Health & Medicine

  1. Neuroscience

    Nerve cell miswiring linked to depression

    A gene helps nerve cell axons extend to parts of the brain to deliver serotonin, a brain chemical associated with depression.

    By Elizabeth Eaton
  2. Science & Society

    HPV vaccine as cancer prevention is a message that needs to catch on

    Vaccination against HPV is cancer prevention, but low vaccination rates suggest that message isn’t clear.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  3. Health & Medicine

    Zika hides out in body’s hard-to-reach spots

    Zika virus sticks around in the central nervous system and lymph nodes of monkeys.

    By Laurel Hamers
  4. Health & Medicine

    Long naps lead to less night sleep for toddlers

    Daytime naps can steal sleep from the night, a small study of toddlers suggests.

    By Laura Sanders
  5. Health & Medicine

    Faux womb keeps preemie lambs alive

    A device can keep premature lambs alive for a month in womblike conditions.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  6. Health & Medicine

    Evidence is lacking that ‘cocooning’ prevents whooping cough in newborns

    In general, vaccinating adults who come into close contact with newborns is a good idea, but the practice on its own may not keep whooping cough away.

    By Laura Sanders
  7. Health & Medicine

    Frog slime protein fights off the flu

    Urumin, a protein found in Indian frog mucus secretions, has a knack for taking down H1 flu viruses, a new study finds.

    By Helen Thompson
  8. Health & Medicine

    Frog slime protein fights off the flu

    Urumin, a protein found in Indian frog mucus secretions, has a knack for taking down H1 flu viruses, a new study finds.

    By Helen Thompson
  9. Health & Medicine

    Autism, ADHD risk not linked to prenatal exposure to antidepressants

    Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, two new large studies suggest.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  10. Health & Medicine

    Rules restricting artificial trans fats are good for heart health

    Taking artificial trans fats off the menu reduces hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  11. Health & Medicine

    Vaccinating pregnant women protects newborns from whooping cough

    Pregnant women who receive the pertussis, or whooping cough, vaccine pass on to their new-borns immunity to the potentially deadly bacterial infection.

    By Laura Sanders
  12. Health & Medicine

    Genetic risk of getting second cancer tallied for pediatric survivors

    Inherited mutations, not only treatment, affect the chances that a childhood cancer survivor will develop a second cancer later in life.

    By Aimee Cunningham