Science, Health and Technology

The bacterium Enterococcus faecalis, which lives in the human gut, is just one type of microbe that was studied as part of the Human Microbiome Project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Researchers have completed the first comprehensive census of the human “microbiome” — the trillions of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that live in and on our bodies.

Psychology professors Kennon Sheldon and University of California-Riverside professor Sonja Lyubomirsky have published a study claiming that happiness boosts from positive life changes. 

The state of Missouri is expected to get about $100 million dollars in additional Medicaid funds over several years under a federal program intended to encourage more home- and community-based services for the elderly and disabled.

A new study conducted by a University of Missouri faculty member found families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders are paying more for health care than families of children with other medical conditions. Assistant professor Nancy Cheak-Zamora says families are paying more for fewer services: “Most of the families, she says, "spent over one-thousand dollars or more just in out of pocket costs, which is significantly higher than other families.”

In 2011, Missouri law enforcement busted about five meth labs each day on average – almost double the number of any other state. The state spends more than $2 million dollars a year on cleanup of these labs, and millions more on incarceration, child care, and drug treatment.