By April Fulton

As the new school year begins and efforts to slow the spread of H1N1 are ramping up, CDC is trying to make the messages fun but effective. It just named the top ten finalists in its public contest for the best flu prevention PSA. There are some pretty creative entries.

Don't want to wash your hands? Try going to the bathroom in a hazmat suit like this guy.

Another entry suggests touching your mouth without washing your hands is akin to giving a cat a good scratch with a toothbrush that has just cleaned an ATM keypad and a car door handle. This to the strains of a Bach concerto, no less.

Continue reading "Fight-The-Flu Contest Finds Funnybone" >

by April Fulton

Watching the waves break on the rocks off the North Coast of the Dominican Republic was one of my favorite memories of my recent vacation. But as I trodded back into the office today, I wondered, how do I keep that vacation feeling going while I'm back to reality, staring at my computer screen?

Vacation zen, Dominican Republic style. (Dan Katz)

Vacations are good for us. The more leisure time we fill with non-work activities, the healthier we feel, Karen Matthews of the University of Pittsburgh's Mind-Body Center tells NPR's Brenda Wilson on Morning Edition today. But their effects tend to fade within a day or two, research shows.

Continue reading "How To Extend The Vacation Zen" >

by Deborah Franklin

How much heat can the human body take? /istockphotos.com

Let's hear it for all the scientists who go first. Sure, being a human guinea pig has its risks, but life is never boring.

Take for example, Sir Charles Blagden, who in 1775, took a few pals and their dog into a room heated up to 240 degrees Fahrenheit --well above the boiling point of water -- to see, well, to see what would happen.

To hear all about their story and the beauty of sweat, listen to the piece by NPR's Robert Krulwich tonight on All things Considered.

Also check out the cool video version of the tale by Krulwich and animator Lev Yilmaz.

Just don't try this at home. Your dog may survive, but she'll hate you.

by Deborah Franklin

Sure, she's pretty, but beware her six-foot Humboldt cousin /istockphoto.com

Feeling a little miffed to be stuck in town in steamy July?
Send this e-postcard to your pals at the beach:

Swarms of five-foot long Humboldt squid are once again roiling the waters off California's coast -- thrilling biologists and spooking scuba divers -- this time just off the beaches of San Diego and Orange County.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks tonight with Scripps marine biologist Nigella Hillgarth on All Things Considered about what it's like to swim with the sleekly curious creatures. Five or six feet long. Six arms. Two "feeding tentacles." A sword-like beak, and "large eyes that look very much like a vertebrate's," Hillgarth says.

It's like looking at sharks -- they are fascinating and beautiful, but also dangerous.

Continue reading "Jumbo Squid Spook California Divers" >

by April Fulton

As the costs of health care spiral, people sometimes turn to the Wild West world of homeopathic remedies and faddish diet plans to address their self-diagnosed problems.

While some of these natural remedies have been proven effective, I think most of us would rather be in an ER equipped with an EKG than one stocking essential oils.

Enter a couple of British satirists David Mitchell and Robert Webb -- a.k.a. That Mitchell and Webb Look, who make us appreciate the value of science and medicine on this sunny Friday afternoon.

Here's a spoof of how an emergency room visit without medical equipment might go. Click here for a video of the pair, posing as phony "lifestyle nutritionists" who panic when faced with an educated consumer.

Thanks to the Science-Based Medicine blog for pointing us to the videos.

by April Fulton

UAB Engineering Students use the Wii for CPR from uabnews on Vimeo.

Nintendo seems to be carving out a niche with all the new health-related applications that keep popping up for their interactive video gaming system Wii.

That white rectangle remote that allows players to control on-screen actions is movin' on up from recreational use, like improving a golf or tennis swing; to medical use, like training students in CPR, or helping with physical therapy.

It is also credited with reducing X-ray techs' wrist strains and preparing surgeons for laproscopic surgery.

(Our sister blog, Monkey See has a slightly disturbing video showing college kids testing out virtual surgery, and trust me, the simulated surgery is the least disturbing part.)

But what else can Wii do?

Help senior citizens challenge each other to bowling matches, that's what, says our Two-Way blog.

