Medicine

Researchers collecting tears from Broad-snouted caiman.

Microscopically, Crocodile Tears Look Sort of Like Our Own

Humans are the only species known to cry in response to emotional turmoil, but a new study finds reptile and avian tears aren't so different

Bald's Leechbook, a tenth-century medical text that contains Anglo-Saxon medical advice and recipes for medicines, salves and treatments

This Medieval Potion Kills Stubborn Bacteria

"Bald’s eyesalve" is effective against numerous strains of bacteria—and could help treat diabetic foot and leg ulcers

Curators at the Science and Industry Museum are unsure what purpose this object, crudely cast with a copper-based alloy, served.

Can You Help Identify This Museum's Mystery Artifacts?

A Manchester-based science institution has a backlog of unusual objects in need of classification

The Renaissance artist died in 1520 at age 37.

New Research Suggests Bloodletting, Pneumonia Killed Raphael

The artist failed to disclose his late-night outings to physicians, leading them to misdiagnose his illness

Yosemite Valley seen from the Tunnel View lookout point in the Yosemite National Park, California on July 08, 2020. The park's sewage has now tested positive for the presence of the novel coronavirus, suggesting that some of its visitors over the Fourth of July weekend were infected.

Yosemite Sewage Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Test results suggest there were dozens of visitors carrying the novel coronavirus in the park over the Fourth of July weekend

In April, people queued at a testing tent in East New York in Brooklyn. COVID-19 rates are highest among black New Yorkers in Kings County.

What 'Racism Is a Public Health Issue' Means

Epidemiologist Sharrelle Barber discusses the racial inequalities that exist for COVID-19 and many other health conditions

How will SARS-CoV-2 evolve?

How Viruses Evolve

Pathogens that switch to a new host species have some adapting to do. How does that affect the course of a pandemic like COVID-19?

John Rogers and his colleague Shuai Xu’s tech startup Sonica Health is submitting the device with a pulse oximeter and its algorithms to the FDA for approval later this month.

This Band-Aid-Like Patch Could Detect Early COVID-19 Symptoms

Northwestern University scientist John Rogers has developed a wearable that adheres to the throat and relays data to a physician

Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, rode the self-balancing personal transportation device outside his home in 2002.

As Segway Retires, Its Inventor Gears Up to Grow Organs

Dean Kamen, inventor of the soon-to-be obsolete Segway, has assembled a team to mass-produce human organs for transplant

Pooling samples means one test can screen multiple people.

Pooled Testing Could Be the Fastest and Cheapest Way to Increase Coronavirus Screening

Placing swabs from multiple individuals in a single test gets more people diagnosed using fewer supplies

Video visits with doctors and other health-care workers saw a sharp uptick as the COVID-19 pandemic took off.

Is COVID-19 the Tipping Point for Telemedicine?

Sheltering in place has pushed virtual health care into the mainstream, making us wonder if we'll ever go back to waiting rooms

In this origin story of the modern ventilator, we appreciate the duality of intensive care medicine: Its defining strength is also its weakness.

How a Polio Outbreak in Copenhagen Led to the Invention of the Ventilator

After one hospital struggled to sustain the breathing of hundreds of patients, engineers found a solution that saved lives and sparked an ethical firestorm

Cases of MIS-C are very rare and are mostly popping up in COVID-19 hotspots

What Experts Know About a Rare Inflammatory Syndrome Linked to COVID-19

The syndrome resembles a childhood illness called Kawasaki disease, but research is ongoing about both conditions

A scanning electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Why Immunity to the Novel Coronavirus Is So Complicated

Some immune responses may be enough to make a person impervious to reinfection, but scientists don't yet know how the human body reacts to this new virus

Could 2020 be America's Year of the Bidet?

The Bottom Line About Bidets

Amid toilet paper shortages, many Americans are making the switch—but does all the fuss about bidets really hold water?

A vial of remdesivir, an antiviral that has broad-spectrum activity, meaning it works against more than one type of virus. Remdesivir has been authorized for emergency use in the COVID-19 pandemic; it also was used to fight Ebola when there were few treatments available.

Remdesivir Works Against Many Viruses. Why Aren’t There More Drugs Like It?

Antivirals that work against a large number of diverse viruses would help us prepare for new diseases, but creating them is a big biological challenge

Some U.K. crafters are dedicating their spare time to making masks and drawstring bags for medical professionals.

Arts and Crafts Are Experiencing Surge in Popularity Amid COVID-19

Stay-at-home orders have inspired those with ample free time to pick up hands-on projects

Micrograph of a well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma

How Evolution Helps Us Understand and Treat Cancer

A new book argues that controlling cancer is within reach if scientists are able to anticipate the evolution of resistance to traditional treatments

A nurse (left) operates a robot used to interact remotely with coronavirus patients while a physician looks on.

How Robots Are on the Front Lines in the Battle Against COVID-19

Helping health care workers treat patients and public safety officials contain the pandemic, these robots offer lessons for future disasters

Soldiers assigned to the 531st Hospital Center build shelving at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, where a temporary medical station has been constructed to aid efforts combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

How COVID-19 Could Inform the Future of Hospital Design

Modified hospital designs have become necessary as the first wave of the pandemic tears through U.S. communities

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