Health & Medicine

  1. Life

    Norovirus close-ups might help fight stomach flu

    Detailed views of a common stomach virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea could aid vaccine and disinfectant development.

    By
  2. Science & Society

    Science hasn’t managed to span the diagnosis gap

    Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses how scientists are devising better diagnostic tools to detect diseases.

    By
  3. Health & Medicine

    When fighting lice, focus on kids’ heads, not hats or toys

    Learning a little about lice makes for a more efficient battle against the bugs.

    By
  4. Animals

    Bats are the main cause of rare rabies deaths in the U.S.

    In the United States, bats are mostly to blame for rabies deaths, while rabies transmitted by overseas dogs comes in second.

    By
  5. Health & Medicine

    Extra fingers, often seen as useless, can offer major dexterity advantages

    Two people born with six fingers on each hand can control the extra digit, using it to do tasks better than five-fingered hands, a study finds.

    By
  6. Health & Medicine

    A tiny crater on viruses behind the common cold may be their Achilles’ heel

    Researchers have discovered a potential new drug target in a family of viruses responsible for the common cold and more serious infections.

    By
  7. Health & Medicine

    Medicaid-expanding states had fewer cardiovascular deaths than other states

    Counties in states with expanded Medicaid eligibility had 4.3 fewer cardiovascular deaths per 100,000 residents, on average, than if they hadn’t expanded.

    By
  8. Genetics

    Almost all healthy people harbor patches of mutated cells

    Even healthy tissues can build up mutations, some of which have been tied to cancer.

    By
  9. Health & Medicine

    Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C could prevent thousands of deaths in the U.S.

    A study projecting heat-related mortality in 15 U.S. cities illustrates urban risk from global warming.

    By
  10. Life

    Gut bacteria may change the way many drugs work in the body

    A new survey of interactions between microbes and medications suggests that gut bacteria play a crucial role in how the body processes drugs.

    By
  11. Health & Medicine

    A fungus weaponized with a spider toxin can kill malaria mosquitoes

    In controlled field experiments in Burkina Faso, a genetically engineered fungus reduced numbers of insecticide-resistant mosquitoes that can carry malaria.

    By
  12. Chemistry

    Vaping the sweetener sucralose may produce toxic chemicals

    Sucralose in e-liquids can break down, increasing toxic aldehydes in vapors and producing harmful organochlorines, including a potential carcinogen.

    By