Any other cool apps, medical or otherwise, we've missed?

by April Fulton

Salute! respres'/flickr

As we ease on into this long Fourth of July holiday weekend, some of us have these deep thoughts to share:

-- Will Sen. Chris Dodd's technical difficulties on a press conference call today portend a summer of health care debate plagued by bad elevator music and coughing fits?

-- Why do certain southern states continue to eat their weight in potato chips every year?

-- And, is it better to risk your stomach or your liver for pain relief?

The rest of us are looking forward to firing up the grill, waving some flags and watching the fireworks from a safe distance.

See ya back here on Tuesday.

by Alison Richards

This tiny mussel shrimp's extinct cousin showed the ladies love with his giant sperm /Renate Matzke-Karasz

Guys do anything to get the girl. It was the same 100 million years ago.

Some of the hottest studs around during the Cretaceous Period were tiny creatures a bit like mussels called ostracodes. And even though they were only a few millimeters in size, researchers have just discovered that their sperm cells were gigantic - up to ten times as big as the crustaceans themselves.

To peek at what this guy's machinery looked like in a short 3-D movie, click here.

Continue reading "Size Does Matter" >

by Deborah Franklin

Everybody needs somebody sometime /istockphoto.com

You've got to see this morning's sweet BBC story about a British construction worker and his unusual pal.

But don't get any ideas about your own squirrel shampoo. Yes, we know about all the health benefits of pets. But experts say feral animals are called "wildlife" for a reason. Think rabies, hantavirus, and more.

If you do encounter a motherless baby squirrel in the garden (keep those cats inside, already!), here are a few tips from professional squirrel wranglers on how best to "rehabilitate" the little guy, and keep him comfy.

by April Fulton

This early Arctic explorer might have needed a cold remedy State Library of New South Wales

In response to our recent post on the impact of FDA's recall of Zicam nasal products containing zinc and its potential impact on professional singers, we got this perfectly-tuned comment from JFD8:

My nose got all runny & pink/Relieved it with something from zinc/But now my olfact'ry/Is unsatisfact'ry/& I just sniff, 'Zicam, U stink!'

Apparently, JFD8 (John F Dillon) frequently sets the news of the day to the rhythm of a limerick and tweets them. Topics range from Cher's daughter's sex change:

That the child of a musical pair/Is a girl is a source of despair/She spent time & money/So she can B Sonny/& her gown she is willing 2 Cher

to nuclear test bans:

To sanction's a false panacea/To nuke testing in North Korea/For the only result/From its leadership cult/Is menacing word diarrhea.

Hey JFD8, did you enter The Two-Way Blog's haiku contest recently? You might be a ringer.

by Alison Richards

Hey! I feel a theory coming on. /istockphoto.com

Scientists, apparently, are just as sentimental as the rest of us.

Tufts University announced this week that cosmologist Alex Vilenkin hopes to plant an apple tree this Fall whose lineage goes back to the English farm where Sir Isaac Newton lived in the 1600s -- Woolsthorpe Manor.

This isn't Vilenkin's first tribute to the fabled event that inspired Newton's theory of gravitation. According to Tufts, the professor drops an apple onto the heads of his graduating PhD students every year.

Not that the Tufts tree will provide fruit for that ceremony any time soon. The cuttings -- which came from a tree planted at MIT -- have only just been grafted onto a rootstock in a local orchard .

I must admit, though I wrote a book about apples a few years ago, I'd never heard of this scientific soft spot for Newton's apple tree. It turns out there are august research institutes all over the world boasting trees thought to be descended from Isaac's own.

Continue reading "A Scientific Soft Spot for Newton's Apple" >

by April Fulton

Coral jewelry display at a jewelry stall in Volendam, Netherlands, in February 2007. Andrew3000/via Too Precious to Wear

 

Coral jewelry displays like this one haven't graced a Tiffany's window in at least seven years. That's because the jewelry giant stopped selling coral in 2002.

Corals are animals that join together to form reefs that provide marine life with places to hide, mate and search for food. They help feed people, protect coastlines, and form the basis for development of drugs to treat HIV and cancer.

But they are disappearing, in large part, because they are so pretty. Ancient people even thought they had magical powers. Although there's a pretty significant global warming impact, too.

Continue reading "Compassion For Coral" >

by April Fulton

I don't often turn to MSNBC political maven Rachel Maddow for health and science ideas, but when she tweeted today about a website where we can learn about animals by what they left "behind," I stood up and took notice.

