Health & Medicine

  1. Earth

    U.S. radiation dose has doubled

    New analysis finds radiation-based medical procedures have skyrocketed.

    By Janet Raloff
  2. Health & Medicine

    Keeping artery plaques under control

    Toning down a gene called CHOP may offer a way to reduce the risk of arterial plaque ruptures, which can cause heart attacks and strokes, a study in mice shows.

    By Nathan Seppa
  3. Earth

    Report of earlier, longer puberty in girls

    A Danish study finds young girls are entering puberty notably earlier than 15 years ago — for reasons that remain unknown.

    By Janet Raloff
  4. Health & Medicine

    Narcolepsy linked to immune system

    Genome association study finds a second connection between the sleep disorder and the body's disease-fighting apparatus

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  5. Health & Medicine

    Swine flu genetics suggest a vaccine is possible

    So far, strain's contagion appears on par with that of a seasonal flu outbreak. Vaccine would be at least months away.

    By Nathan Seppa
  6. Health & Medicine

    Science budgets look rosy, AAAS finds

    The president and Congress have collaborated in targeting substantial increases for federal investments in R&D this year.

    By Janet Raloff
  7. Health & Medicine

    World Health Organization raises swine flu alert level

    The World Health Organization announced April 29 that is has raised the alert level for swine flu from Phase 4 to Phase 5, which suggests that a pandemic is imminent.

    By Nathan Seppa
  8. Health & Medicine

    Brain reads word-by-word

    The brain reads words as whole units and processes the information quickly, two studies suggest.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  9. Health & Medicine

    New weapon fights hepatitis C

    Taking the experimental drug telaprevir with standard medications for hepatitis C clears the virus from patients’ blood better than the standard combination alone.

    By Nathan Seppa
  10. Health & Medicine

    Institute of Medicine takes on conflicts of interest

    The Institute of Medicine seeks to divorce medical research from undue influence by the pharmaceutical and medical-device industries.

    By Janet Raloff
  11. Life

    Connectivity may play role in autism

    Large studies of autism suggest connections between neurons are the culprit.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  12. Health & Medicine

    Swine flu outbreak likely to continue, officials say

    Even as public health data on the new outbreak change daily, biological information on the mysterious virus remains scant.

    By Nathan Seppa