Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    A multiple sclerosis drug may speed COVID-19 recovery

    One form of interferon may boost the immune system’s ability to fight the coronavirus early in infections, a small study suggests.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  2. Health & Medicine

    Door-to-door tests help track COVID-19’s spread in one Oregon town

    Surveying neighborhoods directly may give a more accurate view than mail-in tests and other methods, researchers say.

    By Laura Sanders
  3. Health & Medicine

    A pill for heavy metal poisoning may also save snakebite victims

    In mice, an oral medication delayed or even prevented death after a lethal dose of viper venom, a new study finds.

    By Christie Wilcox
  4. Health & Medicine

    Some existing drugs might fight COVID-19. One may make it worse

    Maps of interactions between coronavirus proteins and host proteins point to drugs that may slow viral growth, but cough medicine may stimulate growth.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  5. Anthropology

    16th century skeletons suggest the slave trade brought some diseases to Mexico

    Slaves buried in a 16th century grave in Mexico had hepatitis B and yaws, suggesting the slave trade helped spread some versions of those diseases.

    By Bruce Bower
  6. Health & Medicine

    Remdesivir is the first drug found to block the coronavirus

    Preliminary results suggest that an antiviral treatment speeds recovery from COVID-19.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  7. Health & Medicine

    To end social distancing, the U.S. must dramatically ramp up contact tracing

    Life after social distancing may involve apps that ask you to self-isolate after you’ve been near someone who tests positive for COVID-19.

    By Jonathan Lambert
  8. Health & Medicine

    Vaping may damage the heart just as smoking does

    Vapers and smokers showed similar signs of blood vessel damage, compared with people who didn’t smoke or vape.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  9. Health & Medicine

    What coronavirus antibody tests tell us — and what they don’t

    Antibody tests can give a clearer picture of who has been infected but don’t guarantee immunity for those who test positive.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  10. Health & Medicine

    Some patients who survive COVID-19 may suffer lasting lung damage

    Results from a study in China suggest that some COVID-19 patients will be left with long-term lung problems.

    By David Cox
  11. Health & Medicine

    Drugs for high blood pressure don’t appear to make COVID-19 worse

    Drugs commonly used to treat hypertension did not lead to more severe cases of the coronavirus infection or higher mortality in hospitalized patients.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  12. Health & Medicine

    COVID-19 kills more men than women. The immune system may be why

    Countries with sex-specific data report more men than women are dying of the coronavirus. Women’s stronger immune response may give them a leg up.

    By Aimee Cunningham