If you're a five-year old boy, there's no question about why you would study poop, but scientists do, too.

Turns out you can learn a lot about an animal, like its travels, diet, and pregnancy status, through its waste, says the Minnesota Zoo, which put together the above video and this interactive website.

The website lets you guess which animal made which poop and track your results by feeding the animals and watching them do their thing. All this to the gentle beat of African drums.

Plus, "It's free, there's plenty of it, and the animals don't mind if we take it," says the perky zookeeper.

by April Fulton

Best post-sports sip? Randy Son Of Robert/Flickr

Faster recovery, reduced pain and more nutrient replacement. There seems to be no end to the dramatic claims of newfangled sports drinks. But how do the old ones measure up?

Two new studies presented at the American College of Sports Medicine conference in Seattle last week indicate that some old-fashioned drinks might work better than those star-endorsed, high-priced glucose and food coloring delivery systems all over TV.

Drinking unsweetened cherry juice after a run may help ease pain due to the berry's high anti-inflammatory properties,according to a small study conducted by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University.

Continue reading "Sweat It Out, Then Drink It In" >

by Deborah Franklin

Dr. Zibin Guo leads a tame version of wheelchair tai chi in Beijing, but he envisions a more competitive version someday /University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

 

Wheelchair athletes have been racing the pavement -- and basketball, rugby, and tennis courts -- for years. NPR's Joe Shapiro says that when you spend a little time with these jocks, as he has for a number of stories, your image of life in the chair changes fast.

"Think about what it takes to propel a manual wheelchair around all day," Shapiro says. "A gym membership and hours of dumbbell curls couldn't get you a ripped body any better."

Some colleges, he says, now offer athletic scholarships for players of "quad rugby," the full contact sport immortalized in the 2005 movie "Murderball."

Recently we learned of a slightly less murderous variation on that theme out of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Continue reading "Taking Wheelchair Tai Chi To China" >

by April Fulton

President Obama loves us, he really loves us istockphoto.com

This is what it's come to. Washington is so hungry for a President who eats out in public that prominent D.C. journalists are giving us the blow-by-blow, or more precisely, the bite-by-bite, on President Obama's lunch on Twitter.

At about 12:40 p.m. today, CBS News Radio White House Correspondent Mark Knoller (@markknoller) began tweeting about Obama's pit stop at local burger chain outpost in Southeast called Five Guys.

Apparently, the President ordered a cheeseburger, fries, jalapenos, tomatoes and mustard.

Through his next 16 tweets, Knoller describes the crowd reaction ("Oh My God!"), speculates on the ethics of whether Obama's guest, NBC's Brian Williams should pay his own way ("Alert Columbia Journalism Review") and wonders whether Obama was there to check on cybersecurity or whether he is endangering the vegan vote.

He also offers helpful historic insights, like the fact that this is Obama's second known burger run in D.C., and that President Clinton once stopped his motorcade to use a Pizza Hut bathroom.

No discussion of nutrition or food safety here, just a fun Friday note.

by April Fulton

A cross section of a kidney, the new pop culture phenom courtesy 3dscience.com

Kidneys are small yet vital organs that help flush waste from our bodies. They often go ignored unless there's a problem, much like those quiet kids from good neighborhoods who shock everyone when they grow up to commit violent crimes.

Lately, the media has been making kidneys and kidney donation cool.

First, kidney donation got its own theme song, courtesy of a music video pairing TV's 30 Rock stars and several actual rockstars, which we wrote about here on Friday.

Today, for the first time ever, a nurse at Children's Medical Center in Dallas Tweeted the successful kidney transplant in a toddler. John Gilbreath, 3, received his new organ from his dad, Chris Gilbreath.

Here are some of the Tweet transplant highlights:

"Rise and shine! It's a beautiful day for a kidney transplant."

"The radio is on in John's OR and the band Boston is playing."

"The kidney is in the ice chest. It's being transported to Children's by UT Southwestern resident Dr. Jacqueline Lee."

"Dr. Desai is tying off the main vein where the kidney will go"

"The OR nurses at Children's are sending a blood sample from Chris to the lab to reconfirm his blood type as part of a safety check."

