Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    A molecule produced by gut microbes may help spur heart disease

    A leftover from microbes’ meals is linked to early heart disease in people. In mice, it contributed to plaque buildup in the arteries.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  2. Health & Medicine

    You may already have some protection from bird flu, but don’t count on it

    Studies suggest that people who had seasonal flus or vaccinations have low antibody levels against H5N1 bird flu.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  3. Health & Medicine

    Seeing sick faces may prime the immune system to repel invaders

    Seeing sick-looking faces in virtual reality triggers brain circuit changes related to threat detection and boosts activity of certain immune cells.

    By Simon Makin
  4. Health & Medicine

    AI is designing proteins that could help treat cancer

    A team used generative AI to enhance T cells’ ability to fight melanoma. The immunotherapy approach needs more testing before use in cancer patients.

    By Meghan Rosen
  5. Health & Medicine

    An injected gel could make drugs like Ozempic last longer

    GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight loss are difficult for some people to inject weekly. A new slow-release gel, tested in rats, could help.

    By Meghan Rosen
  6. Health & Medicine

    How many steps a day do you really need to take?

    An analysis of 57 studies shows that people who walked a certain number of steps were less likely to die from any cause compared with those who walked less.

    By Skyler Ware
  7. Health & Medicine

    Climate change may be pushing fungal allergy season earlier

    Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns may be lengthening fungal allergy season, which starts 3 weeks earlier than it did two decades ago.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  8. Science & Society

    Screen addiction affects teens’ mental health. How to spot it, and help

    Banning screens is often not an option. So Science News spoke with experts studying screen use and addiction in teens to help families navigate this complex issue.

    By Sujata Gupta
  9. Health & Medicine

    U.S. measles outbreaks may end a hard-won victory over the virus

    Dropping vaccination rates and changes in U.S. vaccine policy have public health experts concerned that annual measles outbreaks could become more frequent.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  10. Health & Medicine

    Here’s how air pollution may trigger lung cancer

    Exposure to air pollution may trigger DNA mutations that cause lung cancer in nonsmokers.

    By Meghan Rosen
  11. Health & Medicine

    U.S. FDA may nix black box warning on some menopause estrogen treatments

    Experts worry the warning on vaginal estrogen menopause treatments is doing more harm than good and is not supported by science.

    By Tina Hesman Saey and Sofia Caetano Avritzer
  12. Health & Medicine

    ‘Rehab’ exposes the dark underside of U.S. drug treatment centers

    In Rehab, journalist Shoshana Walter investigates the systemic pitfalls of drug treatment programs, which prevent people’s recovery from addiction.

    By Meghan Rosen