Topic: National Institutes of Health

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.

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.'

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?

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'. '

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.

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.

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?

Creationists have gotten clever, but there's still no debate over evolution

Creationists and intelligent design proponents have gotten clever. Instead of pushing for creationism to be taught in science classes, they're merely asking that schools fairly present 'the scientific evidence' against evolution. The only problem? There isn't any.

Religion doesn't belong in public schools, but debate over Darwinian evolution does

Students need to learn about Darwinian evolution. But they also deserve to hear countervailing scientific evidence – evidence that is censored in many current textbooks.

When patents kill: Genzyme's patent-protected, life-saving drug

Should intellectual property protect the rights of a pharmaceutical company who can't produce enough of a key medication?

Kennedy Center honors 2010: Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney among five receiving accolades

Kennedy Center honors five in 2010, including Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Bill T. Jones, Merle Haggard, and Jerry Herman.

Green economics or environ-mysticism?

Where is the line between environmental protection and 'environmysticsm'?

On World AIDS Day, dwindling funds threaten progress

World AIDS Day on Wednesday is a chance to assess the impact of six years of heavy US and international donor funding.

Global leadership: Voters launch a power surge of women

Brazil's President-elect Dilma Rousseff is the latest in a power surge of women in global leadership positions.

The new stimulus: Invest in nerds.

Benefits to big companies haven't done enough to stimulate the economy, so how about investing in nerdy research and development (R&D)? Nerds have plenty of 'shovel-ready' intellectual investments to fund.