all posted stories
laying down the rules for tobacco
originally aired October 16, 2003
In 1964 the US Surgeon General first issued a report documenting negative health effects linked to smoking. Doctors have continued to pile on more information about the harmful nature of cigarettes ever since. But even with all that evidence the tobacco industry has largely escaped serious government regulation. The situation started to turn during the 1990s when a number of lawsuits targeted Big Tobacco for misleading the public. And now – almost 40-years since that landmark Surgeon General’s report – comprehensive government regulation of tobacco is almost here. As Greg Dahlmann reports, there are just a few obstacles left.
6:49 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
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why are Canadian prescription drugs so cheap?
originally aired September 18, 2003
It’s projected the United States will spend roughly $200 billion dollars on prescription drugs this year. The high cost of pharmaceutical treatments has people looking for relief and they’re turning their eyes to Canada. Many of the most popular prescription drugs can be found north of the border for discounts in the range of 30 to 80 percent. That’s led politicians to call for their constituents to start buying drugs from Canada, even as the Department of Justice is suing a company for helping people do just that. But the legal issues aside, why are Canadian drugs so much cheaper? Greg Dahlmann finds out.
4:32 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
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spam laws
originally aired September 10, 2003
Congress is back in session after its summer break and all sorts of issues are on the table, including main dishes like the energy bill and prescription drug benefits. Spam will probably also make an appearance on the menu, as side dish most likely, but Congress will probably at least push it around the plate a bit. Of course, we’re not talking about canned meat products. We’re talking about junk email. There are a number of anti-spam bills floating around the Capitol. Greg Dahlmann takes a look at how effective they might be.
6:42 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
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happy birthday MetaFilter
originally aired August 26, 2003
This past month saw the birthday of one of the more interesting sites on the
Web. The popular community blog MetaFilter is now four years old.
WAMC's Greg Dahlmann talked with the site's founder, Matt Haughey. (recorded July 22, 2003)
12:24 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
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cautious optimism in hunt for AIDS vaccine
originally aired April 17, 2003
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome has been grabbing the health headlines of late, but work continues on that other disruptive global epidemic: AIDS. It's been a little more than a month since a company named VaxGen released the results from the world's first full-scale human trial of an H-I-V vaccine. The company says the vaccine may have provided some protection for people from a few ethnic populations, but for the most part it was a failure. The Health Show's Greg Dahlmann tells us what's next in the hunt for a vaccine against AIDS.
7:25 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
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some rights reserved
originally aired March 5, 2003
No doubt you've seen the little "c" in a circle with the words "all rights reserved" on books, music and other products. It’s the copyright notice and it tells the world that the work is protected by law against copying and redistribution of any sort. But a new group says traditional copyright needs an alternative… so it's looking to provide a different kind of notice… some rights reserved. Greg Dahlmann explains.
4:50 | listen: RealAudio · mp3 · ogg
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a clearer picture of acne
originally aired January 9, 2003
It's estimated between 75 and 90-percent of teenagers develop some sort of acne. A natural part of growing up, right? Maybe not. The Health Show's Greg Dahlmann tells us about research that may change the way doctors think about acne.
4:44 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
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"I'm more comfortable being a primate"
originally aired October 7, 2002
Dr. Tatiana has some advice: keep an eye on the dolphins. An interview with Olivia Judson from the funding-challenged program The Environment Show.
11:46 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
zonked out like a ground squirrel
originally aired September 20, 2002
You might not think of squirrels as one of the more interesting animals. I mean, it's not like you're going to see some guy wrestle squirrels on Animal Planet anytime soon. But one type of the furry animal is turning out to be very interesting to scientists. As the Health Show's Greg Dahlmann tells us, the squirrels may hold the solution to helping people through heart attacks, strokes and trauma.
4:38 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
new neighbors in the oral 'hood
originally aired August 23, 2002
Chances are you've had a few cavities in your lifetime. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control report that 96-percent of adults have at least some form of tooth decay. Cavities are caused by bacteria. So, what are scientists trying to use against them? More bacteria. As the Health Show's Greg Dahlmann reports, it's all about making the oral neighborhood a nicer place.
