The Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to pay for robotic legs that could allow scores of paralyzed veterans with spinal cord injuries to walk again. Veterans have been petitioning the VA to do this because many cannot afford the $77,000 needed to pay for the powered exoskeleton called the… Read More

Republican leaders have decided to delay their funding attack until January, pushing back a House vote to unravel President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and block federal money for Planned Parenthood. GOP leadership is hoping to increase attention on their drive against two of conservatives’ favorite targets with the delay…. Read More

A University of New Hampshire chemist says he’s developed a coffee that provides the same benefits to the heart as red wine. The Portsmouth Herald reports Glen Miller infused Arabica coffee beans with resveratrol, the natural antioxidant found in the skins of grapes used to make red wine. Miller says… Read More

Rising premiums and shaken faith among insurers have cast a cloud over sign-up season for President Barack Obama’s health care law, and now it’s crunch time again. Tuesday is the deadline for millions of uninsured procrastinators to sign up in time for coverage to begin on Jan. 1. As the… Read More

Police are asking seniors and other adults to be sure to lock up their prescriptions, and dispose of unused painkiller properly. Drug overdoses rose again last year, driven by surges in deaths from heroin and powerful prescription painkillers, according to new federal statistics. Overdose deaths in the U.S. surpassed 47,000… Read More

There’s good news for grumpy women: Being happy apparently has no effect on how long you might live. That’s the conclusion of the latest attempt to find out if happy people live longer. Previous studies have linked happiness to longevity but researchers now say there’s no such scientific connection. So… Read More

As many as 200 people have gotten sick in a norovirus outbreak at a downtown Seattle office building, health officials reported Monday. Illness at the Russell Investments Center grew exponentially after a catered event in the building, but several cases were reported before the event last Tuesday, according to Public… Read More

Food companies are mounting an aggressive year-end push to head off mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods. The food industry wants the labeling to be voluntary, and it hopes to get a provision in a massive spending bill that Republicans and Democrats want to wrap up this week. If that… Read More

Rewriting your DNA is getting closer to reality: A revolutionary technology is opening new frontiers for genetic engineering — a promise of cures for intractable diseases along with anxiety about designer babies. Hundreds of scientists and ethicists from around the world are gathering in Washington this week to debate the… Read More