Believe it or not, Children's has 1,845 followers on Twitter.

Do you think other organs might start getting jealous of all the attention?

by April Fulton

David Greenberger is on a mission to speak for people living with Alzheimer's and other memory loss diseases, but he's not lobbying Congress or soliciting online donations. He's simple telling their stories.

After a post-art school gig in a Milwaukee nursing home 30 years ago, Greenberger traded in his paintbrushes for the spoken word. He empowers Alzheimer's patients by giving voice to their stories and setting them to music.

Some of the patients' stories embody deep loneliness and others project an incredible optimism, despite the gravity of the illness.

"One of the things I found to be true through this whole project, was that no matter how profound the memory loss was, everybody who agreed to sit with me and talk still possessed something of the dynamic of how a conversation works," Greenberger tells NPR's Joseph Shapiro in a piece to air this weekend on All Things Considered.

The video above shows Greenberger and his guitarist collaborator Paul Cebar rehearsing "Swung," the story of a woman who, at age 8, had the last laugh when her sister scolded her for twirling around too freely in a new dress.

Check NPR Music for more.

by April Fulton

Organ donation is not inherently funny, but last night's 30 Rock teamed up with a few aging rock stars (Cyndi Lauper, Elvis Costello) and some younger wannabes (Clay Aiken) to produce "He Needs a Kidney" video last night.

If you're not old enough to remember the earnestness of 80s rock stars singing about starving Ethiopians in the "We Are the World" video, you may not get all the campy references, but it's still pretty funny.

This clip contains the whole episode, but you can download just the video on iTunes to benefit the National Kidney Foundation.

Thanks to NPR's Brenda Wilson for tipping us.

by April Fulton

Slate's The Big Money posted this hillarious clip where crusading food and nutrition author Michael Pollan gets a big zetz from talk show host Stephen Colbert.

"What's wrong with fake food?" Colbert screams, defending the flavor of American cheese and goading the baldheaded Pollan into a lecture on what processed foods do to our bodies.

Suddenly Colbert lurched forward, tugs on his thick black hair and says, "This is what high fructose corn syrup gets you."

by Vaughn Ververs

Here's an interesting piece in the New York Times about the escalating arms race among sunscreen makers when it the SPF levels in their products. Once upon a time, 30 SPF was the highest level you could find on the shelves. Today, companies are making products with SPF levels of 70, 80 and now, even 100+. But does it really matter? From the article:

Does SPF Level Matter? istockphoto.com

"If adequately applied, sunscreens with sky-high SPFs offer slightly better protection against lobster-red burns than an SPF 30. But they don't necessarily offer stellar protection against the more deeply penetrating ultraviolet A radiation, or so-called aging rays."

More:

"No SPF, not even 100+, offers 100 percent protection. What's more, both UVA and UVB radiation can lead to skin cancer, which is why dermatologists now advise using sunscreens with an SPF of at least 15 and UVA-fighting ingredients like an avobenzone that doesn't degrade in light or Mexoryl SX."

More important than the SPF levels, the article suggests, is applying sunscreen frequently, regardless of the number. Something to think about when stocking up for the beach this summer.

by April Fulton

Does an appeal to a sense of collective equity matter when it comes to raising taxes?

When President Obama proposed in February to limit the rate at which families making more than $250,000 a year can take itemized deductions on their taxes as a major means to pay for a health care overhaul, the squawking began immediately around the country's dinner tables.

Members of my family, most of whom don't make the $250,000 per year salary at which the new rate would kick in, and don't itemize many deductions, complained bitterly about "paying more taxes."

Congress isn't sold either, and charitable organizations are steamed.

But Budget Whiz Kid Peter Orszag is trying a new approach -- fairness, and an explanation that doesn't require a tax law degree.

In a blog post Saturday (yes, the Office of Management and Budget has a blog), he explains it this way:

If you're a teacher making $50,000 a year and decide to donate $1,000 to the Red Cross or United Way, you enjoy a tax break of $150. If you are Warren Buffet or Bill Gates and make that same donation, you currently get a $350 deduction--more than twice the break as the teacher. Limiting itemized deductions for high-income Americans would help restore balance to the tax code, and any effect on charitable giving is likely to be swamped by other Administration policies.

