Rae Ellen Bichell
Rae Ellen Bichell is a reporter for NPR's Science Desk. She first came to NPR in 2013 as a Kroc fellow and has since reported Web and radio stories on biomedical research, global health, and basic science. She won a 2016 Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Award from the Foundation for Biomedical Research. After graduating from Yale University, she spent two years in Helsinki, Finland, as a freelance reporter and Fulbright grantee.
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It's not the tick that causes Lyme disease, but the bacteria that live in its spit. Scientists at the Mayo Clinic have found a second bacterium capable of causing the disease in people.
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The CDC reported the first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus in the U.S. related to the current outbreak. It's happened before. Here's what we know about how the virus could move between people. -
A national survey finds that U.S. mothers are having their first child later than ever — it's a 45-year trend. The big reason seems to be a steady drop in the number of teen moms. -
Ditch the strap-on belts and shoe inserts, and definitely don't rest. Accumulating research shows that the best way to treat and prevent lower-back pain is to get off the couch. -
The Romans are famous for their baths, aqueducts and toilets. But the sanitary innovations might not have done as much to improve health as was once believed.
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It took a British doc, a simple recipe for liquid morphine and a lot of re-education. -
In people with hemochromatosis, iron builds up and can overload the heart and other organs. Geneticists looking at 5,000-year-old human remains say the disorder may have had evolutionary advantages.
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The mites that live on our faces may help reveal where our ancestors came from. It wouldn't be the first time that creepy crawlies have revealed something more than skin deep about the human past. -
Everyone has a set of genes that keeps the body on a 24-hour rhythm. As we get older, though, the main clock can malfunction. Researchers say a backup clock may try to compensate. -
Ebola's physical legacy doesn't end when a patient leaves the hospital. A follow-up of the small group of patients treated in the U.S. finds many experienced various symptoms for months.
