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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An uptick in cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever might actually be due to a newer tick-borne bacterium. It looks like it's causing milder infections — and a lot of confusion.
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In response to a big jump in diabetes in the U.S., a federal panel advises tens of millions of overweight Americans to get their blood tested, and to get intensive counseling if sugar's too high. -
New data on survivors shows a range of health problems, from loss of vision to arthritis. It's making researchers realize they need to learn more about how the virus affects the human body. -
A new report on world hunger says that the age of mass famines is behind us. That's the good news. Unfortunately, there's sad news, too.
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New research finds that the virus can be present far longer than expected — and that there could be a continuing risk of transmission through sexual contact. -
In the 1960s, Chairman Mao Zedong ordered scientists to find a malaria antidote to help ailing soldiers in North Vietnam. Today's Nobel Prize for medicine went to one of those researchers.
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United Nations member states pledged Friday to eliminate extreme poverty by 2030. That's defined as surviving on $1.25 per person per day. What is life really like on that amount? -
Japan, China and South Korea have discovered bilberries, lingonberries and cloudberries, which grow wild in Lapland. Exporters want to find a way to cultivate them to better control the supply. -
Air conditioning standards are based on the needs of a 155-pound man. Researchers say it's time to admit that women don't need to be chilled as much and crank up the thermostat. -
In Finland, 90 percent of adults take part in sports or exercise at least twice a week. The Nordic nation far outpaces the U.S. in adult sports participation. Free and easy access to facilities helps.
