Health

A woman scratches her forearm.

The Search for What Causes Chronic Itching

Scientists are making headway on parsing the condition's biological underpinnings, in hope of better treatments

Halloween can be a particularly challenging time for families navigating life-threatening food allergies.

Allergic Reactions to Peanuts and Tree Nuts Spike 85 Percent on Halloween

Parents and children can avoid the dangers by taking key precautions and embracing alternative activities

Mary Fowkes, a pathologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, examines brain slices from an autopsy.

Why Autopsies Are Proving Crucial During Covid-19

Advances in medical imaging have reduced the need for the procedure, but it is leading to discoveries that may help with better treatments

An illustration of Legionella bacteria, the cause of Legionnaires' disease

Why Reports of Legionnaires' Disease Are on the Rise in the United States

Though less common than in the past, Legionella bacteria and other dangerous pathogens still lurk in drinking water

A father and his daughter engage in a video chat with their doctor.

Should Parents Test for Covid if Their Kid Might Just Have a Cold?

Experts weigh in on when students with runny noses, fevers, and coughs should be quarantined and checked

A woman with anorexia gets ready to weigh herself.

How Patients With Eating Disorders Have Been Affected by the Pandemic

A recent study suggests that worries related to Covid-19 may exacerbate conditions including anorexia and binge eating

As countries in the Northern Hemisphere enter flu season, experts are looking to patterns from Southern Hemisphere nations as a source of cautious optimism.

What to Expect When Covid-19 and the Flu Season Collide

Experts weigh in on the necessary steps to ensure a mild flu season during the pandemic

The museum is located in Copenhagen's historic center.

The World's First Happiness Museum Opens in Denmark

The Nordic country is consistently ranked among the planet's happiest

School children are spaced apart in one of the rooms used for lunch at Woodland Elementary School in Milford, Massachusetts on Sept. 11, 2020.

Exactly How Far Should You Distance From Others to Avoid Covid-19?

The CDC recommends 6 feet or more, the WHO about half that distance, but experts say the science is far from settled

Are there other imaging agents hiding in plain sight?

Could Tattoo Ink Be Used to Detect Cancer?

A new study on medical imaging agents shows common pigments and dyes could help with early diagnosis

Teaching computers to assess the emotional tone of a piece of writing—a task called sentiment analysis—is becoming more widely used as researchers, companies and even mental health professionals delve into people’s social media musings for insights.

How Algorithms Discern Our Mood From What We Write Online

While sentiment analysis is far from perfect, it distills meaning from huge amounts of data—and could one day even monitor mental health

“The pandemic has, in almost every dimension, made inequity worse,” said Bill Gates during a press conference about the results of the Goalkeepers Report.

New Report Details Impacts of Covid-19 Pandemic on Global Health

The annual Gates Foundation report assesses global progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

The courtyard at Mexico City's Museo Nacional de Antropología could be a good model for a socially distant lobby space in future museums.

How Will Covid-19 Change the Way Museums Are Built?

The global pandemic will have long-lasting effects on the form and function of future museums

In Boston's Mattapan on August 15, 2020, protesters march from Jubilee Christian Church to protest police brutality, systemic racism and other oppressive systems unfavorable to Black and Brown people.

Why Black, Indigenous and Other People of Color Experience Greater Harm During the Pandemic

Scholars take a deep dive into how structural racism intersects with public health

3D-printed masks made for a New Hampshire hospital amid PPE shortages in March.

Covid-19 Has Designers Reimagining Personal Protective Equipment

The global pandemic has led to a surge in demand for PPE. Inventors have responded—with mixed results.

A doctor checks the temperature of a child at a mobile clinic.

What Happens When Children's Covid-19 Symptoms Won't Go Away

Some parents say their kids have been sick for months, and experts aren't sure what's going on

A speech therapist forms an L during a stuttering therapy.

What Neuroscientists Are Discovering About Stuttering

After centuries of misunderstanding, researchers are tying the condition to genes and brain alterations.

A man who recovered from COVID-19 donates plasma in Bogota, Colombia.

The Peculiar 100-Plus-Year History of Convalescent Plasma

Blood has been considered a viable treatment for infectious disease for over a century, but it has rarely proven to be the best solution.

The formation of a blood clot

Why Blood Clots Are a Major Problem in Severe Covid-19

Out-of-control clotting can endanger some patients even after the virus has gone. Researchers are trying to understand the problem and how to treat it.

Cars line up at a drive-in coronavirus testing site in Miami Gardens, Florida, in late June. Testing in many states has been hampered by bottlenecks and long delays, problems that could be eased by the rapid, simple tests scientists are now developing.

Scientists Are Racing to Develop Paper-Based Tests for Covid-19

Inexpensive—and potentially at-home—tools could take only minutes to tell if someone is infected

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