Health & Medicine

More Stories in Health & Medicine

  1. A photo of several maxi pads spread out of a small bag on an orange background.
    Humans

    ‘Period’ wants to change how you think about menstruation

    Kate Clancy offers fascinating science and history about the uterus and menstruation in her book, Period: The Real Story of Menstruation.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  2. A photo of a brown bear walking through a field of green leaves and other plants with trees visible throughout.
    Animals

    Hibernating bears don’t get blood clots. Now scientists know why

    People who sit still for hours have an increased risk of blood clots, but hibernating bears and people with long-term immobility don’t. A key clotting protein appears to be the reason why.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  3. Health & Medicine

    Estrogen in birth control could be cut way back, a study suggests

    Delivering an extra low dose of estrogen, or a combination of estrogen and progesterone, at a specific time of the menstrual cycle may prevent ovulation.

    By Natalia Mesa
  4. A close up photo of several leeches on a transparent background.
    Animals

    Freshwater leeches’ taste for snails could help control snail-borne diseases

    A freshwater leech species will eat snails, raising the possibility that leeches could be used to control snail-borne diseases that infect humans and livestock.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  5. An SEM image of breast cancer cells.
    Health & Medicine

    A new battery starves cancer cells of oxygen in mice

    When a self-charging battery is placed on a mouse’s tumor and combined with anticancer drugs, it reduced tumor size by 90 percent.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  6. A photo of several pink and white oval pills sitting on top of a Paxlovid box.
    Health & Medicine

    The antiviral drug Paxlovid reduces the risk of getting long COVID

    In a study of U.S. veterans’ health records, the drug lowered the odds of developing 10 of 13 long-term health problems following a COVID-19 infection.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  7. A MRI image of a brain shows regions of cerebrospinal fluid in blue.
    Neuroscience

    Scientists triggered the flow of spinal fluid in the awake brain

    If future studies confirm these waking waves wash away toxic proteins from the brain, the finding could lead to new treatments for brain disorders.

    By Simon Makin
  8. A sepia tone photo of someone walking their dog on the beach at sunset.
    Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, air pollution was linked to more reports of animal bites

    Scientists spent decades tying air pollution to health and behavior problems. Now, there’s more evidence that dirty air influences aggression in animals.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  9. A photo of a city street with over large bits of microplastics overlaying the image.
    Health & Medicine

    Microplastics are in our bodies. Here’s why we don’t know the health risks

    Researchers are racing to try to understand how much humans are exposed and what levels are toxic.

    By Anne Pinto-Rodrigues