Topic: National Institutes of Health

Irked by airport delays, Senators ease FAA furloughs

The Senate re-appropriated money Thursday to reopen closed air traffic control towers and rehire furloughed air traffic controllers. Many members of Congress had already flown home to their districts, thus experiencing the delays affecting many air travelers.

Obama budget: Is it 'austere'?

President Barack Obama's 2014 budget includes increases in spending for setting up health exchanges, increasing scrutiny for food safety, and gun violence and Alzheimer's disease research. It includes cuts to Medicare, such as reducing subsidies for wealthier people and diminishing the pay rate for physicians.

How sequester cuts could set back scientific research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are among those hit hard by the sequester cuts that take effect on March 1.  

Why American teens are turning from cigarettes to marijuana

A new survey shows that marijuana use among teens continues to rise – and outstrips cigarette use – thanks to the increasing perception that pot is not harmful.

Fraud in scientific research: It happens, and cases are on the rise

Of 2,000 retractions of published scientific papers since 1977, 866 were because of fraud, a new study finds. Another 201 were plagiarized. But it's hard to know if more scientists are cheating, or if detection is simply better.

Automatic budget cuts would be 'deeply destructive'

Automatic budget cuts would hit Pentagon with 9 percent reduction, hurting military readiness, and 8 percent cuts in nondefense programs from the FBI to the Border Patrol to air controllers, a new White House report says.

Low-calorie diet may not help you live longer, if you're a monkey

Low-calorie diet: If you're a rhesus monkey, a low-calorie diet may not help you live longer, reports a new study that overturns previous findings.

Will America kill the curiosity that sent the rover to Mars?

The landing of the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity on Mars marks a historic triumph for NASA, space exploration, and American innovation. But the endangered state of curiosity-driven basic research endangers America’s capacity for future innovations.

Paralyzed woman masters mind-controlled robotic arm

Cathy Hutchinson is one of two patients undergoing a trial of the BrainGate neural interface, a system designed to transmit paralyzed patients' thoughts into commands.

Green Economics Raising revenue at elite public universities

Could public universities boost their endowments if it admitted more four-year students and fewer transfer students?

At CNN debate, Rick Santorum skewered over 'bridge to nowhere'

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum took a pounding from rivals over his Senate record, during the CNN debate Wednesday. MItt Romney reminded voters of Santorum's vote for the so-called 'bridge to nowhere.'

Green Economics Public universities to hike tuition?

With public funding drying up, will universities have to raise out of state tuitions?

New guidelines show chimps are rarely needed for medical research

The National Institutes of Health issued new guidelines indicating that the use of chimpanzees to study diseases is rarely necessary.

High school seniors smoke marijuana more than cigarettes, survey finds

A new survey of US teens found that nearly 23 percent of 12th graders used marijuana over the last month, compared with 18.7 percent who said they smoked cigarettes.

How much will science research suffer from federal budget cuts?

How will research universities reconfigure themselves to the reality of lowered federal funding?

Opinion: Relief in California over federal crackdown on medical marijuana

Community leaders from the San Diego area applaud last week's announcement of a widespread federal crackdown on sham medical marijuana dispensaries: 'We’ve heard youths often ask why marijuana is such a big deal when, after all, it is 'medicine'. '

The Monitor's View: Obamacare's mandate: Why it's closer to a Supreme Court ruling

A federal appeals court ruled Friday against the mandate that forces individuals to buy private health-care insurance. This will help push the high court to take the case soon. And it should help better define freedom in personal health choices.

Victory for stem-cell research: Court backs Obama's guidelines

Federal funds can support research using human embryonic stem cells, ruled a D.C. district court Wednesday. Two scientists had sued President Obama and the NIH in efforts to overturn their regulations.

The Monitor's View: Does prayer exist, in Washington's eyes?

Despite a big leap in the use of prayer for health among Americans, the government has decided not to study it as a complement or alternative to medicine.

Rahm Emanuel file

Talks begin on deficit reduction. What can be cut in the federal budget?

Vice President Joe Biden hosted a meeting with lawmakers from both parties Thursday on curbing deficits. Although some options are controversial, there's still room for agreement on other parts of the federal budget.

Stem cell research: Court gives Obama a victory, but policy still on trial

The White House hails the ruling by a divided appeals court to permit federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. At issue still is whether Obama's policy violates a 1996 congressional ban.

Opinion: Mobile technology is turning us all into feudal serfs

Mobile technology is essentially dematerializing all forms of capital into cloud-based commodities. It sounds so futuristic, but the reality is feudal: Our money, our friends, our whereabouts, even our thoughts and desires, are being siphoned into corporate servers, turning us into digital serfs.

Government shutdown 101: What would a shutdown mean for you?

If the budget impasse causes the government to shut down after Friday, many ordinary Americans would feel it. Some services deemed 'essential,' though, would continue amid a government shutdown.

Cell phone radiation: Is it harmful?

Cell phone radiation has been proven to alter brain activity. But it's not clear if it's dangerous. Try an earphone?