On this week's podcast, we have an intriguing tale of a woman who developed a rare condition called foreign accent syndrome that's usually caused by an injury to the part of the brain that controls speech.
We also talked about a big change in the way the government gets its message out about what makes a healthy meal. This past week the U.S. Department of Agriculture said goodbye to an old friend: the food pyramid. And it's been replaced as a symbol of good nutrition with a dinner plate.
Shots and Thomson Reuters teamed up to ask Americans about their attitudes toward abortion, as legislative efforts, including proposals to redefine when personhood begins, heat up. Americans remain deeply divided, almost evenly split on whether abortion should remain legal. Shots' own Scott Hensley explores the poll's findings.
And the World Health Organization this week added cellphones to its very long list of things, such as coffee, gasoline and pickled foods, that could possibly cause cancer. There is no definite conclusion on this, but scientists reviewed studies and found that there is enough evidence to raise suspicions. It's the latest in a long scientific back and forth over the health effects of using cellphones. All Things Considered host Robert Spiegel spoke with Richard Harris about the WHO'S decision.