8.4.14: Ethnic Plastic Surgery, The Mysterious Placenta & The Audio Orchard

In the last decade, cosmetic procedures performed on Asian-Americans, Hispanics and African-Americans have far outpaced those among the white population. The goal? Westernizing ethnic features.  Today we put ethnic plastic surgery on the examination table. Then, scientists are demystifying what may be the least understood human organ: the placenta. Plus, we share some personal stories from the delivery room.

Listen to the full show and Read more for individual segments.

Ethnic Plastic Surgery

• Maureen O’Connor is a writer for New York Magazine. Her article about the rise in cosmetic procedures performed on non-caucasians can be found here: “Is Race Plastic? My Trip Into The ‘Ethnic Plastic Surgery’ Minefield.”

Nose As Destiny

• In Afghanistan, a man and woman may meet each other for the first time at the marriage altar. If the groom pulls back the veil and does not like what he sees, he can send the woman  -- shamed and forever tainted -- back to her family. To avoid such a fate, women in the capital are increasingly considering plastic surgery. Reporter Greg Warner followed one such woman into the surgeon's office to investigate.
• This story was produced by bendingborders.org as part of the Global Story Project, with support from the Open Society Foundation. Presented by PRX, The Public Radio Exchange.

Demystifying The Placenta

• For many the placenta is just too gross to talk about, which likely contributes to its long history of being "the least understood human organ," according to Dr. Susan Fisher.  New York Times reporter Denise Grady wrote about the ongoing efforts of Dr. Fisher and others to demystify the placenta.

#Placenta

• Have a placenta story that's too good to not share? We'd love to hear about in 140 characters or less. Share your story with us on Twitter @wordofmouth with the hashtag: #Placenta.

The Audio Orchard

Credit Sara Plourde

• Producer Zach Nugent hand picks new music for you to discover. Head over to his post to get all the details.
• Audio Orchard: July