Medicine

A woman scratches her forearm.

The Search for What Causes Chronic Itching

Scientists are making headway on parsing the condition's biological underpinnings, in hope of better treatments

Halloween can be a particularly challenging time for families navigating life-threatening food allergies.

Allergic Reactions to Peanuts and Tree Nuts Spike 85 Percent on Halloween

Parents and children can avoid the dangers by taking key precautions and embracing alternative activities

Mary Fowkes, a pathologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, examines brain slices from an autopsy.

Why Autopsies Are Proving Crucial During Covid-19

Advances in medical imaging have reduced the need for the procedure, but it is leading to discoveries that may help with better treatments

In addition to the newly discovered pair of glands, the human body has three more large sets and about 1,000 glands scattered throughout the mouth and throat.

Scientists May Have Identified a Previously Unknown Spit-Producing Organ in Our Heads

Uncovering the existence of the glands will help oncologists protect them from radiation, improving the quality of life for cancer patients

100,000 people die from venomous snakebites each year, a problem the Instituto Clodomiro Picado seeks to address with its antivenoms.

The Lab Saving the World From Snake Bites

A deadly shortage of venom antidote has spurred a little-known group of scientists in Costa Rica to action

A father and his daughter engage in a video chat with their doctor.

Should Parents Test for Covid if Their Kid Might Just Have a Cold?

Experts weigh in on when students with runny noses, fevers, and coughs should be quarantined and checked

As countries in the Northern Hemisphere enter flu season, experts are looking to patterns from Southern Hemisphere nations as a source of cautious optimism.

What to Expect When Covid-19 and the Flu Season Collide

Experts weigh in on the necessary steps to ensure a mild flu season during the pandemic

The discoveries of these three Nobel laureates “saved millions of lives worldwide,” one Nobel committee member said.

Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded to Three Scientists Who Discovered Hepatitis C

The contributions of these Nobel laureates helped identify, test, and treat hepatitis C

On Earth, most people are familiar with ultraviolet radiation’s harmful effects on our skin, but in space, astronauts are also subjected to galactic cosmic rays, accelerated solar particles, neutrons and gamma rays.

Moonwalking Humans Get Blasted With 200 Times the Radiation Experienced on Earth

The new findings will inform how much shielding future astronauts will need to safely explore the moon

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Protease Inhibitors to Fight COVID-19: Stopping the Virus's Life Cycle

Breakthroughs at the intersection of Health and Science

Some Covid-19 patients are reporting that foods including coffee, chocolate and red wine smell awful.

Why Covid-19 Patients Are Suffering From Distorted and Phantom Smells

An increasing number of patients are reporting awful scents that aren’t present

Are there other imaging agents hiding in plain sight?

Could Tattoo Ink Be Used to Detect Cancer?

A new study on medical imaging agents shows common pigments and dyes could help with early diagnosis

3D-printed masks made for a New Hampshire hospital amid PPE shortages in March.

Covid-19 Has Designers Reimagining Personal Protective Equipment

The global pandemic has led to a surge in demand for PPE. Inventors have responded—with mixed results.

A doctor checks the temperature of a child at a mobile clinic.

What Happens When Children's Covid-19 Symptoms Won't Go Away

Some parents say their kids have been sick for months, and experts aren't sure what's going on

A man who recovered from COVID-19 donates plasma in Bogota, Colombia.

The Peculiar 100-Plus-Year History of Convalescent Plasma

Blood has been considered a viable treatment for infectious disease for over a century, but it has rarely proven to be the best solution.

University of Arizona leaders were able to prevent a potential Covid-19 outbreak by testing wastewater.

University of Arizona Stops a Covid-19 Outbreak by Following the Feces

After wastewater monitoring detected the virus in a dorm’s sewage, the school discovered and quarantined two asymptomatic infections

The formation of a blood clot

Why Blood Clots Are a Major Problem in Severe Covid-19

Out-of-control clotting can endanger some patients even after the virus has gone. Researchers are trying to understand the problem and how to treat it.

Cars line up at a drive-in coronavirus testing site in Miami Gardens, Florida, in late June. Testing in many states has been hampered by bottlenecks and long delays, problems that could be eased by the rapid, simple tests scientists are now developing.

Scientists Are Racing to Develop Paper-Based Tests for Covid-19

Inexpensive—and potentially at-home—tools could take only minutes to tell if someone is infected

Riker Laboratories advertised its new device for treating asthma in 1957—two years after a teenager’s truly inspiring suggestion.

The History of the Asthma Inhaler

How a brilliant quip led to a treatment that helps millions every minute

Allied freighters ablaze in the harbor of Bari, Italy, after the German attack.

How a Chemical Weapons Disaster in WWII Led to a U.S. Cover-Up—and a New Cancer Treatment

The physician who led the investigation into a deadly explosion in Italy found the truth, and some hope

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