Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    On a dare, teen advances medical science

    A 16-year-old daredevil inadvertently demonstrated the incubation period of a common roundworm after she swallowed an earthworm that harbored larvae of the parasite.

    By Ben Harder
  2. Health & Medicine

    Meat Poses Exaggerated Cancer Risk for Some People

    Animal research probes why a genetic vulnerability renders some individuals especially susceptible to the colon carcinogens that can form in cooked meats.

    By Janet Raloff
  3. Health & Medicine

    Defect Detector: Plugging holes in a breast cancer–gene screen

    A genetic test not available in the United States catches many potentially cancer-causing BRCA-gene mutations not detected by the sole U.S. test.

    By Nathan Seppa
  4. Health & Medicine

    Moldy whiff kills brain cells

    A common black mold that blooms on moist cellulose-based materials produces a toxin that can kill certain brain cells.

    By Janet Raloff
  5. Health & Medicine

    Protozoa Aid Food-Poisoning Germs

    Ubiquitous waterborne protozoa appear capable of aiding the survival of several types of bacteria responsible for gut-wrenching food poisoning.

    By Janet Raloff
  6. Health & Medicine

    Stent Repair: Coated replacements better than radiation

    To clear clogged stents, the small mesh cylinders that doctors implant to prop open blood vessels, inserting a second, specially-coated stent works better than treatment with radiation.

    By Nathan Seppa
  7. Health & Medicine

    May I Propose a High-Fiber Toast?

    Scientists have genetically modified wheat to boost a type of dietary fiber linked to numerous health benefits.

    By Christen Brownlee
  8. Health & Medicine

    Ear Protection: Combo vaccine prevents some infections

    A vaccine that triggers immunity against two common bacteria can prevent many ear infections in babies.

    By Nathan Seppa
  9. Health & Medicine

    Got Data? Consuming calcium, dairy doesn’t keep off weight

    Dairy products and other calcium-containing foods don't prevent weight gain, according to a 12-year study of middle-aged men.

    By Ben Harder
  10. Health & Medicine

    Genes for macular degeneration

    Variations in two genes could account for three-quarters of all cases of age-related macular degeneration.

    By Christen Brownlee
  11. Health & Medicine

    Low-protein diet boosts treatment

    A diet low in protein can improve the effectiveness of drug therapy and reduce the periods of the most debilitating symptoms suffered by Parkinson's disease patients.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  12. Health & Medicine

    A link between emotional stress and heart attacks

    In some people with heart disease, a stressful event precipitates changes in blood components and flow that may trigger a heart attack.

    By Nathan Seppa