5:29 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
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office germs
originally aired July 26, 2002
With all the chilly air-conditioning, fluorescent light and computer equipment in offices... they may seem kind of sterile. It turns out that couldn't be farther from the truth. The Health Show's Greg Dahlmann explains.
3:11 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
mmm, weeds!
originally aired July 12, 2002
"Wildman" Steve Brill looks at Central Park and sees a salad bar. An anchor package from the funding-challenged Environment Show.
6:34 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
the Honda Civic Hybrid
originally aired May 24, 2002
So your car gets 30 mpg. Whatever. That kind of efficiency could become commonplace if hybrids take hold in the auto market. The Civic Hybrid is the first "normal" car to get the gasoline-electric drivetrain. An anchor package from The Environment Show. The piece appeared as part of a grouping of stories about auto technology.
8:55 | listen: RealAudio · mp3
space med
originally aired April 19, 2002
You're at work and you get sick. And the closest doctor is 100-hundred miles away... on the planet you're orbiting. So... what now? It's a question NASA is facing as it looks at sending astronauts into space for longer missions on the International Space Station and beyond. As The Health Show's Greg Dahlmann reports... the space agency's challenge is to make the best out of whatever situation arises... from runny noses... to who knows what.
5:41 | listen: RealAudio
credit card u.
originally aired April 17, 2002
Colleges and universities across the country are making millions off credit cards... and you're helping them do it. What? You didn't know that? The Best of Our Knowledge's Greg Dahlmann looks into the relationship between schools and the purveyors of plastic.
7:31 | listen: RealAudio
getting crunched
originally aired March 15, 2002
If you're a dedicated reader of the business section... you might have noticed a little while back that The Saint Paul Companies was getting out of the medical liability insurance business. Many observers say the company's departure is the latest signal that something is seriously wrong with the malpractice system in America. The Health Show's Greg Dahlmann reports in part one of a two part series.
6:21 | listen: RealAudio
Last week on The Health Show... we told you about the rising cost of medical liability insurance and the resulting problems. In many places feeling the crunch, people are looking for a solution... and some say California has it. But as The Health Show's Greg Dahlmann reports... not everyone in the Golden State is convinced.
4:33 | listen: RealAudio
Bush gets gassy
originally aired March 4, 2002
It's been almost a year since President Bush announced the United States would not be participating in the Kyoto Protocol... an international agreement aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the time... the president said the U-S was still committed to the broader idea... and would eventually do something about it. As Greg Dahlmann reports... President Bush now has a plan.
4:18 | listen: RealAudio
live liver transplant
originally aired March 1, 2002
The first living donor transplant took place all the way back in 1954... when doctors transplanted a kidney from one identical twin to another. In the time since... medicine has advanced to the point where it can now transplant part of a living person's liver into somebody who needs a new one. This ability has the potential to be very helpful... thousands of people are waiting for a liver transplant at any one time... and the pool of organ donors has actually gotten smaller in recent years. As a result... the live donor transplant has taken off in the last few years... in 1998... 86 were performed... in 2001... 365. But the living liver transplant is not without risk to the donor... as was illustrated recently by the death of a New York man who was donating to his brother. As the Health Show's Greg Dahlmann reports... the medical community is still finding its way on this frontier.
4:50 | listen: RealAudio
human pesticide tests
originally aired January 28, 2002
Pesticides are designed to kill pests - and so by their nature - are toxic substances. They wouldn't work otherwise. While that poisonous nature is useful for certain jobs... most people would probably hesitate before knowingly taking the chemicals into their bodies. But the Environmental Protection Agency is now looking at the issue of testing pesticides on humans. Greg Dahlmann reports.
7:05 | listen: RealAudio
smallpox
originally aired January 11, 2002
It almost sounds like some sort of macabre movie trailer: if you thought anthrax was scary... wait until you get a load of smallpox. It's been more than 50-years since America saw a case of the often deadly disease... but as The Health Show's Greg Dahlmann reports... terrorism has people thinking about it once again.
10:20 | listen: RealAudio