By Richard Knox

The World Health Organization tells us to call the newly discovered flu virus sweeping the world A/H1N1. The U.S. government recommends H1N1.

What about me? Photo by jere-me via Flickr

But scientists who know a thing or two about flu viruses are bugged, as it were, about dropping the swine from the flu moniker.

University of Arizona virologist Michael Worobey calls the decision to switch to H1N1, "a little bit silly" and possibly confusing, considering similar names for some seasonal flu strains. Aren't more than 11,000 other H1N1 viruses enough?

Enter Oliver Pybus, an infectious disease researcher at Oxford University, with something completely different. How about the Gallimaufry Virus?

Continue reading "You Say 'H1N1.' We Say 'Gallimaufry'" >

by Vaughn Ververs

To continue today's musical theme (and our attention to the burgeoning health care discussion in Washington), we thought it appropriate to point out a new strategic memo making the rounds.

For the political debate to come over one of President Obama's signature agenda items, the lyrics could be as important as the melody, and Republicans are getting some early advice on how the chorus should sound.

NPR's Julie Rovner has more:

Republicans can stop the "Washington takeover" of healthcare, but only if they learn to use the magic words. That's the latest advice from pollster/messaging maven Frank Luntz, the man credited for helping rename the inheritance tax the "death tax."

The new memo says Republicans must acknowledge that there IS a health crisis, need to be "vocally and passionately on the side of reform," but at the same time warn that Democrats' plans will center around "politicians," "bureaucrats," and "Washington."

Continue reading "Singing From The Songbook, Part 2: Messaging Matters " >

by Vaughn Ververs

Senator Hatch tickles the ivories. Cameron Craig/AP

 

We thought we'd give you a break from swine flu for a moment to ponder the relationship between Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)'s songwriting career and the emerging debate about overhauling health care.

Confused?

NPR's Julie Rovner tells us more:

Most people know that Senator Hatch is a successful senator. Fewer know he's also a successful songwriter, having penned tracks recorded by the likes of Brooks and Dunn, Gladys Knight, and John Tesh.

Now Kaiser Family Foundation President Drew Altman has provided what he's calling -- tongue firmly in cheek -- "an in-depth analysis of the heretofore unexamined link between Sen. Hatch's songwriting and health reform."

Continue reading "Singing From The Health Songbook?" >

By Frank James

You know what really ticks off Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano? Neither do I.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

But she was clearly unhappy with how some school children and their parents responded to the swine flu-related closures of their schools.

In nearly every media briefing she's had in the past week, she has mentioned that the closing of a school with one or more identified swine-flu cases was no excuse for healthy students with free time on their hands to gather elsewhere, like parks or shopping malls.

She mentioned it again today, saying that federal officials are going to turn up the on the need for students to avoid each other and stay home, especially if the swine flu returns with a vengeance next fall.

Continue reading "Good Luck With Anti-Flu Plan To Keep Teens From Malls" >

By Clay Masters

Debate continues over how to refer to the new H1N1 flu outbreak. One Nebraska Senator has his own idea about how to name influenza viruses.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, a Democrat, expressed concerns over the financial hit the pork industry has taken because the H1N1 virus is referred to as swine flu. Nelson offered his own virus-naming system.

"Maybe we ought not to name them such as avian or bird flu or swine flu and just name them like names like we do hurricanes -- it could be for example flu Jake or something like that," Nelson said.

Dr. Steve Hinrichs, chair of the department of pathology and microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, explains that viruses get named based on their origin. In this case a certain amount of genetic material has been traced back to a pig.

Continue reading "Hate Swine Flu's Name? How About Calling it Jake?" >

By Mark Memmott and April Fulton

"On the upside of the recent flu mania," NPR's Linton Weeks writes this afternoon, "one oft-neglected, seldom noticed and, come to think of it, very weird body part is receiving a new wave of attention: the elbow."

As Linton notes:

Health officials are recommending that people cough into their elbows as the preferred way to handle expectoration. And almost-surgeon-general Sanjay Gupta of CNN recommends touching elbows instead of shaking hands or bumping fists.

All of a sudden, the status of elbows has been elevated. Elbows are everywhere. Elbows are Elvis.

(Linton hails from Tennessee, so he knows from fried peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwiches.)

