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October 9, 2012 Counselor Judith Schwarz says that for terminally ill patients who are suffering, prolonging death can seem like a worse fate than death itself. Schwarz is a patient supporter with the nonprofit organization Compassion & Choices.

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On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

October 9, 2012 Because of fears that lab-altered bird flu viruses could cause a deadly pandemic if they ever escaped the lab, scientists agreed to a moratorium on mutant H5N1 flu research eight months ago. Now top scientists in the field continue the debate about the work, publishing six commentaries for and against the end of the moratorium.

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October 9, 2012 Could modern cognitive theories explain character development in one of Jane Austen's most famous heroines: Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennett? Reading sessions inside an MRI scanner are shedding light on the question.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

October 8, 2012 John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka discovered that every cell in our body — from skin and heart to brain and lung — can reinvent itself and become any other cell type. These stem cells have vast potential for drug development, for many diseases, like Alzheimer's, muscular dystrophy and diabetes.

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October 8, 2012 KHNWhen a relative signs up for Medicare, it is often perplexing — and unnerving — for the rest of the family who may have grown used to cushy employer-sponsored coverage.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

October 8, 2012 Most elderly drivers give up the keys only when their child or grandchild intervenes. Social workers say it's important for family members to be aware and look for changes in their parents' driving behavior.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

October 7, 2012 Spinal Elements, a small and growing company, had long made plates, screws and other technology used in spinal surgeries. But its new Hero Allograft was the first product it ever made from the tissue — in this case the bones — of a donated human cadaver.

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October 6, 2012 During the financial crisis, gold prices hit record highs as people looked for somewhere safe to park their money. In West Africa, that's had a devastating, deadly effect on children.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

October 6, 2012 Mitt Romney said during Wednesday's debate that pre-existing conditions would be covered under his health care plan. But the Republican presidential candidate's plan wouldn't guarantee that people who don't have coverage now will be able to buy it.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

October 5, 2012 At first it seemed likely that the two known cases of illness from the new cousin-of-SARS virus may have been exposed in or near the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. But now it's pretty certain that a 49-year-old Qatari man who had traveled to Jeddah last month didn't pick up the virus there after all.

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October 5, 2012 The overwhelming majority of respondents to our online query said they would get their genome sequenced if they could afford it. Most also said they'd want to know everything it revealed.

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October 5, 2012 To curb a recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda, health workers quarantined over 40 people suspected of infection with the virus. Their belongings were burned and buried in case they were harboring the virus.

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October 5, 2012 Scientists have been using whole genome sequencing for over a decade, but it has yet to become a routine tool in the clinic. Two separate research groups showed progress in making diagnoses using in-depth genome analysis.

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