Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Born to Heal

    The controversial strategy of screening embryos to produce donors for siblings raises hopes and presents new ethical dilemmas.

    By Ben Harder
  2. Health & Medicine

    Quantum sentinels

    Quantum physics may soon help physicians track whether a cancer has spread.

    By Erica Klarreich
  3. Health & Medicine

    Gene transfer puts good fats in mammals

    Scientists have used a worm gene to genetically engineer mice whose tissues are unusually rich in the heart-healthy fats found mainly in fish.

    By Ben Harder
  4. Health & Medicine

    Tea for Too Much Bilirubin?

    A special tea may be an alternative to fluorescent lights for treating newborns who suffer from jaundice.

    By John Travis
  5. Health & Medicine

    Averting Pain: Epilepsy drug limits migraine attacks

    A drug normally used against epilepsy can prevent migraine headaches.

    By Nathan Seppa
  6. Health & Medicine

    HIV infects 1 in 100 in New York

    A change in how New York City officials identify and track cases of HIV infection has yielded the clearest picture yet of how deeply rooted that city's epidemic has become.

    By Ben Harder
  7. Health & Medicine

    Primate virus found in zoo workers

    Viruses related to HIV can be found in the blood of some zoo staff and other people who work with primates, although the infections don't appear to be harmful.

    By Ben Harder
  8. Health & Medicine

    Inflammatory Fat

    Immune system cells may underlie much of the disease-provoking injury in obese individuals that has been linked to their excess fat.

    By Janet Raloff
  9. Health & Medicine

    Putting the brakes on toxic shock

    Scientists have discovered the cascade of molecular events that underpins many cases of toxic shock syndrome.

    By Nathan Seppa
  10. Health & Medicine

    Some T cells may be a fetus’ best friend

    While pregnant, mice overproduce a kind of T cell that reins in other immune cells that might target the fetus.

    By Nathan Seppa
  11. Health & Medicine

    Pill Puzzle: Do antibiotics increase breast cancer risk?

    A new study links antibiotic use to breast cancer, although it's not clear the drugs cause the disease.

    By John Travis
  12. Health & Medicine

    Drug Racing: Gene tied to HIV-drug response

    A genetic mutation more common in blacks than in whites increases the odds that people taking a common HIV medicine will suffer side effects that lead them to halt treatment.

    By Ben Harder