Scientists say a parasite carried by cats appears to influence the behavior of humans, in this case, women infected with the parasite were slightly more likely to attempt suicide.
NPR's Jon Hamilton reports this is just the latest study suggesting that parasites can cause subtle changes in our brains.
JON HAMIILTON, BYLINE: This parasite is called Toxoplasma and its primary home is in the intestine of a cat. People can get infected when they eat under-cooked meats or sometimes when they change the litter in a cat box.
Francois St. Ker, 55, was on the brink of dying from AIDS in the spring of 2001. Today, he's a successful farmer and is in good health, thanks to treatment for his HIV.
Credit John Poole / NPR
St. Ker says he has been faithful about taking his HIV medicine every day for the past 11 years.
Credit Richard Knox / NPR
St. Ker, in 2001, with the coffin he picked out for himself and a plastic bag that contains his funeral clothes. With the help of medicine, he has fought off AIDS and sold the coffin.
This story begins 11 years ago. It was a time when many, if not most, experts said it was unthinkable to treat people with AIDS in developing countries using the triple-drug regimens that were routinely saving the lives of patients in wealthier countries.
This week, GlaxoSmithKline agreed to the largest single health fraud settlement in U.S. history. Details from the case paint a rich picture of alleged abuses.
As part of a landmark $3 billion settlement of health fraud charges by GlaxoSmithKline, the government released a slew of documents that serve as a one-stop guide to alleged sales practices that ran rampant for years.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says the pension system is putting a grip on the state's budget. As a result, other services may lose funding.
Credit Seth Perlman / AP
Illinois pensions have amounted to billions that the state can't readily afford. American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees rally against proposed pension legislation on May 23.
Ryan Curtis leans in for a kiss from Love Kovtun on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland's Uptown neighborhood in April. New businesses and investment have helped revitalize the city's downtown over the past decade.
Credit Laura Morton for NPR
A performance artist dances on 23rd Street in Oakland as First Friday Art Walk attendees pass by.
The city of Oakland, Calif. has long been associated with crime, poverty, urban decay and, more recently, violent protests tied to the Occupy movement.
So it may have been a surprise to New York Times readers when the newspaper listed Oakland as No. 5 among its top "places to go" in 2012.
How well do you remember what's actually in the Affordable Care Act?
Last week's Supreme Court decision upholding President Obama's signature domestic achievement has thrust the measure back into the spotlight, where it's likely to remain through the presidential election.
Is a calorie just a calorie? Science writer Gary Taubes says no. In a study published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, diet researchers reported that patients on a low-carb diet kept weight off longer than those on a low-fat diet, re-introducing a long-standing debate.
A fallen tree crushes a truck in Falls Church, Va., outside Washington. Storms across the Midwest and East downed trees and power lines and left millions without power.
Once major storms pass, hard-hit communities sometimes discover an unexpected silver lining: a miniature economic boom, as insurance checks pay for homeowners to rebuild and businesses to restock.
Originally published on Fri October 26, 2012 12:21 pm
Much has been written about the real-life historical people and events that inspired Game Of Thrones. Many fans of the hit HBO series and the fantasy books on which it is based know that author G.R.R.
In the drama Matlock, Kene Holliday (top left), Nancy Stafford, Julie Sommars, Griffith and Kari Lizer played a criminal defense team that often came out on top.
Credit Mark Wilson / Getty Images
In 2005, President George W. Bush honored Griffith with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for "demonstrating the finest qualities of our country."
Credit Bob Jordan / AP
Griffith attends the 2003 unveiling of a bronze statue of the characters Andy and Opie from his hit TV series The Andy Griffith Show in Raleigh, N.C.
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Actor Andy Griffith was best known for his role as the gentle, small-town sheriff of Mayberry on the 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. He died Tuesday at 86.
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Griffith on the set of the 1958 film No Time for Sergeants. Griffith starred in the live television, Broadway and film adaptations of Mac Hyman's 1954 novel.
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Griffith and Juliet Prowse pose on the set of The Second Time Around, a 1961 Western comedy starring Debbie Reynolds as a widow who moves from New York to Arizona.
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Ron Howard played Griffith's son, Opie. "They always have the kids in situation comedies be brats," he said, but the Andy-Opie relationship was different.
Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Don Knotts played bumbling Deputy Barney Fife to Griffith's Sheriff Andy Taylor on the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.
Credit Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Griffith's marriage to Barbara Edwards (left) ended in 1972. He married Cindi Knight in 1983, and they settled in his home state of North Carolina.
Credit CBS Photo Archive / Getty Images
Actor Andy Griffith died Tuesday at 86. He sits in uniform, as Sheriff Andy Taylor, on the set of his television series The Andy Griffith Show in 1967.
Credit Doug Pizac / AP
Born in North Carolina, actor and comedian Andy Griffith was known for playing the wise, gentle Southern patriarch, both in the 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show and the 1980s-'90s legal drama Matlock.
In a career that spanned half a century, actor and comedian Andy Griffith starred in five different television series, made more than 30 movies and even recorded a Grammy Award-winning gospel album. He died Tuesday morning in North Carolina at the age of 86.
Would you pick a doctor just because someone you had never met gave her the thumbs up in an online review? Maybe not, but more people are turning to online sites such as RateMDs.com and Angie's List to look at what other patients have to say about a doctor's communication skills, punctuality and other intangibles that make up the patient experience.
Mike Nichols has won every major entertainment award over a long career in theater, comedy, TV and film. He returned to Broadway directing a revival of Death of a Salesman, which picked up seven Tony nominations. Nichols warns the production may be his last. Originally broadcast May 23, 2012.
