Michelle Trudeau
Michelle Trudeau began her radio career in 1981, filing stories for NPR from Beijing and Shanghai, China, where she and her husband lived for two years. She began working as a science reporter and producer for NPR's Science Desk since 1982. Trudeau's news reports and feature stories, which cover the areas of human behavior, child development, the brain sciences, and mental health, air on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
Trudeau has been the recipient of more than twenty media broadcasting awards for her radio reporting, from such professional organizations as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Casey Journalism Center, the American Psychiatric Association, World Hunger, the Los Angeles Press Club, the American Psychological Association, and the National Mental Health Association.
Trudeau is a graduate of Stanford University. While at Stanford, she studied primate behavior and conducted field research with Dr. Jane Goodall at the Gombe Stream Research Centre in Tanzania. Prior to coming to NPR, Trudeau worked as a Research Associate at the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, in Washington, D.C.
Trudeau now lives in Southern California, the mother of twins.
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Bears do it, bats do it. So do dogs and humans. They all yawn. It's a common behavior, but why is a bit of a mystery. Researchers think yawning may perk up the brain and help with social bonding. -
If your mom had to run through the name of everyone in the family, including the dog, before hitting yours, it's probably because you're all in a mental folder labeled "loved ones." -
In the face of natural disasters and disease, there are always people who step forward to help. Their brains may tell why. This story originally aired on Sept. 22 on Morning Edition.
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Angela Stimpson donated a kidney to a complete stranger. Why did she do it? Researchers found that the brains of Stimpson and other altruists are sensitive to fear and distress in a stranger's face. -
Too stressed to get seven hours of solid shut-eye tonight? Prepare to be even less resilient tomorrow. Stress disrupts sleep, which feeds depression, anxiety — and more stress, scientists say. -
When researchers asked young children to figure out an experiment using cause and effect, they did a much better job than young adults. That may be because their thinking is more flexible and fluid. -
Maybe it's true that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. People are judging your personality from the first word you speak, scientists say. Try it yourself with our quiz. -
It's easy to think that a shaking hand could be a sign of Parkinson's disease. But it's more likely essential tremor, an ailment that's not life-threatening but can become debilitating. -
Children who have irregular bed times are more likely to have behavioral issues than children who have a regular bedtime routine. A survey of 10,00 children showed that irregular bedtimes are linked with difficulties such as hyperactivity, acting out and being emotionally withdrawn. Researchers think inconsistent bedtimes probably affect young children like jet lag.
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Research into why some people have strong memory well into old age suggests that their brains are different from their peers. Some parts of the brains of "superagers" responsible for attention, thinking and memory seem to be spared the typical age-related shrinkage.
