Alan Yu
Alan was a Kroc Fellow at NPR and worked at WNPR as a reporter for three months. He is interested in everything from health and science reporting to comic books and movies. Before joining us, he studied journalism at Northwestern University, and worked at Psychology Today, NPR's Weekend Edition, and WBEZ in Chicago.
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Using light-conductive materials, researchers have built a robot hand that can sense shapes and textures. Soft robotics holds promise for better prosthetics or machines with a more "human" touch.
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In her new book, Sarah Lohman says that even though America is culturally and ethnically diverse, its food is united by a handful of tastes that have permeated the nation's cuisine for centuries.
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Too much salty goodness isn't great for health. Food companies looking to cut the sodium while keeping the flavor have a promising candidate: potassium chloride. But it's far from perfect.
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Users of an app developed by the University of Michigan to help with jet lag entered information on their time zone and sleep patterns that helped academics with their work. But is the approach valid?
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Almost one-quarter of ICU nurses have symptoms of PTSD, studies find, and other nurses are seriously stressed at work, too. Some hospitals are trying to come up with ways to help them cope.
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A group of physicists banned PowerPoint from forums, and they aren't the only people who say we should cut back on slide-based presentations: Others include Amazon, LinkedIn and NASA.
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BMW has started making a car with optional laser headlights, which are brighter and more energy-efficient than even LED lights. Laser technology could also end up in street lights and projectors.
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The Food and Drug Administration says the long list of side effects read rapidly at the end of pharmaceutical ads may be too much for people to grasp. The agency is looking at a streamlined approach.
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This campaign will last for 60 days at FBI field offices, and comes with a reward of up to $10,000 if your help leads to an arrest. The number of these incidents has gone up more than ten times since 2006.
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The organization that hands out Rhodes Scholarships says application essays — which are often heavily edited by family, advisers and universities — no longer reflect a student's true "values and aspirations." In a new rule, the organization says that help is no longer allowed.