NPR People: Jon Hamilton

Researchers have referred to Asperger's as high-functioning autism for years, but it's never been listed officially as a form of autism by the American Psychiatric Association. But an updated edition of a mental health disorder guide now says Asperger's really is a form of autism — and some of those with Asperger's are objecting.

Scientists have shown that our aversion to losing money is all in our heads — specifically a part of the brain called the amygdala. A study of two people with damage to the amygdala, but no other part of the brain, found they had no problem taking risky bets that most people would avoid.

Airlines are checking the weather in space these days before taking some of their longest flights. That's because thousands of flights each year now cross the poles, where cosmic storms can interfere with communication and navigation systems, or even expose travelers to worrisome doses of radiation.

Scientists attending the American Meteorological Society meeting in Atlanta say the field has weathered a storm created two months ago when hackers released e-mails from some prominent climate scientists. They say the e-mails revealed bad behavior by a small number of researchers and revealed some weaknesses in the scientific process. But the scientists say the e-mails did nothing to undermine the data showing that climate change is real.

Scientists have confirmed that men are still evolving — or at least the male chromosome is. Y chromosome is what makes men men. A few years ago, scientists began wondering whether it was in trouble. When they compared it to the X chromosome, which is carried by both men and women, the Y chromosome didn't seem to measure up.

The Transportation Security Administration is about to put hundreds of high-tech scanners in U.S. airports to deter terrorists. The scanners use a technology called backscatter X-ray. It's impressive, but some say it's far from perfect

A study of blind people has revealed how bright light can intensify the pain of a migraine headache. The finding also could help scientists explain why some migraine sufferers are sensitive to certain smells and sounds.

Researchers in California have identified 10 regional clusters where autism rates are roughly double that of surrounding areas. Most of the clusters are in places where parents have higher-than-average levels of education and researchers found no evidence of environmental risk factors.

The FDA has promised to reassess the safety of BPA — a widely used plastic additive that can act like estrogen in the body. Currently, the agency's position is that BPA exposure is too low to cause health effects, but some major studies of the chemical's safety are just beginning.

'Tis the season for images of snowflakes. Unfortunately, many artistic renderings of snow crystals show an eight-sided structure — something that can't occur in nature. So this year, one scientist decided to set the record straight.

Intensive reading instruction not only helps students boost reading skills, but also improves the brain's "highways" that communicate information, a new study finds. This suggests that reading depends on areas of the brain that process information as well as the wiring that connects those areas.

Sensations on the skin can help people understand speech, according to a study in the journal Nature. The study builds on decades of research showing that the brain often uses visual information to augment hearing — making people "whole-body perceiving machines," says one researcher.

Certain sounds played while people napped helped them remember information associated with those sounds once they woke up, say researchers at Northwestern University.

Researchers have successfully used gene therapy to increase monkeys' muscle strength. The team hopes to use the same treatment to help people with muscle-wasting diseases grow back their muscle strength.

Researchers who looked at handwriting samples found that children with autism struggle more than their peers to correctly form letters. The findings add to evidence that autism is a brain disorder that isn't limited to behavior, but affects motor skills, too.