Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Volunteers agreed to be buried face-down in the snow, for science

    A safety device helped maintain a buried person’s oxygen levels for up to 35 minutes, tests show, buying crucial time for an avalanche rescue.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  2. Health & Medicine

    Cancer treatments may get a boost from mRNA COVID vaccines

    Cancer patients who got an mRNA COVID vaccine within a few months of their immunotherapy lived longer than those who did not, health records show.

    By Meghan Rosen
  3. Anthropology

    Two tiny genetic shifts helped early humans walk upright

    Scientists have linked bipedalism to changes in how the human pelvis developed millions of years ago.

    By Roberta McLain
  4. Humans

    Napoleon’s retreating army may have been plagued by these microbes

    DNA from Napoleonic soldiers’ teeth uncovered two fever-causing bacteria that may have worsened the army’s fatal retreat from Russia.

    By Meghan Rosen
  5. Humans

    Brain cancer can dissolve parts of the skull

    Glioblastoma doesn't just affect the brain. It also erodes bones in the skull and changes the composition of immune cells in skull marrow.

    By Meghan Rosen
  6. Health & Medicine

    Most women get uterine fibroids. This researcher wants to know why

    Biomedical engineer Erika Moore investigates diseases that disproportionately affect women of color.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  7. Health & Medicine

    COVID-related smell loss may last years

    Using a scratch-and-sniff test, researchers discovered that smell loss after COVID-19 may linger for more than two years.

    By Meghan Rosen
  8. Health & Medicine

    Even for elite athletes, the body’s metabolism has its limits

    While ultramarathoners are capable of huge energy spurts, overall the athletes top out at 2.5 times the metabolic rate needed for basic body functions.

    By Laura Sanders
  9. Science & Society

    Our relationship with alcohol is fraught. Ancient customs might inspire a reset

    As evidence of alcohol's harms mounts, some people are testing out sobriety. Look to ancient civilizations' ways for a reset, scholars suggest.

    By Sujata Gupta
  10. Health & Medicine

    An estimated 54,600 young children are malnourished in Gaza

    A study that screened young children in Gaza for malnutrition found that nearly 16 percent suffered from wasting in August 2025.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  11. Health & Medicine

    You’re probably eating enough protein, but maybe not the right mix

    Protein is having a moment. But even if most people are eating enough protein, studies suggest they may not be eating the right mix.

    By Sujata Gupta
  12. Health & Medicine

    Are ultraprocessed foods truly addictive?

    Ultraprocessed foods can create powerful pulls similar to those of alcohol, nicotine or opioids, with worrisome consequences for our health.

    By Laura Sanders