Health
Stem Cells Restore Sight in India
Stem cells are often touted as potential treatments for conditions like spinal cord injury, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. Two Indian doctors are already putting stem cells to use, curing some cases of blindness.
Historic Albert Schweitzer Hospital Adapts to New Africa
In 1913, the German-born doctor and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer founded a hospital in Africa to atone for Europe’s sins on that continent. A century later, the hospital is trying to transform itself from an institution run by white outsiders to a hospital controlled by locals. It has been a difficult transition.
Superbugs: India and the Rise of Drug-Resistant Germs
India has become a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant microbes, according to a story in the June issue of Bloomberg Markets Magazine. The World’s Marco Werman talks to reporter Jason Gale about what’s causing the problem and how India’s medical tourism industry could expose people worldwide to the resistant germs.
Gamers & Genomics: Crowdsourcing DNA Research
Scientists at McGill University in Montreal have developed an online game that uses crowdsourcing to study DNA. The game — called Phylo — helps solve complex problems in genomics by harnessing the human ability to spot visual patterns. Ari Daniel Shaprio of our partner program NOVA reports.
Doctors in Uzbekistan Say Government Forcibly Sterilizing Women
Journalist Natalia Antelava talks with Marco Werman about what she says is a secret program by the government of Uzbekistan to sterilize women against their will.
Why Churches Could be Crucial in the Fight Against HIV
In the history of the AIDS epidemic in Africa, there’s long been a divide between public health advocates and churches. Religious leaders often promote ideas about HIV and the use of condoms that run counter to public health campaigns. But in Swaziland, the two sides are starting to work together. The World’s Alex Gallafent has the story.
Female Circumcision Temporarily Stopped in Liberia
In Liberia, female traditional leaders who operate powerful secret societies have agreed to shut down “schools” where teenage girls undergo genital circumcision.
Why Germans Don’t Have A Problem With Mandated Health Care
As the US Supreme Court hears arguments on the massive health care overhaul, across the Atlantic Europeans are puzzled. Germans, for one, seem to agree that government-mandated health care is the way to go.
Gene Test Offers Whiff of Hope
Genetic tests allow doctors to diagnose disease, but the knowledge of what’s in your DNA doesn’t always help in the way one might hope. Reporter Ari Daniel Shapiro of our partner program NOVA talks about one man and his unusual gene.
Reporter Threatened Over Female Circumcision Story in Liberia
A journalist in Liberia has gone into hiding after receiving threats related to a story she wrote on female circumcision. Although the practice, which some call female genital mutilation, has received a lot of attention in the Western media, talking about it in Liberia remains extremely sensitive.
In China, Organ Transplants from Executed Prisoners
Marco Werman talks with The World’s Mary Kay Magistad in Beijing about the Chinese practice of harvesting human organs from executed prisoners. About two thirds of organs transplanted in China come from executed prisoners.
Rebuilding the Faces of Pakistan’s Acid Attack Victims
London-based plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad uses a pioneering technique to rebuild the skin on the faces of victims of sulfuric acid attacks in Pakistan. Jawad’s work is subject of an Oscar-nominated short documentary film, Saving Face. He speaks with anchor Marco Werman.
Mindful Eating Comes to America
There’s a food movement called mindful eating that’s picking up speed in the US. led by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hạnh. He has a food meditation center in southern France. For the Geo Quiz, we’re looking for the name of the French department or region where you can find Plum Village.
Tracking Down Haiti’s First Cholera Case
Doctors think they may have identified the first Haitian who caught cholera and triggered the epidemic that swept the island after an earthquake struck there two years ago this week.
Brain Function Could Start Declining ‘As Early As Age 45′
The brain’s ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as 45, suggests a study in the British Medical Journal.
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