Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    E-cigarettes may be gateway to addiction for teens

    Teenagers are using e-cigarettes more than any other tobacco product and for many, it’s the first time they’ve tried a tobacco product at all.

    By Rachel Ehrenberg
  2. Health & Medicine

    Stoplights are hot spots for airborne pollution

    Drivers get a big chunk of their exposure to pollutants from short stops at traffic intersections.

    By Kate Baggaley
  3. Health & Medicine

    U.S. measles tally for 2015 now at 121 cases

    The 2014–2015 measles outbreak in the United States has now reached people in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

    By Nathan Seppa
  4. Health & Medicine

    Glowing amino acid lights up growing brain cancer

    By adding a tracer compound that sticks to the amino acid glutamine, researchers may be able to discern and monitor cancerous tissues in the brain.

    By Nathan Seppa
  5. Psychology

    Adults with autism are left to navigate a jarring world

    Researchers are beginning to study ways to help adults with autism navigate independently, get jobs and find friendship.

    By Siri Carpenter
  6. Health & Medicine

    Bouncing back from giving blood can take months

    Taking iron supplements after donating blood can dramatically reduce the time it takes to recover iron levels in the blood, a study finds.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    Fallout from nuclear bomb testing presaged today’s radioactive tracers

    Scientists in 1965 measured buildup of radioactive carbon from nuclear bomb testing in people.

    By Kate Baggaley
  8. Health & Medicine

    Signs of sleep debt found in the blood

    When rats and people skimp on sleep, fats and acids involved in metabolism dwindle.

    By Kate Baggaley
  9. Neuroscience

    Shots of brain cells restore learning, memory in rats

    Scientists healed damage caused to rats’ brains from radiation by injecting cells that replenish the insulation on neurons.

    By Kate Baggaley
  10. Health & Medicine

    Handheld device turns smartphone into diagnostic tool

    A compact device can process a blood sample to diagnose HIV or syphilis when attached to a smartphone.

    By Nathan Seppa
  11. Health & Medicine

    E-cigarettes lower immunity to flu and other germs

    Electronic cigarettes produce substantial amounts of lung inflammation, a new mouse study finds. They may also reduce the ability to fight off infections from strep and flu germs.

    By Janet Raloff
  12. Health & Medicine

    Even when correct, diagnoses can harm kids

    Overdiagnosis is well documented in adults but is often overlooked in children and can lead to unnecessary treatments.

    By Lila Guterman