Shahla Farzan
Shahla Farzan is a general assignment reporter and weekend newscaster at St. Louis Public Radio. She comes most recently from KBBI Public Radio in Homer, Alaska, where she covered issues ranging from permafrost thaw to disputes over prayer in public meetings. A science nerd to the core, Shahla spent six years studying native bees, eventually earning her PhD in ecology from the University of California-Davis. She has also worked as an intern at Capital Public Radio in Sacramento and a podcaster for BirdNote. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, combing flea markets for tchotchkes, and curling up with a good book.
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In recent decades, climate change has shifted when Missouri wildflowers bloom. Once-forgotten data found in the archives of the Missouri Botanical Garden have become a springboard for scientists studying how climate change may affect the survival of native plants.
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Some advocates worry the proposal will prevent nursing home residents from holding facilities legally responsible for abuse and neglect.
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As part of a two-year statewide effort to track ticks, scientists from A.T. Still University in Kirksville and the Missouri Department of Conservation are asking residents to mail in samples of the tiny parasites. The team plans to map the distribution of tick species on a county-by-county basis, along with their bacterial pathogens.
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Loss of smell is one of the telltale signs of COVID-19, affecting up to 80% of patients by some estimates.
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Gun-related suicides among young adults in Missouri had been declining since at least 1999, according to a new analysis from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. But after the state eliminated its permit-to-purchase requirement in 2007, firearm suicide rates among adults ages 19 to 24 jumped by nearly 22%.
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Since March, 185 inmates and 47 staff members have tested positive for the virus at just one prison. Missouri inmates and criminal justice advocates insist that moving prisoners during a pandemic is risky and likely led to an increasing number of coronavirus cases this summer.
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As more cases of coronavirus are confirmed in the U.S., clergy are reconsidering a variety of practices during religious services, from handshakes to close contact. Experts say that's a wise idea.
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Churches are taking extra precautions regarding the coronavirus, as practices such as passing the peace through handshakes and drinking from the common cup at communion could spread the illness.
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Scientists are pushing hard to find a more effective way to prevent nearly all seasonal flu strains with one shot. For starters, they're paying volunteers to spend a 10-day stint in "Hotel Influenza."
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Violence at houses of worship in recent years has congregational leaders adding security. But the move is sometimes at odds with their beliefs and their missions to the communities they serve.