Health & Science Audio/Video - NPR

How do yeast, water, hops and grain combine to form a lager, pilsner or ale? The process requires careful supervision and tightly controlled conditions. Expert brewmasters explain how temperature, timing and ingredients all factor in to making an excellent brew.

The President's Council on Fitness and Sports has unveiled a fitness test for adults on the Internet. It's similar to one that students take each year, but instead of getting a certificate signed by President Bush, the adults can see how their scores rank nationally. NPR reporters David Malakoff and Jon Hamilton are put to the test.

Video games designed to provide a workout are becoming big business. But do these games — such as the Wii Fit, which hits stores Monday — deliver on their fitness promises?

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor testifies Wednesday before the U.S. Senate's Special Committee on Aging about her husband's struggle with Alzheimer's. It is the first time O'Connor has spoken publicly and at length about the disease. She urges Congress to speed research on finding a cure. Her husband's diagnosis was the main reason she stepped down from the court in 2005. She says he is "not in very good shape."

Amos Avgar, executive director of the International Development Program of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, just left Yangon, Myanmar. He discusses the devastation he saw in the town hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis.

In the city of Chengdu, China, there is a shortage of trained doctors, but plenty of unskilled volunteers. Despite the chaotic scene, workers at Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital are eager for more survivors, even though the hospital is over capacity. Makeshift wards are set up in the parking lot.

The Day to Day host has been beating gas prices, even before they were this high; he pedals to work. He takes us along his 5-mile journey from his home to NPR West and shares his thoughts on why it's the ideal way to start a day.

Bush administration officials are under a court order to decide by tomorrow whether to add the polar bear to the list of endangered species. The decision will cap a three-year campaign by environmentalists to show that climate change has the potential to imperil wildlife. Critics say any listing is a bad idea.

Monday's earthquake in China's Sichuan province involved a violent fault line and structures that weren't built to withstand the tremors.

Adding an ultrasound exam to a standard mammogram may increase the detection of breast cancer in women at high risk for the disease, a recent study suggests. However, the method is more prone to producing a false positive, possibly leading to unneeded biopsies.

New York City is starting an ambulance service designed to preserve the organs of the newly deceased so that they'll be available for transplant. Proponents say the Rapid Organ Recovery program will save lives. Critics worry that it might divert resources from the treatment of the living.

Despite warning of "tougher times" because of the weak U.S. economy, Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said Tuesday that the automaker plans to become the global leader in zero-emission vehicles.

A Florida man was just acquitted of lewd conduct charges. His defense? He didn't mean to touch a young girl; he was sleepwalking. While very difficult to prove, the man's defense is at least plausible, according to Dr. Ana Krieger, director of the NYU Sleep Disorders Center and an expert in "parasomnia."

As many as three out of four flights have a doctor, nurse or paramedic on the passenger list. But one doctor advises passengers with chronic medical conditions to make sure they're taking all necessary precautions.

Jeff Raikes, a 27-year veteran of Microsoft, will take over the $37 billion Gates Foundation in September. Bill and Melinda Gates tell NPR that they picked Raikes because he shares their passion to try to help minimize poverty around the globe.

Those softball-size tomatoes at the supermarket get their heft from a simple genetic mutation that creates extra compartments.

Around 400 Denver residents, including the city's mayor, are part of an experiment to see if drivers can be trained to drive "greener." A device in their cars will track whether they have bad driving habits that increase fuel consumption, thus contributing more to greenhouse gas emissions.

Researchers studying the impact of climate change on arctic creatures say that the Narwhal — the long-tusked whale that gave rise to the myth of the unicorn — could be in danger. Narwhals hunt in ice-covered areas and may be among the first animals to feel the heat of warming arctic waters.

The Chaiten volcano in the remote Patagonia region of southern Chile has been dormant for 2,000 years. But for more than a week, lava, ash and huge plumes of smoke have spewed from the volcano. Thousands of people in surrounding towns are being forced to leave their homes and livestock behind.

