Disease and Illnesses

Doctors, army officers and reporters protect themselves during the 1918 pandemic.

The Flu Has Been Making People Sick for At Least 500 Years

The 1918 flu pandemic gets all the headlines, but the malady is thought to have first appeared in the 16th century—and possibly earlier

Health workers wearing protective clothing prepare to carry an abandoned dead body presenting with Ebola symptoms at Duwala market in Monrovia August 17, 2014.

More Than 3,000 People Have Died of Ebola in the Past Two Months

The viral outbreak doesn't appear to be slowing

Puberty Is Beginning Earlier in Girls, So What Can Parents Do?

The authors of a new book about the earlier onset of female puberty explain the evidence and offer advice

The way cancer cells process zinc might help scientists identify a new biomarker.

Using Zinc to Detect Breast Cancer Early

Researchers at Oxford have taken the first step towards finding a new biomarker for breast cancer

A light therapy session in a German clinic.

The Dangers of Winter Darkness: Weak Bones, Depression and Heart Trouble

Long periods without sunshine can play a role in a surprising variety of physical and mental disorders

Superbugs Could Become a Top Cause of Death by 2050

If left unchecked, antibiotic-resistant bacteria could kill more people than cancer by 2050

A 15-Minute Test to Diagnose Ebola Is Going Into Use in West Africa

Speeding up detection would help everyone get where they need to be

The worm's progression through the man's brain, over a four year period.

A Tapeworm Crawled Around In This Man's Brain for Years

Studying the extracted parasite might help others avoid a similar infestation

A bed bug surrounded by potentially parasite-laden feces.

Bed Bugs Can Transmit the Chagas Disease Parasite

The parasite is usually associated with Latin and South America, but was recently found throughout Louisiana, too

Liver cells infected with Ebola

First Ever Experimental Drug Trials on Ebola Patients to Begin Next Month

Three potential Ebola drugs are being fast tracked to trials in west Africa

The nonprofit SkyTruth enlisted more than 200 volunteers to scan aerial imagery and pinpoint the locations of fracking wastewater ponds in Pennsylvania.

Tracking Frackers From the Sky

Citizen scientists eyeing Pennsylvania's natural gas drillers in aerial images may help determine if there is a link between fracking and certain illnesses

The image of a witch brewing her cauldron reigns in Halloween celebrations today. But, what actually went into witches cauldrons?

How Witches' Brews Helped Bring Modern Drugs to Market

Got nausea, headaches or heart trouble? You can thank medieval witches’ potions for helping to cure what ails you

President Obama discussing Ebola at a meeting with the UN.

Scientists Who Traveled to Ebola-Infected Countries Are Being Asked to Skip a Big Tropical Medicine Meeting

Researchers from the frontline of the fight against Ebola must cancel their plans to attend an upcoming conference in New Orleans

Pat Yourself on the Back, America: The U.S. Is Not Freaking Out About Ebola (For the Most Part)

Poll numbers show most Americans aren't succumbing to the fear over Ebola

A yellow fever epidemic may have planted the seeds of inspiration for Washington Irving's iconic tale of the a headless horseman.

What “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Tells Us About Contagion, Fear and Epidemics

Washington Irving fled New York because of a yellow fever epidemic. Twenty-two years later, his classic story spoke to the chaos of his youth

Garmai Sumo with the Liberian red cross supervises a burial team as they pull out the body of 40-year-old Mary Nyanforh, in Monrovia, Liberia, on October 14, 2014.

Even West Africans Who Don't Catch Ebola Are Being Hurt By the Disease

Ebola's toll is more than just a body count

A hazmat crew cleans the steps outside the Dallas apartment of a health care worker who tested positive for Ebola.

How Do You Clean Up an Ebola Patient’s Home?

Decontaminating biohazard sites can be a tough job, but the hardest microbe to wash away may not be what you think

A Dallas resident in a neighborhood where one of the persons diagnosed with Ebola lives peers out of her window.

Unbelievable Reactions People Have Had to the Ebola Outbreak

For some, the disease is a chance to make money; for others, it brings out racism

Liberian nurses carry a dead body suspected of dying from the Ebola virus at the Roberts field highway on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia, 25 September 2014.

Now We're Crowdfunding Ebola Research?

One leading Ebola researcher is turning to the crowd for more funding

From left to right, panelists Eric Hollinger, Rachel Kyte, Cori Wegener and Melissa Songer discuss ideas for living in the Anthropocene.

To Live in the Anthropocene, People Need Grounded Hope

A Smithsonian symposium about human impacts on Earth looked past warnings of global doom to discuss the necessary balance of achievable solutions

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