Need more proof that elbows are hot? Check out this three-year-old video that's enjoying something of a "flu bounce" these days on the Web:

But wait, there's more. Some other NPR correspondents have gotten into the groove of creating novel and contagion-safe methods of greeting. Cast your vote at "Don't Gimme Five!" for which way you think folks should greet each other these days (Mark prefers the "snap and flick").

NPR health correspondent Allison Aubrey and All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen illustrate one of their "safe" greeting styles -- the "snap and flick." Becky Lettenberger/NPR

 

by April Fulton

Required cabinet-level reading? Amazon

It's never too early to start second-guessing the government's handling of the swine flu crisis, so let's begin.

On Monday, National Journal's health blog posed the serious question of whether the U.S. is prepared to cope with swine flu or any other potential pandemic, and got six experts to weigh in.

The problem is, where they stand is colored by where they sit.

For example, Kerry Weems, a long-time career employee at HHS who was elevated to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services director at the end of President George W. Bush's term, praised career HHS employees for their "calm, clear manner."

Continue reading "A Little Light Swine Flu Reading, Anyone?" >

By Marisa Penaloza

Flying these days can be a true nightmare of packed airplanes, long delays and added fees. But Tuesday, my United 822 flight from Mexico City to Washington was virtually empty. The flight was carrying 15 passengers.

It was clear at the airport that not many would be on the plane.

Continue reading "On Flight From Mexico: Empty Seats; Free Food" >

By Mark Memmott

From the European Union's "e-Bug" project, a hygiene video with a name we can't resist:

by April Fulton

If you're getting a little tired of hearing about swine flu, we're sorry. It's not going away anytime soon.

But, you'll be happy to know that NPR's Science Desk is aware that there are other things going on in the world and we're reporting on them, too.

On an even more gloomy topic than swine flu, but different, nonetheless, our mental health correspondent Alix Spiegel has been working on a piece about torture in Afghanistan for All Things Considered today.

Spiegel talked with military psychologist Bruce LeFever about the role he and his colleagues have played in preparing U.S. soldiers to withstand torture, and in effect, how they have trained them to torture.

And later this week, Nell Greenfieldboyce has two pieces about fixing man-made objects in space.

First, Greenfieldboyce takes a look at what it takes to design special tools to repair the Hubble space telescope and other things. She notes: "A plain old Black and Decker screwdriver from Home Depot won't work," mostly because space is cold and lacks gravity, so those little metal nuts and bolts might just float away.

Her second piece will be a look at Hubble's final tune-up, focusing on a shuttle mission that may be the last time humans touch the beloved telescope.

By Frank James

Maybe we averted an anti-handshaking public health campaign when Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's resident medical expert, decided against becoming President Barack Obama's surgeon general.

Gupta, who recently returned from Mexico City where he was reporting on the swine flu aka 2009 H1N1 flu virus epidemic there, was on NPR's Diane Rehm Show today on a panel of experts discussing the swine flu aka 2009 H1N1 virus and got this question from the host:

REHM: Dr. Gupta, are you still shaking hands, are you still hugging people, are you still kissing people?"

GUPTA: "...You know shaking hands even not in the face of swine flu is one of the most common ways that people transmit viruses. I've never been a big fan of shaking hands. In fact I've recently advocated bumping elbows instead. It's not nearly as fun or gracious but it's safer from an infectious disease standpoint."

Prosciutto, such as the slice that envelops this fig, will not give you swine flu April Fulton/NPR

 

by Richard Knox

The World Health Organization's daily swine flu briefing on Sunday dealt with a burning culinary question du jour --- at least among the European press. What about cured ham products?

Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, a WHO food safety scientist, had just repeated the stock speech that pork products are perfectly safe to eat as long as they're properly cooked.

"What about ham this is not cooked?" asked Brad Clapper of the Associated Press. "Millions of people eat ham in different ways, including raw. Do they now have to fry up prosciutto (air-dried Italian ham) or jambon cru (raw ham)...in order to be safe?"

Continue reading "Please Don't Fry That Prosciutto!" >

by April Fulton

After an intense first week, Flu Shots is officially going dark for the weekend.

Thanks to all of our readers who've followed us, e-mailed us, talked to us, Tweeted us, and generally helped make our first five days so much fun.

