NPR News

Circumcision May Lower Risk For Prostate Cancer

By editor

Originally published on Mon March 12, 2012 3:18 pm

Circumcision might reduce a man's risk of cancer.

Really?

It's possible, though not yet proved.

But the latest evidence in favor of protection comes from a study just published in the journal Cancer.

University of Washington researchers found a 15 percent lower risk of prostate cancer in men who'd been circumcised before they first had intercourse compared to men who hadn't been.

2:12 pm

Mon March 12, 2012

British High Court Will Hear Right-To-Die Case

Credit Jane Nicklinson / AP

In this family photo released in Jan. 2012 by Tony and Jane Nicklinson, former corporate manager, rugby player, skydiving sports enthusiast Tony Nicklinson sits at his home in Wiltshire, England.

By Eyder Peralta

Tony Nicklinson wants to die.

Except he can't commit suicide because he has "locked-in syndrome," which means his mind works fine but everything below his neck is paralyzed. A 2005 stroke left the 57-year-old unable to speak and he communicates largely by blinking. His case has been making headlines in Britain because the man wants a court to OK a doctor to end what he calls his "dull, miserable, demeaning, undignified and intolerable" life.

Today, the country's high court said it would hear his case.

1:58 pm

Mon March 12, 2012

How A Sunflower Gene Crossed The Line From Weed To Crop

Credit Michelle Campbell / Birmingham News /Landov

Sunflowers in Birmingham, Ala.

By Dan Charles

I'm rounding out The Salt's impromptu Pest Resistance Week (which started with stories about weeds and corn rootworms) with a little-known tale that may scramble your mental categories.

1:57 pm

Mon March 12, 2012

For Russia's Troubled Space Program, Mishaps Mount

Next image Previous image

Credit STR / Reuters /Landov

Russia's unmanned Progress space freighter, headed for the International Space Station, blasts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Oct. 30, 2011. A string of mission failures has raised concerns over the reliability of Russia's space program.

Credit Daniil Tomilov / Xinhua /Landov

A Russian satellite is displayed at the Memorial Space Museum in Moscow. Russia's once proud space program is now struggling.

Credit Shamil Zhumatov / AFP/Getty Images

Russia's space agency ground personnel check a Soyuz TMA-02 capsule after its landing near the town of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan, on Nov. 22, 2011. The next Soyuz launch, to send a relief crew to the International Space Station, is scheduled for May 15.

By Corey Flintoff

Originally published on Mon March 12, 2012 7:56 pm

Listen

Russia was once the world leader in space exploration, but its space program has suffered a string of costly and embarrassing mishaps over the past year.

NASA says Russia is still a trustworthy partner, but critics say the once-proud program is corrupt and mismanaged — good at producing excuses, but not results.

The Memorial Space Museum in Moscow showcases the achievements of the Soviet Union's space program.

1:37 pm

Mon March 12, 2012

Afghan Shootings Could Complicate U.S. Mission

Next image Previous image

Credit AP

The deaths of Afghan civilians, who were allegedly shot by an American soldier, could make the U.S. mission even harder. Here, an Afghan soldier leaves a home where civilians were killed Sunday in the southern province of Kandahar.

Credit Allauddin Khan / AP

An Afghan youth mourns for relatives who were killed on Sunday, allegedly killed by a U.S. serviceman in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan.

By Alan Greenblatt

It's unlikely that the killing of 16 Afghan civilians on Sunday, allegedly by a U.S. Army staff sergeant, will drastically alter the course of the war.

U.S. and NATO strategy calls for a sizable contingent of international troops to stay in Afghanistan until 2014, with residual support after that. That timetable is unlikely to change.

But the task U.S. forces face in trying to stabilize the country could well be made more difficult by the shootings.

Now Playing

Most Active Stories

Podcasts & RSS Feeds

NPR News

Pages

Shots - Health Blog

2:21 pm

Mon March 12, 2012