Dr. Randall Bly, an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine who practices at Seattle Children's Hospital, uses the experimental smartphone app and a paper funnel to check his daughter's ear. Dennis Wise/University of Washington hide caption
A 7-year-old receives a liver transplant at the children's hospital at Vanderbilt Medical Center, which joined more than a dozen other institutions in trying to block a new national system for allocating donated livers. Neil Brake/Vanderbilt Medical Center hide caption
An MRI scan shows signs of atrophy in the brain of a patient with Huntington's disease. Science Photo Library/Science Source hide caption
The director of the Denver campaign told NPR that the results from the vote shows that society's perception of psychedelics has changed. Photofusion/UIG via Getty Images hide caption
Isabelle Carnell-Holdaway (left), now 17, with her mother Joanne Carnell-Holdaway. Isabelle has a dangerous infection that is being treated with a cocktail of genetically modified viruses. Courtesy of Jo Holdaway hide caption
A growing body of research suggests psychedelic mushrooms may have therapeutic benefits for certain conditions. Now a movement seeks to decriminalize them. farmer images/Getty Images hide caption
Dr. Brian Chesebro (right), in Portland, Ore., has calculated that by simply using the anesthesia gas sevoflurane in most surgeries, instead of the similar gas desflurane, he can significantly cut the amount of global warming each procedure contributes to the environment. Kristian Foden-Vencil/OPB hide caption
Even if a genetic test could reliably predict obesity risk, would people make effective use of the information? eyecrave/Vetta/Getty Images hide caption
Phil Gutis with his dog, Abe, who died last year. Gutis, who has Alzheimer's, hoped an experimental drug could help preserve his memories. Courtesy of Timothy Weaver hide caption
As scientists learn more about the complex way genes combine and work together to create human traits, the idea of "designer babies" becomes less and less likely. BlackJack3D/Getty Images hide caption
Psychiatry's shift toward seeing mental health problems as an illness to be treated with a pill hasn't always served patients well, says Harvard historian and author Anne Harrington. James Wardell/Radius Images/Getty Images hide caption
Will computers alienate us from the healing touch? Chris Nickels for NPR hide caption
MMR — the modern combination vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella — provides stronger, longer-lasting protection against measles than the stand-alone measles vaccine typically given in the U.S. in the early 1960s. Eric Risberg/AP hide caption
The habit of ordering unneeded tests and treatments drives up medical costs. It's a pattern doctors often learn in medical school and residency. Medioimages/Photodisc/Getty Images hide caption
David Vetter, pictured in September 1982 inside part of the bubble environment that was his protective home until he died in 1984. Today most kids born with severe combined immunodeficiency are successfully treated with bone marrow transplants, but researchers think gene therapy is the future. AP hide caption
Nurse practitioner Debra Brown guides patient Merdis Wells through a diabetic retinopathy exam at University Medical Center in New Orleans. Courtesy of IDx hide caption
Ketamine appears to restore faulty connections between brain cells, according to research performed in mice. Kevin Link/Science Source hide caption
The North American porcupine has a cute face, but it has upward of 30,000 menacing quills covering much of its body. The slow-moving herbivore uses them as a last-resort defense against predators. Lindsay Wildlife Experience hide caption
tk Courtesy of Rob Reinhart hide caption
The presence of the hepatitis C virus in donated hearts and organs for transplantation wasn't an impediment for a successful result for recipients. Kateryna Kon/Getty Images hide caption
Amir Kiani (from left), Chloe O'Connell and Nishit Asnani troubleshoot an algorithm to diagnose tuberculosis in computer lab at Stanford University. Richard Harris/NPR hide caption
Scientists are questioning the evidence about an alleged attack on diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Ramon Espinosa/AP hide caption
