Medicine

Within 72 hours of a patient being admitted with a severe traumatic brain injury, doctors often ask family members to make a difficult choice about whether to continue life support.

After Brain Injuries, Doctors and Families Should Take More Time With Life Support Decisions, Research Finds

A small study suggests some severe traumatic brain injury patients can later recover a level of independence or return to their pre-injury lives

At least 138 howler monkeys have been found dead in the Mexican state of Tabasco since May 16.

Mexico's Howler Monkeys Are Dying, 'Falling Out of the Trees,' Amid Scorching Heat Wave

Veterinarians and volunteers are trying to save the threatened primates by hoisting buckets of water and food into trees, as well as providing medical care

A protein-DNA interaction, modeled by AlphaFold 3.

Google Releases A.I. That Can Predict How the Human Body's Molecules Behave, Boosting Drug Discovery Research

Called AlphaFold 3, the latest update of the software models the interactions of proteins with DNA, RNA and other molecules for the first time

Toxins from the Colorado River toad have been ingested by some for their psychedelic and medicinal effects.

A Modified Psychedelic Toad Toxin Reduces Signs of Depression and Anxiety in Mice, Study Suggests

Colorado River toads produce a psychoactive toxin that some have claimed has medical benefits. The new research suggests these benefits could be achieved without hallucinations

A portrait of Ludwig Van Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler, painted in 1820.

Locks of Beethoven's Hair Are Unraveling the Mysteries of His Deafness and Illnesses

Researchers found high levels of lead, mercury and arsenic in the German composer's hair, which may help explain some of his many ailments

In more than 20 years of field research, Rakus is the first orangutan to be observed using a medicinal plant to treat wounds.

In a First, an Orangutan Healed His Own Wound Using a Known Medicinal Plant

The primate named Rakus chewed up yellow root and applied it to an open facial wound, closing the sore within days

Researchers are recruiting some 1,100 people globally to participate in the trial's third phase.

Personalized Melanoma Vaccine Could Be a 'Game Changer' by Teaching the Body to Fight Cancer Cells

The mRNA therapy, designed to prevent treated skin cancer from returning, is entering its third phase of trials

Doctors perform a pig kidney transplant on April 12. So far, the patient is recovering well, but doctors will need to continue to monitor her in the hospital and make sure her immune system doesn't reject the transplanted organ.

Second Patient Receives Gene-Edited Pig Kidney Transplant in Breakthrough Surgery

The woman, 54-year-old Lisa Pisano, also received a mechanical heart pump implant days earlier, making her the first person to undergo both procedures

A rarely diagnosed medical condition causes gut microbes to produce alcohol inside the body.

This Rare Condition Makes Some People Get Drunk, Even When They Haven't Touched a Drop of Alcohol

A man in Belgium was acquitted of drunk driving charges this week, after doctors showed he has auto-brewery syndrome, which makes his body produce alcohol

Ötzi the Iceman has 61 tattoos across his abdomen, lower back, lower legs and left wrist.

How Did Ötzi the Iceman Get His Tattoos? Archaeologists and Tattoo Artists Unravel the Mystery

Ötzi's 61 markings were likely hand-poked with a sharp tool, such as a piece of animal bone or copper, a new study finds

As one of the first female-only programs of its kind in Tanzania, Exodus Travels Foundation provides intensive three-week training sessions for local women who want to obtain their guide license through its Mountain Lioness Scholarship.

Five Programs Paving the Way for Gender Equality Worldwide

Around the globe, teams of women are taking on traditionally male-dominated roles

Oral health problems can signify other problems throughout the body.

Why Isn't Dental Health Considered Primary Medical Care?

Ailments of the mouth can put the body at risk for a slew of other ills, yet dentistry is often siloed

Couriers’ duties included fetching patients from cabins, weighing babies, delivering medicine, cleaning saddles and bridles, and escorting any guests who rode the routes between FNS outposts.

Why Debutantes Volunteered to Be Horse-Riding Couriers in Rural Kentucky

Between the 1920s and 1940s, wealthy young women signed up to run errands and carry messages for the Frontier Nursing Service, whose nurse-midwives provided care to patients in hard-to-reach areas

Surgeons perform the pig kidney transplant. The surgery took place last week, and the patient is recovering well and is expected to be discharged from the hospital soon.

Doctors Take Another Step Toward Animal-to-Human Organ Transplants With the First Pig Kidney Transplant

The experimental procedure was done on a man experiencing end-stage kidney failure last week who had been on the transplant waiting list for two years

These digitally edited images show how Victor Sharrah perceives faces.

This Extremely Rare Neurological Condition Makes Faces Appear Distorted or 'Like a Demon'

For the first time, scientists have recreated what one patient suffering from prosopometamorphopsia, or PMO, sees when he looks at faces

Hazel Fellows sews pieces of an Apollo A7L spacesuit on the production line at International Latex Corporation (ILC) in 1968.

From the Inventor of Mass-Market Paper Bags to a Scientist Who Unraveled the Mysteries of Polio, Meet Five American Women Whose Remarkable Achievements Have Long Been Overlooked

The inaugural exhibition at the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum seeks to shine light on lesser-known historical figures

Hand washing is one of the simplest ways to prevent disease transmission.

The Dirty Secret About How Our Hands Spread Disease

The human hand is an incredible tool—and a deadly threat

The synthetic antibody targets a toxin produced by the Elapidae family of snakes, which includes cobras, kraits and mambas.

Deadly Snake Venom Is No Match for This New Synthetic Antibody

Scientists have created a treatment that targets a toxin produced by cobras, mambas and kraits, laying the foundation for a future universal antivenom against snake bites, according to new research

University of Nebraska engineer Sean Crimmins loads the robotic arm into its case. A surgeon on Earth will remotely guide the robot through a surgical simulation while it is on the International Space Station.

This Remotely Controlled Robot Will Conduct a Simulated Surgery on the International Space Station

Robot surgeons could treat astronauts on long space missions—but they could also be used on Earth in places where surgeons aren't present, such as rural areas or war zones

The hollow bone containing the seeds was discovered at a Roman-era settlement in 2017.

Romans Stored Hallucinogenic Seeds in a Vial Made From an Animal Bone

Ancient scholars wrote about the medicinal, poisonous and psychoactive properties of black henbane seeds

Page 3 of 55