Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Oxford and AstraZeneca say their COVID-19 vaccine works too

    A third major vaccine, which may be easier to distribute than others, appears to prevent disease and maybe transmission of the coronavirus.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  2. Health & Medicine

    Here’s why COVID-19 vaccines like Pfizer’s need to be kept so cold

    Both Pfizer and Moderna built their vaccines on RNA. Freezing them keeps their fragile components from breaking down.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  3. Health & Medicine

    New Pfizer results show its COVID-19 vaccine is nearly 95% effective

    With final results – including showing its vaccine is 94 percent effective in the elderly – Pfizer is poised to request emergency use authorization.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  4. Neuroscience

    Psilocybin may help treat depression, a small study finds

    Researchers found that a compound in psychedelic mushrooms eased depression symptoms, but larger studies are needed.

    By Laura Sanders
  5. Health & Medicine

    Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine is nearly 95 percent effective

    Another coronavirus vaccine appears to be very effective in preventing people from developing COVID-19 symptoms.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  6. Health & Medicine

    Measles has come back with a vengeance in the last several years

    The steep number of measles cases in 2019 doesn’t bode well for 2020, considering disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  7. Anthropology

    Bolivia’s Tsimane people’s average body temperature fell half a degree in 16 years

    A new study echoes other research suggesting that people’s average body temperature is lower today than it used to be.

    By Sujata Gupta
  8. Health & Medicine

    Protecting the brain from infection may start with a gut reaction

    In mice, immune cells in the meninges are trained to battle infections in the gut before migrating to the brain.

    By Aayushi Pratap
  9. Health & Medicine

    Coronavirus cases are skyrocketing. Here’s what it will take to gain control

    Basic public health measures can still curb COVID-19, if everyone does their part.

    By Jonathan Lambert and Tina Hesman Saey
  10. Health & Medicine

    Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective, preliminary trial data show

    An analysis of 94 COVID-19 cases shows that the mRNA-based vaccine can protect people from getting sick, though the trial is ongoing.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  11. Genetics

    Penicillin allergies may be linked to one immune system gene

    Researchers have located a shared hot spot — on the HLA-B gene — in the immune system in people who say they have penicillin allergies.

    By Jeanne Erdmann
  12. Neuroscience

    FDA advisory panel declines to support a controversial Alzheimer’s treatment

    The fate of an Alzheimer’s drug, developed by pharmaceutical company Biogen, remains up in the air.

    By Laura Sanders