Disease and Illnesses
What is Causing Iran’s Spike in MS Cases?
Vitamin D deficiency from lack of sunlight could be an unexpected long-term consequence of the Iranian revolution
May 2013 |
By Libby Copeland
The Unintended (and Deadly) Consequences of Living in the Industrialized World
Scientists believe dirt could explain why some of the wealthiest countries suffer from afflictions rarely seen in less-developed nations
April 2013 |
By Andrew Curry
Open-Fire Stoves Kill Millions. How Do We Fix it?
Pollutants from crude stoves are responsible for many deaths – a D.C.-based NGO has a solution
December 2012 |
By Ingfei Chen
Pardis Sabeti, the Rollerblading Rock Star Scientist of Harvard
The recipient of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for natural sciences blazed a new view of how to treat infectious diseases via genetics
December 2012 |
By Seth Mnookin
Photos: A Last Look at Fall
Before the weather turns cold, take one last walk in the woods with these beautiful autumn photos submitted by our readers
December 2012 |
By Smithsonian.com
The Hunt for Ebola
A CDC team races to Uganda just days after an outbreak of the killer virus to try to pinpoint exactly how it is transmitted to humans
November 2012 |
By Joshua Hammer
Scientists Find a New Way to Exploit and Attack Malaria
The stealthy parasite kills one million people a year; there may be a drug that can stop its deadly damage
September 2012 |
By Elizabeth Finkel
The Gruesome History of Eating Corpses as Medicine
The question was not “Should you eat human flesh?” says one historian, but, “What sort of flesh should you eat?”
May 07, 2012 |
By Maria Dolan
The Next West Nile Virus?
The chikungunya virus has escaped Africa and is traveling around the world via a widespread, invasive, voracious mosquito
June 29, 2011 |
By Carrie Arnold
A Triumph in the War Against Cancer
Oncologist Brian Druker developed a new treatment for a deadly cancer, leading to a breakthrough that has transformed medicine
May 2011 |
By Terence Monmaney
The Fatal Consequences of Counterfeit Drugs
In Southeast Asia, forensic investigators using cutting-edge tools are helping stanch the deadly trade in fake anti-malaria drugs
October 2009 |
By Andrew Marshall
The Culture of Being Rude
A new biological theory states that cultural behavior is not just a regional quirk, but a defense against the spread of disease
August 03, 2009 |
By Rob Dunn
High Hopes for a New Kind of Gene
Scientists believe that microRNA may lead to breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating cancer
July 2009 |
By Sylvia Pagán Westphal
Dreading the Worst When it Comes to Epidemics
A scientist by training, author Philip Alcabes studies the etymology of epidemiology and the cultural fears of worldwide disease
April 28, 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
Gene Therapy in a New Light
A husband-and-wife team's experimental genetic treatment for blindness is renewing hopes for a controversial field of medicine
January 2009 |
By Jocelyn Kaiser
What's Killing the Aspen?
The signature tree of the Rockies is in trouble
December 2008 |
By Michelle Nijhuis
The 'Secret Jews' of San Luis Valley
In Colorado, the gene linked to a virulent form of breast cancer found mainly in Jewish women is discovered in Hispanic Catholics
October 2008 |
By Jeff Wheelwright
How Breast Cancer Genes Work
Though we may talk of cancer as one disease, skin cancer has little in common with pancreatic cancer and breast cancer is something else entirely
October 2008 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Point. Shoot. See
In Zambia, an NYC photographer teaches kids orphaned by AIDS how to take pictures. They teach him about living
November 2007 |
By Jess Blumberg
