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Kaitlin Brito for NPR

Worried about your kids' video gaming? Explore their online worlds yourself

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Why our allergies are getting worse —and what to do about it

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Cutting back on ultra-processed food in your child's diet doesn't have to be a huge lift. Learn shortcuts and smart swaps, like giving them nuts for a snack instead of chips. Even if they're salted, the higher protein and healthy fats in nuts are an added benefit. Meredith Rizzo for NPR hide caption

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Meredith Rizzo for NPR

A clinician prepares cells for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, the treatment for infertility. In the future, it could be joined by IVG, in vitro gametogenesis, a new process that could turn any cell first into a stem cell and then into a sperm or egg cell. Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images

Creating a sperm or egg from any cell? Reproduction revolution on the horizon

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The brain requires a large number of nutrients for optimal health and efficiency, but micronutrients are typically absorbed better through foods than through supplements. Grace Cary/Getty Images hide caption

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Grace Cary/Getty Images

Can multivitamins improve memory? A new study shows 'intriguing' results

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Foods classified as ultra-processed are those that have many added ingredients such as artificial coloring, added sugars, emulsifiers and preservatives. An apple may undergo minimal processing when it gets made into applesauce. But when it gets made into a shelf-stable apple pie or candy gummies with added sugars, colorings and flavorings, these foods are considered ultra-processed. Meredith Rizzo for NPR hide caption

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Meredith Rizzo for NPR

What we know about the health risks of ultra-processed foods

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"When you're younger, your mind is more open, and you're more creative," says 13-year-old Leo De Leon. Adolescence is a time of rapid brain development that scientists call "breathtaking." Jon Hamilton/NPR hide caption

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Jon Hamilton/NPR

Want to understand your adolescent? Get to know their brain

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Experimental therapies for cancer can be tempting when you're sick, but many fail to offer any benefit. Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF hide caption

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Cavan Images/Getty Images/Cavan Images RF

Genetics, gut microbes and other lifestyle and environmental factors can impact how people's bodies react to food. An NIH study aims to find out how. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images hide caption

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Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

The first vaccine to protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, moved a step toward approval by the Food and Drug Administration with positive votes Thursday from a panel of experts. Kateryna Kon/Getty Images/Science Photo Library hide caption

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Kateryna Kon/Getty Images/Science Photo Library

FDA advisers support approval of RSV vaccine to protect infants

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Many teens and young adults struggle with overuse of screens. They also have good advice for how to have a healthy relationship with social media. Rose Wong for NPR hide caption

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Rose Wong for NPR

Teens say social media is stressing them out. Here's how to help them

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Janice Chang for NPR

Lifesaving or stigmatizing? Parents wrestle with obesity treatment options for kids

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Norditropin, a growth hormone from Novo Nordisk, remains in short supply, frustrating parents. Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Bloomberg via Getty Images

Families scramble to find growth hormone drug as shortage drags on

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As part of studying Long COVID, graduate researcher Bradley Wade Hamilton separates out microclots from blood platelets in a solution. Anil Oza/NPR hide caption

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Anil Oza/NPR

Facing public pressure, federal regulators have decided to let patients receive prescriptions for controlled substances via telehealth for at least another six months. d3sign/Getty Images hide caption

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The pandemic-era rule that lets you get telehealth prescriptions just got extended

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Millions of people have long COVID brain fog — and there's a shortage of answers

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New recommendations from the USPSTF advise that women get biannual mammograms starting at age 40 to detect breast cancers. andresr/Getty Images hide caption

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andresr/Getty Images

If you're 40, it's time to start mammograms, according to new guidelines

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Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will make a recommendation about whether the agency should approve the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S. Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images hide caption

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Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

The FDA considers first birth control pill without a prescription

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Delores Lowery was diagnosed with diabetes in 2016. Her home in Marlboro County, S.C., is at the heart of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls the Diabetes Belt. Nick McMillan/NPR hide caption

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Nick McMillan/NPR

Many people living in the 'Diabetes Belt' are plagued with medical debt

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