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Marc Silver Marc Silver edits NPR's global health blog.
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Marc Silver

Wednesday

Food

Salt-less Jamaican soup a 'transformational' experience

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Genevieve Villamora about adapting healing soup recipes from around the world with ingredients commonly available in the U.S.

Salt-less Jamaican soup a 'transformational' experience

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Sunday

An aerial view shows painted circles in the grass to encourage people to social distance at Washington Square Park in San Francisco, California, on May 22, 2020, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

An aerial view shows painted circles in the grass to encourage people to keep a distance from each other at Washington Square Park in San Francisco. The photo is from May 22, 2020. Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Coronavirus FAQ: Is the 6-foot rule debunked? Or does distance still protect you?

At a congressional hearing, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the CDC recommendation to stay 6 feet from others to ward off infection was not based on data. Does that mean keeping a distance won't protect you?

Friday

Sunday

Sunday

Matzo — the Passover bread of affliction and freedom — is a timely symbol in 2024

Although matzo sold in supermarkets is typically square, the round matzo is believed to be the earliest form of this unleavened bread that is eaten during the Passover holiday as a symbol of both suffering and freedom. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Matzo — the Passover bread of affliction and freedom — is a timely symbol in 2024

Bread — and the lack thereof — plays a role in many corners of the world facing a crisis, from Israel and Gaza to Ukraine to Afghanistan to Sudan.

Saturday

Tuesday

Here's why you should never say, 'You're as stupid as a goat'

Goats, are you paying attention to our tone of voice? A new study tries to answer that question. It involved 27 goats, a loudspeaker and recordings of the phrase "Hey, look over here!" Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Here's why you should never say, 'You're as stupid as a goat'

Dogs tune into the tone of human voices. What about goats? To find out, goatologists ran an experiment to see if goats could tell the difference between a happy-sounding human and an angry one.

Sunday

Thursday

From glacier babies to a Barbie debate: 7 great global stories you might have missed

Left to right: Barbies in India; Maya softball players in Mexico; walking on a frozen fountain in the mountains of Pakistan, where efforts are underway to revive the ancient art of glacier mating. Anushree Bhatter for NPR, Bénédicte Desrus; Diaa Hadid/NPR hide caption

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Anushree Bhatter for NPR, Bénédicte Desrus; Diaa Hadid/NPR

Goats and Soda

From glacier babies to a Barbie debate: 7 great global stories you might have missed

Here are our editors' picks for stories from 2023 that we wish more people would see: from an elephant safari for teens to mating glaciers in Pakistan to a debate about Barbie's skin tone in India.

Thursday

Sunday

Our top global posts might change how you think about hunters, AI and hellos

Images from some of our most popular global stories of 2023 (left to right): A woman from Brazil's Awa people holds her bow and arrow after a hunt; an artificial intelligence program made this fake photo to fulfill a request for "doctors help children in Africa" — AI added the giraffe; researchers are learning that a stranger's hello can do more than just brighten your day. Scott Wallace/Getty Images, Midjourney Bot Version 5.1. Annotation by NPR, David Rowland/AP hide caption

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Scott Wallace/Getty Images, Midjourney Bot Version 5.1. Annotation by NPR, David Rowland/AP

Goats and Soda

Our top global posts might change how you think about hunters, AI and hellos

Our most popular global stories of 2023 offer insights into the stereotypes of male hunters/female gatherers, the biases of AI, the best way to end poverty and the impact of a stranger's greeting.

Friday

Thursday

From a surprising long COVID theory to a new cow flu: Our 5 top 'viral' posts in 2023

The world may be out of the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, but humans still share the globe with countless pathogens. Here are some of the ways viruses shaped 2023. Olivia Taussig-Rees for NPR hide caption

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Olivia Taussig-Rees for NPR

Goats and Soda

From a surprising long COVID theory to a new cow flu: Our 5 top 'viral' posts in 2023

The pandemic state of emergency was lifted but there are still plenty of viruses to worry about. Here are some highlights of our viral coverage this year, including NPR's "Hidden Viruses" series.

Saturday

Tuesday

How NPR covered the missionary who ran a center for malnourished kids where 105 died

In 2019, NPR covered the story of Renee Bach, an American missionary who said she was called by God to serve the children of Uganda. Now HBO is presenting her story in the documentary series White Savior. Julia Rendleman for NPR hide caption

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Julia Rendleman for NPR

Goats and Soda

How NPR covered the missionary who ran a center for malnourished kids where 105 died

In 2019, NPR covered the story of Renee Bach, who said she was called by God to serve the children of Uganda. Now HBO is presenting her story in the documentary series 'Savior Complex.'