appears in the following:

Cool off like an Olympian: Here's how athletes cope with intense heat

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Over the next week, forecasts project extreme heat across much of the South, Midwest and parts of the West. So, this episode, health correspondent Pien Huang helps us take heat training cues from Olympians, many of whom spent weeks preparing for a sweltering Paris Olympics, by training in the heat to get their bodies used to hot, humid weather. But heat training is not just for competitive athletes. It's recommended for people in the military and those who work outdoors in hot weather — and it could even be useful for generally healthy members of the public. Plus, we get into some important caveats about who is best positioned to heat train — and why doing so doesn't minimize the problems of a warming climate.

Check out more of Pien's reporting on heat training.

And, if you liked this episode, consider checking out our episodes on the dew point, the power of sweat and coping with extreme heat.

Questions or ideas you want us to consider for a future episode? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. We'd love to hear from you!

Comment

A bird flu outbreak among dairy cows sparks new warnings about unpasteurized milk

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

An outbreak of avian flu in dairy cow herds has resurfaced long-simmering tensions between the federal government and raw milk advocates, who downplay concerns that health officials have raised.

Comment

Bird flu has reached the commercial milk supply

Friday, April 26, 2024

Studies have found fragments of bird flu virus in about 20% of the milk supply. It's not expected to pose a threat to humans, but may indicate the outbreak is more widespread than previously thought.

Comment

The U.S. has a new heat warning system called HeatRisk

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

About 1,200 people die from extreme heat each year. As temperatures soar, the CDC is unveiling plans to help people deal with potentially record summer heat.

Comment

A look at the ancient practice that turned friends into family

Tuesday, April 09, 2024

In the latest story in the NPR's series The Science of Siblings, we hear about a practice that dates back to ancient times that allows people to turn a friend into a sibling.

Comment

After 4 years, NIH is sunsetting its influential COVID-19 treatment guidelines

Friday, March 15, 2024

The COVID guidelines were used by millions of doctors to guide care during the pandemic. Scientists say the development of new COVID treatments has slowed to a drip.

Comment

The CDC is revising its COVID guidelines, dropping the five-day isolation period

Friday, March 01, 2024

The CDC is dropping its isolation guidance for COVID, instead advising around respiratory viruses in general. The change reflects the reality that severe outcomes are less frequent, says the director.

Comment

Florida's response to a measles outbreak endangers children, experts say

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

A measles outbreak in a Florida elementary school flummoxes public health experts, who say the state surgeon general's response contradicts established public health measures to contain the virus.

Comment

CDC data show the HPV vaccine is not reaching many young people

Monday, February 19, 2024

For years, a cancer-preventing vaccine reached vulnerable teens at rates that exceeded the baseline. Since the pandemic, researchers have seen a worrying drop in coverage among Medicaid recipients.

Comment

The CDC may soon drop its isolation guidance for people with COVID-19

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

The CDC is reportedly planning to drop the isolation guidance for those who test positive for COVID-19. Experts say this may align with the current how people are behaving but may not bode well.

Comment

This week in science: Invasive ants, ancient chewing gum, and return of the cicadas

Thursday, January 25, 2024

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Regina Barber and Pien Huang of Short Wave about a double emergence of cicadas this spring, invasive ants in Kenya, and the secrets in an ancient wad of chewing gum.

Comment

A visit to one Florida school where mindfulness is helping youngsters succeed

Monday, January 22, 2024

Mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and loneliness. And it benefits school kids too. One elementary school in Florida is using a daily mindfulness program with great success.

Comment

A new COVID variant is gaining strength, wastewater samples from across the U.S. show

Saturday, January 06, 2024

Wastewater samples across the country find that the virus that causes COVID is plentiful as a new variant gathers strength. Treatments and vaccines still work against the new variant.

Comment

Navigating the respiratory illnesses — including COVID — going around post-holidays

Thursday, January 04, 2024

Respiratory illnesses are rising after the holidays. CDC Director Mandy Cohen and other health experts share data and advice on how to navigate what is typically the peak respiratory virus season.

Comment

U.S. life expectancy is recovering from COVID-19, but still lags

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

New CDC data shows that life expectancy in the U.S. is starting to recover, after it dropped during COVID-19 health emergency. Despite the gains, it still lags behind pre-pandemic times.

Comment

A skin disease caused by sand flies is on the rise in the U.S.

Thursday, November 02, 2023

The CDC finds that leishmaniasis, a skin disease spread by sand flies, is spreading at low levels in the southern U.S. It was previously considered a tropical disease only be acquired abroad.

Comment

Verbal abuse of healthcare workers has been up — as have their mental health problems

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

A new CDC report finds a rise in threats and verbal abuse aimed at health care workers since the start of the pandemic. The harassment is linked to high levels of anxiety, depression and burnout.

Comment

Wastewater reveals which viruses are actually circulating and causing colds

Monday, October 23, 2023

COVID, flu and RSV are the big respiratory illnesses, but U.S. researchers have a clearer picture of other circulating viruses with wastewater surveillance. (Story aired on ATC on Oct. 20, 2023.)

Comment

A seasonal viral stew is brewing with flu, RSV, COVID and more

Saturday, October 21, 2023

National data shows COVID-19 levels are moderate. In most of the U.S., levels of other respiratory viruses are low, although RSV is ticking up in some southeastern states.

Comment

Wastewater reveals which viruses are actually circulating and causing colds

Friday, October 20, 2023

While COVID, flu and RSV remain the big three of respiratory illnesses in the U.S., researchers are getting a clearer picture of other circulating viruses with wastewater surveillance.

Comment