Health & Medicine

Anthony Fauci (left), director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical advisor to the President, listens as President Joe Biden (right) delivers remarks on the Omicron Covid-19 variant. Fauci has warned that Omicron could reach most of the population.

Covid-19

Seven Key Questions About Omicron Answered

As the variant spreads and more studies have been done, experts share what they know

“You become a little bit of a fixture in the community,” says Stewart, seen here in San Diego.

The Veterinarian Brings His Healing Presence to Pets of the Unhoused

Kwane Stewart discovers the little-known world of generosity and love

(Top) Leila Strickland, Michelle Egger, Toby Kiers, Colin Averill, J. Richard Gott (Middle) Leslie Jones-Dove, Devshi Mehrotra, Prisha Shroff, Iké Udé (Bottom) Tim Farrelly, Omar Salem, David Deneher, Victor A. Lopez-Carmen, Doris Sung

Innovation for Good

Sixteen Innovators to Watch in 2022

These trailblazers are dreaming up a future with cell-cultured breastmilk, energy-saving windows and more

A bar proprietress drinks during her 101st birthday party at her tiny bar in Tokyo.

Old-Age Record Could Reach 130 by Century's End

Analysis of supercentenarians suggests human lifespan may have no limit

From amazing firsts on Mars to the impacts of climate change on Earth, these science stories stood out as the most important of 2021

The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2021

Thrilling discoveries, hurdles in the fight against Covid and advancements in space exploration defined the past year

Eating disorders affect hundreds of millions around the world and are dominated by negative thoughts and behaviors around food, eating, weight and body shape. Current research reveals the best evidence-based psychological therapies and some new avenues for treatments.

The Search for a Better Treatment for Eating Disorders

Cognitive behavioral therapy is working well for some, but scientists are seeking new innovations to help people with anorexia, bulimia and binge eating

A booster shot is administered in Stony Brook, New York in November. Such a shot can help spur a person’s immune system to ramp up defenses against Covid-19.

Six Questions About Waning Immunity to Covid-19 Answered

Experts weigh in on when a reduced immune response occurs and how boosters can help restore defenses

Andrew Pelling adds cells to an ear-shaped scaffold made from apple flesh.

Inside the Innovative Lab Growing Mammal Tissue Using Plants as Scaffolds

Researchers at the University of Ottawa have used apple flesh to create human tissue in the shape of an ear and asparagus stalks to regenerate spinal cords

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Women Who Shaped History

Clara Barton Epitomized the Heroism of Nurses

Two hundred years after her birth, her pioneering commitment to public health has only become more salient

The skin patch vaccine is administered by a pocket-sized device with 5,000 needle-like projections.

Covid-19

Could Skin Patches Be the Future of Covid Vaccines?

The device might survive longer storage times and pose a better option for people afraid of needles

The antiviral drug molnupiravir is in Phase 3 trials.

Seven Important Questions About Covid Antivirals Answered

New medicines may stop the virus from replicating so your immune system can fight a few viral soldiers instead of an army

Godfrey Hounsfield stands beside the EMI-Scanner in 1972.

Fifty Years Ago, the First CT Scan Let Doctors See Inside a Living Skull

The invention came from an eccentric British engineer who worked at a company now better known for selling Beatles albums

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How Science Conquered Diphtheria, the Plague Among Children

It was highly contagious, lethal and mysterious. Then medical experts developed treatments and vaccines, and the affliction disappeared—but not entirely

Denver Bronco player David Bruton grabs his head on the field after a reported concussion. Many patients with such head injuries suffer symptoms months after their diagnosis, even though their brains look healthy on CT scans.

This Molecule Could Be the Key to Understanding Why Concussions Have Such Long-Term Effects

Neuroscientists identified the molecule that persists in the brain—and showed how to disarm it in mice

Ultrasound of a 4-month-old fetus

A Brief History of the Sonogram

In the mid-1950s, a Scottish obstetrician became the first to apply ultrasound technology to a pregnant human abdomen

Aaron Bolds, a former college basketball player, graduated from medical school in 2018. He’s now a doctor at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, specializing in rehabilitation medicine.

To Boost Black Men in Medicine, Advocates Turn to Sports

High-performing athletes possess many of the skills and attributes that physicians need, supporters of the strategy say

The microCOVID project was started by a group of friends and housemates who wanted to be more equitable about safety precautions.

Innovation for Good

This Calculator Estimates Your Risk of Getting Covid-19

The online tool draws on recent data to approximate your chances of contracting the virus in different scenarios

Children head back to school in August even as the Covid-19 delta variant makes its rounds. For reasons that aren’t fully understood, kids do not get as sick from Covid-19 as adults do. The role of schools in fostering spread of the virus is also under study.

Covid-19

Why Don't Kids Tend to Get as Sick From Covid-19?

Some children have been hospitalized and some have died, but at a tiny fraction of the adult rate. Scientists are trying to find out why.

Can a machine be taught to understand the plant world?

Innovation for Good

Is This Weed-Spotting, Yield-Predicting Rover the Future of Farming?

The robot, developed by Alphabet Inc.'s X, will make its public debut at the Smithsonian

Firefighters walk towards one of the towers at the World Trade Center before it collapsed on September 11, 2001.

Innovation for Good

9/11 Changed How Doctors Treat PTSD

New research in the 20 years since the September 11th attacks has led to better therapies for those diagnosed with trauma disorders

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