For many older adults, getting a good night’s sleep is a nightly struggle. Up to 20% of older adults deal with insomnia, which leaves you tired, grumpy or at risk for bigger problems like depression or heart trouble.1 Many turn to sleeping pills for help, but they often bring side effects like grogginess and confusion. Could something as simple as exercise be the answer? Researchers recently looked at dozens of studies to figure out which types of exercise help older adults with insomnia sleep better — and they found a surprising winner: strength training.2 Let’s explore what they discovered, why…

Drug-resistant gonorrhea, a form of the widespread sexually transmitted infection, is considered an urgent health threat worldwide. The United States has just lost its ability to detect it. Among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees fired on Tuesday were 77 scientists who, among other work, gathered samples of gonorrhea and other S.T.I.s from labs nationwide, analyzed the genetic information for signs of drug resistance, and readied the samples for storage at a secure facility. No other researchers at the agency have the expertise, or the software, to continue this work. The abrupt halt has stranded about 1,000 samples…

Kellen Hedler leads his fellow classmates at Frontier Elementary School near Oklahoma City. Kellen has Down syndrome, a genetic condition that causes a range of physical and developmental challenges. Katrina Ward for NPR hide caption toggle caption Katrina Ward for NPR Sueli Gwiazdowski, 24, says she switched high schools three times when she was growing up. She wanted to stay at her first school because she loved being on the speech and debate team – but the campus wasn’t wheelchair accessible. Her second school forced her to learn in a separate room, away from her non-disabled friends. “I had to…

Among the thousands of layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week were many staff who handled public records requests under the Freedom of Information Act. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images Teams that fulfilled requests for government documents lost their jobs on Tuesday as part of the Trump administration’s 10,000-person staff cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services. Their work, mandated by Congress since the 1960s under the Freedom of Information Act or FOIA, gives the public a view of the inner workings of federal health agencies. Some public…

Since we largely avoid candy and other processed foods, I have to get creative and come up with other Easter basket ideas each year. As kids, my brother and I always looked forward to Easter, getting baskets with a chocolate bunny, and going on Easter egg hunts. Because of these special memories I work hard to make my kids’ baskets just as special (with less of the junky stuff). Our family focuses on giving experiences instead of material gifts, and I wanted to find ways to bring this into our holiday celebrations. Over the years I’ve found some unique ideas and…

Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona delivered on every promise – a record-breaking event with 109,000 attendees from 205 countries, with over 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors, and partners showcasing an impressive array of cutting‐edge topics, from 5G and IoT to Unified Security for the AI-driven Future. As always, Cisco’s presence showcased a suite of innovations, such as the latest secure connectivity solutions, demonstrated next‐gen wireless innovations, and made several high-profile media announcements that underscored our commitment to shaping the future of digital communications. Cisco’s One Cisco strategy was on full display, integrating networking, security, observability, and Splunk solutions to deliver unparalleled…

Undue Medical Debt is retiring $30 billion in unpaid medical bills for 20 million people. DNY59/Getty Images/E+ hide caption toggle caption DNY59/Getty Images/E+ Underscoring the massive scale of America’s medical debt problem, a nonprofit has struck a deal to pay off old medical bills for an estimated 20 million people. New York-based Undue Medical Debt, which buys patient debt, is paying off $30 billion worth of unpaid bills in a single transaction with Pendrick Capital Partners, a Virginia-based debt trading company. The average patient debt being retired is $1,100, according to Undue Medical Debt, with some reaching the hundreds of…

Picture this: you turn on your kitchen faucet for a refreshing glass of water, but tiny, invisible chemicals sneak into every sip. These are PFAS, nicknamed “forever chemicals,” and they’re hiding in drinking water all over the U.S. — even yours. So, what are PFAS? They’re man-made chemicals found in everyday items like nonstick pans and waterproof jackets. They’re tough as nails, sticking around in the environment — and your body — for years without breaking down. Why should you care? Research shows PFAS harm your health, raising the risk of serious problems like cancer, especially in children. It’s an…

Introducing version 3 of the Cisco Meraki Add-on for Splunk.       A Splunk technical add-on (TA) is a modular component that normalizes, validates, and enriches specific data sources before indexing in Splunk to enable proper searching, reporting, and analysis without changing the underlying raw data. Keeping track of your networks shouldn’t feel like detective work. But when you’ve got multiple Meraki organizations, various vendors, security concerns, and performance issues to monitor, it can get overwhelming. That’s where the Cisco Meraki Add-on for Splunk comes in—it simplifies network observability by bringing your key data and metrics into…

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall speaks during inauguration ceremonies on the steps of the state capitol in Montgomery, Ala. on Jan. 16, 2023. Butch Dill/AP hide caption toggle caption Butch Dill/AP Reproductive rights groups in Alabama wasted no time resuming their work after a federal judge ruled late Monday that the state’s attorney general can’t prosecute – or threaten to prosecute – people or organizations who help Alabama residents seek an abortion by traveling to another state. One of the plaintiffs, the reproductive justice nonprofit Yellowhammer Fund, wasted no time in returning to one of its core missions, to provide…