Doctors used a rapid DNA test to identify a Wisconsin teen's unusual infection with Leptospira bacteria (yellow), which are common in the tropics. CDC/Rob Weyant hide caption
Richard Harris Award-winning journalist Richard Harris reports on biomedical research for NPR's newsmagazines, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
Lots of basic science leads to some clinical trials and, if all goes well, new cancer treatments. thelinke/iStockphoto hide caption
Measles was brought to Ohio's Amish communities by people returning from mission trips to the Philippines. Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer/Landov hide caption
Red blood cells infected with the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. Plasmodium is the parasite that triggers malaria in people. Gary D. Gaugler/Science Source hide caption
Sex can matter, whether you're looking at drug side effects, the response to treatment, or the progression of a disease. iStockphoto hide caption
Lots of swimming in icy seas may have helped bears evolve to eat a high-fat diet yet remain healthy. Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Adelie penguins frolic in Antarctica, unaware of a flu virus that circulates among them. Peter & J. Clement/Science Source hide caption
False-color transmission electron micrograph of a field of whooping cough bacteria, Bordetella pertussis. A. Barry Dowsett/Science Source hide caption
This mouse egg (top) is being injected with genetic material from an adult cell to ultimately create an embryo — and, eventually, embryonic stem cells. The process has been difficult to do with human cells. James King-Holmes/Science Source hide caption
In this colored transmission electron micrograph, an infected cell (reddish brown) releases a single Ebola virus (the blue hook). As it exits, the virus takes along part of the host cell's membrane (pink, center), too. That deters the host's immune defenses from recognizing the virus as foreign. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine/Science Source hide caption
I'm not trying to lead you astray. It's just that scientists are not skeptical enough about their mouse studies. iStockphoto hide caption
An artist's illustration shows lung cancer cells lurking among healthy air sacs. David Mack/Science Source hide caption
The research team used yeast chromosome No. 3 as the model for their biochemical stitchery. Pins and white diamonds in the illustration represent "designer changes" not found in the usual No. 3; yellow stretches represent deletions. Lucy Reading-Ikkanda hide caption
Fewer People Are Getting Infections In Hospitals, But Many Still Die
Your schnoz deserves more respect. epSos .de/Flickr hide caption