Disease

Thousands of infants born in Brazil have been reported to show signs of microcephaly, like Alice pictured here being comforted by her father.

How Can Viruses Like Zika Cause Birth Defects?

While the link between Zika and microcephaly is uncertain, similar diseases show how the virus might be affecting infants

A doctor and patients in Nicaragua during an outbreak of dengue and chikugunya virus earlier in 2015

Introducing the First Dengue Fever Vaccine

Three countries have already approved the vaccine

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium responsible for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea.

Gonorrhea Is Developing Antibiotic Resistance

And public health officials are scared of what comes next

The FDA Lifted a Lifetime Ban on Gay and Bisexual Men Giving Blood

Or did it?

Marburg virus is one of the pathogens the WHO recently identified as most dangerous.

These Are the World’s Most Dangerous Emerging Pathogens, According to WHO

You may not know their names, but health officials are concerned about the epidemic potential of these illnesses

An adult Rhodnius prolixus (kissing bug) on the right and large nymph on the left

Five Things to Know about Kissing Bugs and Chagas Disease

The disease-causing parasite spread by biting bugs has spread beyond the tropical world

Cataract of the human eye

This Chemical Compound Could Melt Away Cataracts

Eye drops made from "compound 29" have been shown to reduce cataracts in mice. Researchers hope the same will hold true for humans.

Doo Yeon Kim, left, and Rudolph Tanzi

The Two Brains at the Forefront of the Fight Against Alzheimer's

Rudolph Tanzi and Doo Yeon Kim have invented a revolutionary new tool to study the mysteries of the disease and counter the coming epidemic of dementia

Saiga antelope with two calves at the Black Earth Nature Reserve in Kalmykia, Russia

The Culprits Behind Mysterious Mass Antelope Deaths Finally Exposed

More than half of the world's endangered saiga antelopes died suddenly on the Central Asian steppes last spring

A sugar mold with the University of Michigan logo

A Disaster in the Kitchen Leads to a Breakthrough in the Lab

After a failed attempt at making cotton candy, biomedical engineer Chris Moraes thought to use sugar to mold silicone and study human cells

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Ask Smithsonian: Is the World Due for Another Massive Plague Outbreak?

It is highly unlikely, experts say, but a plague-based bioterror assault is another matter

This Bronze Age skull is from the Yamnaya culture, which later developed into the Afanasievo culture of Central Asia, one of the peoples that carried early strains of plague.

Plague Was Infecting Humans 3,300 Years Earlier Than Thought

DNA from Bronze Age victims helped pinpoint mutations that allowed the disease to go from localized illness to deadly pandemic

Jaundice is usually treated with short-wave blue light.

These Plastic Canopies Could Save Thousands of Babies

Researchers have developed sunlight-filtering canopies as a low-tech treatment for jaundice in newborns

More than 200 concussions occurred in last year's NFL season.

The Future of Concussions: How 5 New Advances Could Change Treatment

Scientists and engineers are working on ways to diagnose, treat and prevent head injuries

An illustration of the dengue virus, which is transmitted by mosquito bites.

A Single Protein Is the Root of Dengue's Virulence

But researchers who found the culprit say it could be a clue in developing a vaccine for the mosquito-borne virus

An 1885 illustration shows bodies being thrown into a pit during the Great Plague of 1655. Now, new research is turning this image on its head.

See How the Plague Swept Through London

New research shows that during mass burials, bodies were given more respect than previously thought

Knut, the star of the Berlin Zoo, died due to swelling in his brain.

Knut the Polar Bear’s Mysterious Death Finally Solved

The famed Berlin Zoo bear suffered from an autoimmune disease that until now has only been known to occur in humans

A "kissing bug," the insect whose bite can transmit the parasite that causes Chagas disease

Why Infectious Tropical Diseases Are Returning to America

Climate, geography and economy are just a few risk factors

Female saiga at the Black Earth Nature Reserve in Russia in 2009

What Killed Over 134,000 Endangered Antelopes?

Experts are closer to an answer

Acropora species, like those pictured above in Malaysia, seem to be targeted by a disease that destroys coral tissue.

A Mysterious Disease Is Killing Corals

Researchers still haven't cracked the mystery of "white syndrome"

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