A boy works in a coal mine north of Kabul. Afghanistan's state-run coal industry is going strong in an otherwise shattered economy. Many underage workers are the ones who are extracting the coal. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption
Health Health
Health
Saturday
Friday
Joyce Cohen Lashof was the first female dean of UC Berkeley's School of Public Health and a lifelong fighter for social justice. UC Berkeley School of Public Health hide caption
An older adult receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary vaccination site on Dec. 7 in Chongqing, China. Concerns about effectiveness and safety have led to uncertainty about the COVID vaccine, notably among older citizens, whose vaccination rate is relatively low. He Penglei/China News Service via Getty Images hide caption
New father Yappe Pako gets help with his kangaroo care carrier from a midwife. His newborn son is named Ambo Crisostome. They're in the kangaroo care ward at the University Hospital Medical Center at Treichville in the Ivory Coast. A new program teaches the technique to moms and dads. It's especially beneficial for preterm and low birthweight babies. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds for NPR hide caption
Closeup of a person's tears. RunPhoto/Getty Images hide caption
Thursday
A man walks past a National Health Service sign in 2007 in London. The NHS offers services at the Askern Medical Practice in Doncaster, whose patients mistakenly received text messages informing them of a terminal cancer diagnosis. Cate Gillon/Getty Images hide caption
Federal prosecutors say the drug wholesaler AmerisourceBergen Corp. failed to report suspicious orders for opioids. The company says the government "cherry picked" possible violations. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption
Kaitlyn and Landon Joshua were worried for Kaitlyn's health when she started to bleed heavily and had labor-like pains early in her pregnancy. But two different emergency rooms she went to wouldn't confirm she was miscarrying or explain her treatment options. Claire Bangser for NPR hide caption
Bleeding and in pain, she couldn't get 2 Louisiana ERs to answer: Is it a miscarriage?
Wednesday
Gerhardt Boukes, chief scientist at Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, formulates mRNA for use in a new vaccine against COVID-19. The company — based in Cape Town, South Africa — is the linchpin of a global project to enable low- and middle-income countries to make mRNA vaccines against all manner of diseases. Tommy Trenchard for NPR hide caption
How a scrappy African startup could forever change the world of vaccines
Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are readied for use at a clinic in Richmond, Va., Nov. 2022. Just 15% of eligible Americans have gotten the most recent booster shot, according to the CDC. Steve Helber/AP hide caption
It's not too late to get a COVID booster — especially for older adults
Tuesday
A Border Patrol agent checks an asylum-seeker's passport after she turned herself in, in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Dec. 19. Veronica G. Cardenas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A Washington, D.C., resident has an operation growing psilocybin mushrooms. Brain researchers are increasingly studying psychedelic compounds like psilocybin and LSD as potential treatments for anxiety, depression and other disorders. Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption
Psychedelic drugs may launch a new era in psychiatric treatment, brain scientists say
Registered nurse Carole Kriessman performs a quick checkup on Ja'Mil'Lion DeLorenzo's 4-week-old son, Haiyden, at DeLorenzo's grandmother's home in Glenolden, Pa., on June 9. Rachel Wisniewski for NPR hide caption
Maternal deaths in the U.S. are staggeringly common. Personal nurses could help
Monday
A passenger checks her phone as an Air China passenger jet taxis past at the Beijing Capital International airport on Oct. 29. China will drop a COVID-19 quarantine requirement for passengers arriving from abroad starting Jan. 8. Ng Han Guan/AP hide caption
Humans have an elegant and intricate system of internal processes that help our bodies keep time, with exposure to sunlight, caffeine and meal timing all playing a role. But that doesn't account for "precision waking." Sarah Mosquera/NPR hide caption