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Joe Palca Joe Palca is a science correspondent for NPR.
Joe Palca, photographed for NPR, 17 January 2019, in Washington DC.
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Joe Palca

Keeping Science On Track

Fifty years ago this week, a paper in the British science journal Nature described the structure of DNA. This discovery kicked off a revolution in biology that brought with it fear as well as excitement. The ability to tinker with genes raised the specter of monster organisms that might threaten the world. As NPR's Joe Palca reports, back then it was scientists who took the lead in resolving such issues, but today it may not be researchers who get to choose how controversial science progresses.

Keeping Science On Track

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DNA and the Human Identity

NPR's Joe Palca has the first in a series of stories marking the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix, the three-dimensional chemical structure of DNA. A half-century ago this week, the British science journal, Nature, published a one-page report by James Watson and Francis Crick, which immediately explained how genetic instructions are passed from one generation to the next.

DNA and the Human Identity

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Science

Conflicting Reports on Human Cloning

Two new scientific papers are at odds over the question of whether it's currently possible to clone humans. One study suggests it's impossible with current methods. But earlier this week, a fertility doctor in Kentucky reported that he had successfully created a very early human embryo clone. NPR's Joe Palca reports.

Conflicting Reports on Human Cloning

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Science

Health Officials Edge Closer to Containing SARS

Doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there are now more than 60 suspected cases of Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the United States. The disease, which is believed to have originated in China, has no specific treatment, but there should soon be a blood test to help confirm suspected cases of the disease. Hear NPR's Joe Palca.

Health Officials Edge Closer to Containing SARS

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U.S. Fights SARS

NPR's Joe Palca reports on measures being taken at hospitals to prevent the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. The syndrome produces pneumonia, so it's hard to distinguish SARS from everyday cases of pneumonia. Hospital officials say standard infection control measures can prevent the spread of the disease.

U.S. Fights SARS

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Science

Study: Elite U.S. Troops May Have a Natural Advantage

U.S. Special Operations forces conduct some of the most dangerous missions in a war. Yale researchers say these elite troops have brain chemicals that respond differently to high-stress situations, setting them apart from others in the military. NPR's Joe Palca reports.

Study: Elite U.S. Troops May Have a Natural Advantage

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War Update: Baghdad Bombings, Iraqi Resistance

A new aerial assault on Baghdad begins without the now familiar warning from air-raid sirens. U.S. officials cite progress in the war in Iraq, but U.S. troops also meet some of the stiffest resistance of the conflict so far, taking losses in Najaf and Nasiriyah. A 27-year-old Army sergeant is detained in a grenade attack on tents at the U.S. 101st Airborne Command center in Kuwait. And U.S. officials condemn the broadcast of images of U.S. soldiers held by Iraqi captors. NPR's Joe Palca reports.

War Update: Baghdad Bombings, Iraqi Resistance

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