Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    How over-the-counter birth control pills could improve reproductive health

    The switch to over-the-counter access for a birth control pill will circumvent certain barriers and help improve reproductive autonomy.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    As U.S. courts weigh in on mifepristone, here’s the abortion pill’s safety record

    Decades of data, including data collected during the coronavirus pandemic, support mifepristone’s safety. The drug’s fate in the United States may now be determined by judicial review.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Stimulating spleens with ultrasound hints at a treatment for inflammation

    Using an intense kind of ultrasound stimulation against inflammation holds promise but so far has been tested only in rodents and human blood samples.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Scientists may have found an antidote for death cap mushrooms

    A dye countered the effects of a mushroom toxin in human cells and mice. If the antidote does the same in people, it has potential to save lives.

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  5. Neuroscience

    A rare mutation helped one man stave off Alzheimer’s for decades

    The brain of a Colombian man with an inherited form of Alzheimer’s may hint at ways to halt or slow the progression of the disease.

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  6. Tech

    A flower-shaped soft robot could make brain monitoring less invasive

    Once inserted in the skull, the device unfurls flexible sensors that can monitor the brain's electrical activity less invasively than current methods.

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  7. Life

    The new human pangenome could help unveil the biology of everyone

    The deciphered DNA includes never-before-explored parts of the genome and better represents the genetic diversity of all humans.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    San Francisco airport will monitor plane waste for COVID-19 variants

    The airport, working with the CDC and a biotech company, will be the first in the United States to regularly test plane sewage.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, enzyme injections showed promise for treating a rare disease

    Enzyme replacement can offer relief to people with rare diseases. Now, scientists have found a way to treat one disease before a person is even born.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    WHO declares an end to the global COVID-19 public health emergency

    Global COVID-19 deaths are down and immunity is up. But with the virus here to stay, it’s time to shift to more long-term health measures.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    The U.S. COVID-19 public health emergency is ending. What does that mean?

    The declaration, made early in the pandemic, made tests, vaccines and treatments free to all. On May 11, the proclamation ends.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Women who’ve had breast cancer can safely pause treatment for pregnancy

    Hormone therapy cannot be taken during pregnancy. A new study is reassuring for women who’ve had breast cancer and want to try for a baby.

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