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Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease. For some reason, rates of asthma keep going up every year. Researchers have been looking at the causes for this increase, which has been found to be much higher in the industrialized world. Everything from exposure to dust mites and cockroaches to diet has been implicated. Now, a new study from the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that there might be another cause: too much cleanliness. The more sterile the early environment for infants six months and younger, the more problems with asthma they seem to have later in life. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

U.S. civilian administrator Paul Bremer heads to Capitol Hill to brief members of Congress on U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq. The meetings come as Republicans defend the Bush administration's record in Iraq. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says more than 80 percent of the Iraqi population is living in a "more secure environment" than before the war. Hear NPR's David Welna.

Each year a series of independant judges select the top 10 innovative life science projects and the winners are published in The Scientist Magazine. One…

More than 3,000 species of animals and plants are picked up daily and carried around the world in the ballast water of ships and, when the ballast water is discharged, these unintended and unwelcomed organisms are released into new environments. Those that survive and breed often cause disastrous results as they spread unchecked. NPR's David Baron says that a report issued today from the National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council recommends that the government require ships to take steps to stop the release of these organisms. They recommend filtering ballast water and treating it with chemicals or heat before it is discharged.

Morning Edition's week long series on child care continues today with a report on what new studies in brain development mean for parents and child care providers. Kathyrn Baron of member station KQED reports on the importance of providing children with stable, challenging environments. Experts say development from birth to age five lays the foundation for how well a child learns and grows. But few childcare centers are able to provide the enrichment children need at a price most parents can afford. (

Chief justice nominee John Roberts takes questions from senators seeking definitive answers on issues from abortion to the environment to stopping a war. But Roberts refused to say whether, for example, he would vote to overturn or restrict abortion rights.

The impoverished Passamaquoddy tribe of eastern Maine is offering up a quarter of its pristine coastal reservation for a $300 million liquefied natural gas facility. Opponents worry about the depot's effect on the local cultural and environment.

Montana seeks to overturn a landmark climate case that found that the state's dealings with the fossil fuel industry had violated its constitutional provision to provide a "clean and healthful environment" to residents.

A corporation has one core obligation: to make money. But some companies, known as benefit corporations, also promise to create a tangible benefit to communities and the environment.

States are starting to move away from using solitary confinement in prison. NPR's Linda Wertheimer speaks with Bernie Warner, who is overseeing moving prisoners out of solitary in Washington.