Beth Macy’s ‘Dopesick’ offers a Seattle audience intimate glimpses of those hit by the opioid epidemic. “According to The CDC, In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses, making it a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Of those deaths, almost 68% involved a prescription or illicit opioid.” Sonya Harris
70 Mayors Reject Trump Food Stamp Proposal, Saying It Puts Kids At Risk Mayors from 70 American cities send a letter to the Trump administration, saying a plan to push millions of people out of the federal food stamp program would punish some of the country's neediest. Bobby Allyn
Finding a fix for Washingtonians who want opioid treatment One of the problems with combating the opioid epidemic is getting treatment to those who need it most. A new effort is being launched around Washington state to do just that. Casey Martin
Lack Of Diversity In Genetic Databases Hampers Research Scientists around the world are working to correct a problem with genetic health information — too much of it is currently based on samples of Europeans. Richard Harris
Scientists Attempt Controversial Experiment To Edit DNA In Human Sperm Using CRISPR NPR visited the only lab in the world known to be trying to use the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR to modify the DNA in human sperm. If successful, it could be used to prevent genetic disorders. Rob Stein
WHO Study Finds No Evidence Of Health Concerns From Microplastics In Drinking Water The World Health Organization says that the tiny particles of plastic found everywhere in the environment do not appear to pose any significant risk to human health. Scott Neuman
Poll: Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Says Pain Often Interferes With Daily Life How do Americans experience and cope with pain that makes everyday life harder? We asked in the latest NPR-IBM Watson Health Poll. Scott Hensley
Naked And Unafraid: 6 Wild Facts About Naked Mole Rats Picture a hairless, wrinkly rodent about the size of a small sweet potato — kinda cool, kinda weird. They also are extraordinarily long-lived. Researchers are lining up to study their secrets. Pien Huang
Subtle Differences In Brain Cells Hint at Why Many Drugs Help Mice But Not People A detailed comparison of mouse and human brain tissue found differences that could help explain why mice aren't always a good model for human diseases. Jon Hamilton
So the doctor says you have dense breasts. Now what? When Olivia went in for her mammogram at the age of 50 last month, she received unexpected news: she had “extremely dense breasts.” Elisabeth Poorman, M.D.