It has been a week since a cyclone devastated the Myanmar coastline. Tens of thousands of bodies have yet to be identified or buried. United Nations consultant and expert on directing disaster relief Claude de Ville de Goyet talks with Andrea Seabrook about the difficult task ahead for Myanmar.

The New York Times ran an article this week about a study that found intelligent fruit flies don't live as long as unintelligent ones. The scientist who performed the study, Tadeusz Kawecki, talks about what this means for the smart-guys of bugs and humans alike.

Former diver Bernie Schwerdtfeger talks about working 500 feet under the water off the coast of Norway, where he helped assemble oil rigs. Many former divers are complaining of health problems and are suing for damages.

A Mars spacecraft carrying a DVD of thousands of names was intended to increase public interest in space missions. But the unintended consequence was lasting space memorials to Donald Duck, John Lennon, Adolf Hitler and Malcolm X.

Some leading medical experts have decided to end an age-old tradition — taking money from drug companies. These doctors used to get paid for making speeches, but they say they're reclaiming their tarnished credibility.

Researchers report that atrazine, the second-most-applied weedkiller in the U.S., may be able to disrupt hormonal signaling in humans. The herbicide, which has been banned in Europe, is suspected of playing a role in sexual abnormalities in fish, frogs and other aquatic organisms.

What made the Sahara Desert go dry — and are there ancient waters still hidden below the sands? In a controversial study published in the journal Science researchers argue that the drying of the Sahara took place over thousands of years — not suddenly as was previously thought.

In May 1983, the first scientific papers were published describing the possible connection between a retrovirus and the development of AIDS. The virus went on to become known as HIV. Experts discuss whether, 25 years later, scientists any closer to a cure for AIDS or to a vaccine to prevent HIV transmission.

When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, what you eat may be more important than where your food comes from. A new study finds that replacing red meat and dairy products with chicken, fish or vegetables could have the same impact as shifting to an entirely locally-grown diet.

IBM has designed a supercomputer that is water-cooled. It's the first one in the United States, and it is destined for scientists working on models of how climate is likely to change regional weather patterns — one of the most demanding problems in the climate science world.

A new medical treatment suppresses hormones that would bring on puberty in children with gender identity issues. Two doctors talk about the ethics of using the therapy for transgender teenagers and adolescents.

A Mars spacecraft carrying a DVD of thousands of names was intended to increase public interest in space missions. But the unintended consequence was lasting space memorials to Donald Duck, John Lennon, Adolf Hitler and Malcolm X.

After years of struggling with their son's gender identity issues, Robert and Danielle decided to seek treatment. One option they are looking into would buy Armand, now Violet, more time to decide whether he wants to physically become a female. But it comes with risks.

A study published in the journal Emotion says that embellishing stories to friends is not really an attempt to deceive others, but rather, an attempt to express your true hopes and goals. Self-serving exaggeration, the researchers say, is psychologically very different from other forms of lying.

The average age of mothers is steadily rising as more women wait to have children until after attending college and starting a career. But how long is too long to wait?

The New York Police Department has added eight more names to its wall of heroes. The officers died of illnesses they developed from their rescue and recovery work in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The ceremony comes as other Ground Zero workers pursue a lawsuit against the city over health issues.

A new device called Interlock disables a car's ignition if the driver has had too much alcohol. An organization opposed to the system bought an ad arguing the technology will put an end to the American traditions like wedding toasts.

Interlock is a technology that disables a vehicle's ignition based on a driver's blood-alcohol level. A spokesman for an organization opposed to the system discusses why she bought an ad featuring Lindsay Lohan.

The New York Police Department has added eight more names to its wall of heroes. The officers died of illnesses they developed from their rescue and recovery work in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The ceremony comes as other ground zero workers pursue a lawsuit against the city over health issues.

New evidence indicates that the connective tissue disorder, which can be deadly, may be treatable with a common blood pressure drug.