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Stem Cells Show Promise As Blindness Treatment In Early Study

Credit Melissa Forsyth for NPR

Sue Freeman, 78, checks her e-mail at her home in Laguna Beach, Calif., on Saturday. An experimental stem-cell procedure last July led to a marked improvement in her eyesight.

Credit Melissa Forsyth for NPR

Sue Freeman, 78, washes Brussels sprouts at her home in Laguna Beach, Calif., on Saturday. Prior to getting an experimental stem-cell procedure last July, Freeman couldn't cook, read or recognize faces.

Credit Melissa Forsyth for NPR

Sue Freeman at her home in Laguna Beach, Calif. "It was pretty amazing," she says of the improvement in her vision. "I was like kind of looking at everything new again, just sort of going around and first not believing it."

By Rob Stein

Two women losing their sight to progressive forms of blindness may have regained some vision while participating in an experiment testing a treatment made from human embryonic stem cells, researchers reported today.

The report marks the first time that scientists have produced direct evidence that human embryonic stem cells may have helped a patient. The cells had only previously been tested in the laboratory or in animals.

8:39 am

Mon January 23, 2012

Supreme Court Rules Police Need Warrant For GPS Tracking

Credit Yasir Afifi / AP

The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case about whether GPS monitoring devices like this one may be affixed to suspects' cars without a warrant from a judge.

By editor

Originally published on Mon January 23, 2012 11:26 am

The Supreme Court has just ruled that police need a warrant if they want to place a tracking device on a suspect's vehicle. The court's decision was unanimous.

NPR's Nina Totenberg says that this debate has been a contentious issue in the digital age. Here's how she explained it to newscaster Paul Brown:

At issue here is the case of Antoine Jones, a Washington, D.C. night club owner. Police put a GPS tracking device on his car for 30 days. That helped authorities find a stash of money and drugs.

8:09 am

Mon January 23, 2012

Geoengineered Food? Climate Fix Could Boost Crop Yields, But With Risks

Credit iStockphoto

Altering the upper atmosphere could block enough sunlight to offset the warming effects of climate change and protect food crops. But what are the risks?

By Ted Burnham

For a few years now, a handful of scientists have been proposing grandiose technological fixes for the world's climate to combat the effects of global warming — schemes called geoengineering.

8:08 am

Mon January 23, 2012

A Permanent Home That Allows Drinking Helps Homeless Drink Less

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Credit Ted S. Warren / AP

The 1811 Eastlake apartment building in Seattle houses homeless alcoholics without requiring them to stop drinking.

Credit Ted S. Warren / AP

Brian Steik sits in his cubicle at a apartment building for homeless alcoholics in Seattle.

By editor

Originally published on Mon January 23, 2012 8:09 am

Most housing set up to help the homeless comes with a strict no-booze policy.

But a study on a controversial complex in Seattle that allows chronic alcoholics to keep drinking suggests the lenient approach can work too.

Homeless people with alcohol problems decreased their consumption over two years at the facility, called 1811 Eastlake. The average amount of alcohol consumed on a typical drinking day by the 95 study participants had decreased by about 25 percent at the end of the two-year study.

8:02 am

Mon January 23, 2012

Syria Rejects Arab League's Plan

By Eyder Peralta

Saying it was a "blatant interference in its internal affairs," Syria rejected an Arab League plan that the organization hoped would bring an end to the violence.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the official state news agency, the government condemed the plan and accused the Arab League of arming terrorist groups, which they say are responsible for killing civilians and attacking state facilities.

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8:46 am

Mon January 23, 2012