Health & Medicine

  1. A young woman sitting at a kitchen table injects insulin into her arm
    Health & Medicine

    A repurposed TB vaccine shows early promise against diseases like diabetes and MS

    The potentially helpful effect of the BCG vaccine on type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases is beginning to make sense.

    By Amanda B. Keener
  2. A woman in a mask and a disposable apron injects a vaccine into the arm of a man who is seated.
    Health & Medicine

    Vaccinating people in developing countries costs far less than doing nothing

    Shots for half the adults in those countries will cost $9.3 billion, the Rockefeller Foundation reports. Doing nothing could cost trillions.

    By Betsy Ladyzhets
  3. photo of six or so people in Grand Central Station wearing facemasks. a woman in the center takes a selfie
    Health & Medicine

    Here’s what we know about the risks of serious side effects from COVID-19 vaccines

    Allergic reactions, blood clots and possibly heart problems are rare and their risks don’t outweigh the benefits of getting vaccinated, experts say.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  4. image of the exterior of the Wuhan Institute of Virology
    Health & Medicine

    Here are answers to 3 persistent questions about the coronavirus’s origins

    Calls to double down on investigations into where SARS-CoV-2 came from — nature or a lab accident — are rising as answers remain scarce.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  5. A side view of a man wearing an EEG cap and dark goggles
    Genetics

    A gene-based therapy partially restored a blind man’s vision

    Light-activated proteins inserted in eye nerve cells and special goggles help the man, who lost his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa, see objects.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  6. woman and child at grocery store not wearing masks with man wearing mask
    Health & Medicine

    The CDC’s changes to mask guidelines raised questions. Here are 6 answers

    Experts weigh in on the U.S. CDC’s recommendation fully vaccinated individuals removing masks indoors and what it means for the pandemic’s future.

    By Sujata Gupta
  7. masked people walking in a train station overpass tunnel
    Health & Medicine

    Cleaning indoor air may prevent COVID-19’s spread. But it’s harder than it looks

    The size and setup of a room and how the room is used make finding simple ventilation and filtration solutions difficult.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  8. Therapists working with PTSD patient
    Health & Medicine

    MDMA, the key ingredient in Ecstasy, eases symptoms of severe PTSD

    By the end of the trial, 67 percent of the participants who took MDMA had improved so much that they no longer qualified as having a PTSD diagnosis.

    By Laura Sanders
  9. Aerial photo of Florida Keys
    Animals

    The U.S.’s first open-air genetically modified mosquitoes have taken flight

    After a decade of argument, Oxitec pits genetically modified mosquitoes against Florida’s spreaders of dengue and Zika.

    By Susan Milius
  10. two people washing their hands under a kitchen faucet
    Psychology

    Small bribes may help people build healthy handwashing habits

    Getting people to wash their hands is notoriously difficult. Doling out nice soap dispensers and rewards helps people develop the habit.

    By Sujata Gupta
  11. woman receiving a covid-19 vaccine dose at Seattle Mariners's stadium
    Health & Medicine

    As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we answer 7 lingering vaccine questions

    As U.S. vaccination efforts shift to get shots to the hard-to-reach, we take a look at some big questions about vaccines that still remain.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  12. a 14-year-old girl and 12-year-old boy sitting on a picnic table
    Health & Medicine

    Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine recommended for adolescents by CDC committee

    With the vaccine cleared for high schoolers and many middle schoolers, focus now turns to clinical trials testing COVID-19 vaccines in younger kids.

    By Tina Hesman Saey