Medicine

Nearly 70 percent of the U.S. population has completed the primary series of Covid-19 vaccinations, but only 16 percent have received the updated bivalent booster dose.  

CDC Includes Covid-19 Shots in Routine Immunization Schedule

The federal health agency updated its vaccination guidance for children and adults

Climate change, pollution and biodiversity are all contributing to the rise of drug-resistant super bugs.

'Superbugs' Could Kill Up to Ten Million Additional People Each Year by 2050

A new U.N. report warns that climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are helping create pathogens that can evade our medications

Over several decades, researchers have identified more than 140 active compounds, called cannabinoids, in the cannabis plant. 

The Scientific History of Cannabinoids

Hundreds of these cannabis-related chemicals, both natural and synthetic, now exist, and researchers want to know how they can hurt and help us

Fall/Winter Sears catalog from 1957

Before Folding 30 Years Ago, the Sears Catalog Sold Some Surprising Products

The retail giant’s mail-order business reigned supreme for more than a century, offering everything from quack cures to ready-to-build homes

An illustration of Charles Byrne, whose bones were displayed at the Hunterian Museum in London for some 200 years

Why a London Museum Is Removing the Skeleton of an 'Irish Giant' From View

Charles Byrne asked for his body to be buried at sea. Instead, an anatomist bought his bones and displayed them to the public

Debra Babalola and Shefali Bohra invented Dotplot, a device that can help users monitor their breast health.

A New Tool Could Help Detect Breast Cancer Earlier

Dotplot gives users real-time feedback and builds a personalized map of their chests

Public health officials are warning about xylazine, also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope,” an animal sedative that's infiltrating the nation’s illicit drug supply in substances such as heroin and fentanyl.

What to Know About 'Tranq,' the Animal Sedative Infiltrating Street Drugs

Public health officials are sounding the alarm about xylazine, a substance that causes gruesome wounds and knocks users out for hours

Pollinators, including bees, face pressure from disease-causing organisms, habitat loss, climate change and other factors.

The World's First Vaccine for Honeybees Is Here

It could be a game-changer for beekeepers fighting American foulbrood, a disease that can wipe out entire colonies

People with a presciption for mifepristone will now be able to get that prescription filled at certified retail pharmacies.

Abortion Pill Can Be Sold at Pharmacies, FDA Says

The new rule could expand medication abortion access in some places

Researchers are studying psilocybin therapy to treat conditions like alcohol addiction and major depressive disorder.

Adults Can Now Use Magic Mushrooms With Supervision in Oregon

State-certified facilitators will guide patients in hallucinogenic trips, which may help treat mental health conditions

Residents of Washington, D.C. wait in line to get Covid-19 test kits in December of 2021. The United States lagged behind other nations in testing during the first few months of the pandemic.

Six Lessons We’ve Learned From Covid That Will Help Us Fight the Next Pandemic

Public health experts weigh in on the steps America needs to take to stem a future outbreak

A growing movement is underway to halt chronic disease by protecting brains and bodies from the biological fallout of aging.

Could Getting Rid of Old Cells Help People Live Disease-Free for Longer?

Researchers are investigating medicines that selectively kill decrepit cells to promote healthy aging

A team led by Laurits Skov and Benjamin Peter from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology sequenced nuclear, mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA of 13 Neanderthal individuals. From these sequences, they determined that two of the Neanderthals represent a father-daughter pair and that another two are cousins.

Fourteen Discoveries Made About Human Evolution in 2022

Smithsonian paleoanthropologists reveal the year’s most riveting findings about our close relatives and ancestors

Thirty-seven U.S. states and D.C. have laws permitting the use of medical marijuana.

For Pain Relief, Cannabis May Be No Better Than a Placebo

Previous research has shown the placebo effect can be extremely powerful, rivaling ibuprofen or morphine

When flushed, commercial toilets can spew airborne particles at speeds of up to 6.6 feet per second.

Here's What Really Happens When You Flush a Toilet

Using lasers and cameras, scientists visualized the plume of tiny, aerosolized particles ejected from commercial toilets during flushing

 The federal government considers marijuana an illegal Schedule I drug, making it notoriously difficult to research.

New U.S. Law Will Boost Marijuana Research

The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act will make it easier for researchers to access marijuana and study its therapeutic uses

Histoplasma under a microscope

Fungi That Cause Lung Infections May Be Spreading Across the U.S.

Doctors are likely to misdiagnose cases due to outdated maps of these fungi’s ranges

Close to two million Americans have Type 1 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

First Drug to Delay Type 1 Diabetes Approved by FDA

The treatment held off disease onset by an average of two years in a clinical trial, but it won’t be cheap

New research suggests earbuds may be an affordable, low-stigma alternative to hearing aids for some people.

Are AirPods the Hearing Aids of the Future?

New research suggests that personal sound amplification products like earbuds may help some people hear better in certain scenarios

A sonogram of a human fetus. 

Doctors Treated a Child for a Genetic Disease Before She Was Born

Treating fetuses for the enzyme deficiency might prevent early disease progression

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