Elena Renken

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters stands in Atlanta. CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield says the agency will double the current number of positions to aid local health departments in quashing new outbreaks.

CDC To Fund 650 Health Experts To Help States Trace, Stop COVID-19

CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield says the agency will double the current number of positions to aid local health departments in quashing new outbreaks. They will focus on testing and contact tracing.

When you listen to a story, your brain waves actually start to synchronize with those of the storyteller. And reading a narrative activates brain regions involved in deciphering or imagining a person's motives and perspective, research has found.

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How Stories Connect And Persuade Us: Unleashing The Brain Power Of Narrative

Elena Renken

The power of shared storytelling to soothe or spur us to action may be more crucial than ever, scientists say. Here's what happens in the brain when we feel swept away by a story, book or film.

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Opossums, Hydras And Hummingbirds: What We're Learning About Aging From Animals

Lulu Miller, Elena Renken

Some animals live longer than they should for their size. Some have shorter lives. And others don't appear to age at all.

Peace Corps volunteer Adam Greenberg worked to develop fish farming in Zambia. He took this selfie on March 23, en route to San Diego, the final destination of his evacuation.

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Coronavirus Sent Peace Corps Volunteers Home. It Could Also Give Them A New Mission

Elena Renken

Some 7,000 volunteers were evacuated in an unprecedented callback. Back home and jobless, they're in limbo — but there's a proposal to enlist them in the fight against COVID-19.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been a fixture at most of the president's daily coronavirus task force press briefings.

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Prepare For Outbreaks Like New York's In Other States, Warns Anthony Fauci

Elena Renken

A key adviser to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci doesn't think every state needs to be on lockdown just yet. But some places should be preparing for surges like New York's.

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Her Incredible Sense Of Smell Is Helping Scientists Find New Ways To Diagnose Disease

Alix Spiegel, Elena Renken

Years before he got diagnosed with Parkinson's, Joy Milne noticed her husband's characteristic scent had changed. The discovery that she could smell his illness has opened up a new field of research.

Washing your hands often — and with proper technique — is critical in preventing the spread of communicable diseases and viruses such as COVID-19.

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Hand-Washing Can Protect You From Coronavirus. But You Need To Do It Right

Maxwell Posner, Elena Renken

It sounds so easy: Wash your hands and you can get rid of pathogens. But it does require a bit of forethought.