Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Fecal transplant pills helped some peanut allergy sufferers in a small trial

    In a small study, a one-day fecal microbiota transplant allowed some peanut-allergic adults to safely eat one to two peanuts several months later.

    By
  2. Health & Medicine

    How omicron’s mutations make it the most infectious coronavirus variant yet

    With its mishmash of mutations, omicron has a unique anatomy that has helped fuel its dominance.

    By
  3. Humans

    50 years ago, freezing sperm faced scientific skepticism

    In 1972, scientists debated the long-term viability of frozen sperm. Fifty years later, children have been conceived with sperm frozen for decades.

    By
  4. Microbes

    A chain mail–like armor may shield C. difficile from some antibiotics

    Examining the structures that protect Clostridioides difficile from medicines could help researchers find new ways to target and kill the bacteria.

    By
  5. Health & Medicine

    More than 5 million children have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19

    The number of children who experienced the death of a parent or caregiver due to COVID-19 nearly doubled from May through October in 2021.

    By
  6. Health & Medicine

    The COVID-19 pandemic is not an on-off switch

    The pandemic is more of a dimmer switch, and it will be a slow slide to the endemic phase, says epidemiologist Aubree Gordon.

    By
  7. Health & Medicine

    An anime convention in November was not an omicron superspreader event

    Vaccines, ventilation and other safety measures probably prevented the variant’s spread at Anime NYC, reports suggest.

    By
  8. Science & Society

    Nudge theory’s popularity may block insights into improving society

    Small interventions that influence people’s behavior can be tested. But the real world requires big, hard-to-measure changes too, scientists say.

    By
  9. Health & Medicine

    Chewing sugar-free gum reduced preterm births in a large study

    Among 10,000 women in Malawi, those who chewed xylitol gum daily had fewer preterm births compared with women who didn’t chew the gum.

    By
  10. Genetics

    Gene therapies for sickle cell disease come with hope and challenges

    Pediatrician Erica Esrick discusses existing sickle cell treatments and an ongoing clinical trial.

    By
  11. Health & Medicine

    Omicron crushed delta in the U.S. These numbers show just how fast it happened

    It took the delta coronavirus variant eight weeks to make up more than 50 percent of new U.S. COVID-19 infections, estimates show. It took omicron two.

    By
  12. Genetics

    How one scientist aims to boost Black people’s representation in genetic datasets

    Through information sharing, geneticist Tshaka Cunningham wants to build trust and encourage more Black people to engage with the medical community.

    By