Don't forget to join us here, bright and early on Monday morning for the latest on the swine flu outbreak, as well as more information on the impact the disease is having on the local and global economy.

We will bring you the latest on the development of a vaccine, the epidemiology of the virus, and of course, the ever-evolving name change. Plus, whatever else strikes our fancy.

Wash your hands a lot, get some rest, and come on back on Monday.

Be sure to check out npr.org for breaking flu news meantime.

by April Fulton

None of these pills can cure swine flu istockphoto.com

It was only a matter of time before charlatans and fakers would start selling swine flu "cures" on the Internet.

One such site features a pig's face spotted with graphic tattoos of skulls and ringed with fire and a screaming banner headline promising a "swine-flu cure-all medicine that is only $19.99 per dose or $99.99 for 6 doses!"

But as the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission remind us, there are no cures for swine flu, so don't be fooled.

Here's what Michael Chappell, acting FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, had to say:

Consumers who purchase products to treat the novel 2009 H1N1 virus that are not approved, cleared or authorized by the FDA for the treatment or prevention of influenza risk their health and the health of their families.

And FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz adds:

The last thing any consumer needs right now is to be conned by someone selling fraudulent flu remediesThe FTC will act swiftly against companies that resort to deceptive advertising.

For more information about protecting yourself when buying medicine online, go here.

For more information on what CDC recommends about the use of the two drugs currently approved to TREAT the new swine flu, go here.

CLARIFICATION: The swine flu cure website mentioned in this post is a parody. It does not actually sell swine flu cures.

The word today that public service ads about the outbreak are headed to TV and radio stations reminded some of the PSAs that were put on television during the swine flu scare in 1976.

The 2009 version is a very straight-forward and informational spot narrated by acting Surgeon General Stephen Galson about the importance of washing your hands and staying home if you'r sick. It's nothing like the old ads.

Our thanks to readers Chris Balmes and Hannah Wood for calling our attention to these blasts from the past:

As NPR's Scott Horsley reminded listeners this week on All Things Considered, the 1976 vaccine and the push to give it to every American had some frightening results. The campaign was called off later that year after it was feared the vaccine might have caused some cases of a rare nerve disorder.

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

This morning on the way to work I was getting onto the Metro and was handed a copy of the Washington Post's free tabloid paper, the Express. The odd juxtaposition on the front cover was striking.

As you can see, there's a big, vaguely-alarming headline that sounds like the world is about to end right next to a photo of the rear end of a hippopotamus. (Actually, the hippopotamus butt is even bigger news than a potential global pandemic, apparently, given that it takes up more space.)

But I'm one to talk! After covering flu earlier this week, I took a couple days "off" the beat to do a story on birds that boogie.

In other words, while my colleagues on the Science Desk were running around keeping track of stuff like the World Health Organization bumping us up one more alert level, I was sitting here in my cubicle watching a YouTube video of a sulphur-crested cockatoo named Snowball getting down to the Backstreet Boys.

This bird can really dance, and, I swear, that's important to science.

And I'll be back on the swine flu beat tomorrow.

By the way, if you have a Snowball-inspired dance, share it on YouTube and use the tag "NPR Snowball dance" so we can find it.

One more thing. Does Snowball have the Boogie Woogie Flu?

by Julie Rovner

It's nice in an impending pandemic to know that your health insurance company is looking out for your welfare. If you're adequately covered, that is.

That's pretty much the message from health insurance giant CIGNA, which today put out a press release proclaiming that it's "ready to offer swine flu assistance to customers worldwide."

But if you read the entire release, it says further down that "medically necessary services for the diagnosis and treatment of swine flu will be covered in accordance with the terms of customers' applicable benefit plans."

CIGNA covers a lot of us here at NPR. We'll have to check to see if we have a swine flu rider or not...

by April Fulton

While it's an important tool to prevent the spread of swine flu and other germs, frequent handwashing that includes hot water and lathering up for 20 seconds can be dull, says NPR's Allison Aubrey.

After preschool, singing "Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star" to get you through it gets pretty old, too.

So we asked Allison to solicit from the newsroom some songs grownups could sing to make that 20 seconds go faster in the course of her reporting today, and she was innundated with suggestions ranging from classic opera to rap.

Here you can vote on some of our favorites:

Continue reading "Singing While You Scrub" >