauty in a Broken World.

The Human Gut Is A Real Melting Pot

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:48:00 EST

Scientists found 5,600 different species or strains of bacteria living in human intestines, making gut bacteria 10 times more diverse than expected. David Relman, one of the authors of the study, explains the findings and how a common antibiotic disrupts this bacterial community.

Stem Cells Used In Woman's Windpipe Transplant

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:26:00 EST

The pioneering operation used a section of windpipe engineered in a laboratory with adult human stem cells. Engineering new tissues and organs from stem cells has long been sought as a solution to overcome a chronic shortage of donor organs.

Daschle Tapped To Lead Health And Human Services

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:11:00 EST

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Tom Daschle for Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services. Host Madeleine Brand talks to Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving about this selection.

Humans Turning Up Volume In Oceans

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:41:00 EST

This week the U.S. Supreme Court gave the Navy the OK to use sonar off the coast of California — environmentalists complain the sounds confuse whales. But it turns out the planet's oceans are actually getting louder anyway. Geochemist Peter Brewer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute talks about a recent study finding that global warming is changing the way sound travels underwater.

Caste, Colonialism And A 'Sea Of Poppies'

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 15:45:00 EST

Amitav Ghosh's epic novel tells the stories of a disparate group of seafarers aboard a former slave ship that has been retrofitted for the opium trade and its human cargo.

Charlie Kaufman's Brain Teaser Movies

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 11:40:00 EST

The screenwriter is best known for films that make the human mind the landscape of the story, like Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the new film Synecdoche, NY.

Vitamin B3 Reverses Alzheimer's In Mice

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:27:00 EST

A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience shows that mice treated with large doses of vitamin B3 performed better on memory tests. Kim Green, one of the authors of the study, explains whether this discovery could have any application for treating Alzheimer's in humans.

Studs Terkel: Looking For A Human Voice

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:00:00 EST

The legendary oral historian explains how an encounter on an airport shuttle restored his faith in the power of the human voice. Terkel, who died last week, recorded this interview inside a mobile StoryCorps recording booth that was parked in his driveway.