Michaeleen Doucleff
Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD, is a correspondent for NPR's Science Desk. For nearly a decade, she has been reporting for the radio and the web for NPR's global health outlet, Goats and Soda. Doucleff focuses on disease outbreaks, cross-cultural parenting, and women and children's health.
In 2014, Doucleff was part of the team that earned a George Foster Peabody award for its coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. For the series, Doucleff reported on how the epidemic ravaged maternal health and how the virus spreads through the air. In 2019, Doucleff and Senior Producer Jane Greenhalgh produced a story about how Inuit parents teach children to control their anger. That story was the most popular one on NPR.org for the year; altogether readers have spent more than 16 years worth of time reading it.
In 2021, Doucleff published a book, called Hunt, Gather, Parent, stemming from her reporting at NPR. That book became a New York Times bestseller.
Before coming to NPR in 2012, Doucleff was an editor at the journal Cell, where she wrote about the science behind pop culture. Doucleff has a bachelor degree in biology from Caltech, a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Berkeley, California, and a master's degree in viticulture and enology from the University of California, Davis.
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Popular weight-loss drugs mimic GLP-1, a hormone the body makes naturally after eating. Turns out some foods trigger GLP-1 better than others, making us feel full and eat less. -
Patients taking diabetes drug Ozempic or the weight-loss drug Wegovy are reporting a curious, beneficial side effect. The drugs seem to reduce people's cravings for alcohol, nicotine and even opioids.
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People taking weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy report a dampening of the urge to drink. Here's how the drugs curb cravings and what that could mean for helping treat addiction. -
Most people think sweat can be stinky. And we work hard to remove that smell. But could a stinky sweat actually be a signal of something good?
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When's the right time to start your child with a phone? Is 12 too young? Here's what a professional screen time consultant tells parents about the risks kids face online. -
A new study suggests that helping teens feel competent and purposeful may help their grades more than just focusing on their happiness.
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The influential panel — the U.S Preventive Services Task Force — now recommends that all adults under age 65 be screened for anxiety at annual exams.
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An influential health panel now recommends all adults under age 65 be screened for anxiety disorders by their primary care physicians.
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Why is it so difficult for parents to limit screen time? Why are kids cranky after a birthday party? Or unable to stop playing video games? The answer may be in brain chemistry: too much dopamine.
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Dopamine is a part of our brain's survival mechanism. It is also part of why sugary foods and social media hook kids. The latest neuroscience can help parents help their kids manage behavior.
