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Science / Mind & Body

With so many food products now touting added protein, consumers have been left wondering how much is really necessary.

Is More Protein Always Better? Despite the Craze Around the Nutrient, Research-Backed Evidence About Its Benefits Is Complicated

It can be difficult to see through the array of flashy, protein-packed products and determine whether you need more of it—and which foods to consume to get it. We asked health experts about the benefits and drawbacks of chasing protein

In the lab, archaeologists showed how they could rapidly produce thick rope by threading cattail fibers through a replica of a Stone Age tool.

Archaeologists Are Reconstructing the ‘Invisible’ Technologies of the Stone Age, From Rope to Thread and Twine

Largely missing from the archaeological record, fiber innovations played a huge role in the lives of early humans. Researchers are weaving together new insights from the traces they left behind

Schizophrenia is difficult for psychiatrists to diagnose. Can artificial intelligence help do it better?

Could Artificial Intelligence Help With Early Diagnosis of Schizophrenia?

The tool may pick up subtle differences in the speech of people with the mental health condition better than human psychiatrists

GLP-1 drugs, medications that are self-injected to support weight loss and lower blood sugar, helped peptides become mainstream.

Peptides Are All the Rage, Promising Miracle Cures and Makeovers Delivered by Injection. How Did We Get Here?

Experts say the peptide craze is part of a broader phenomenon, as patients look beyond the regulated health system to address problems that doctors have struggled to treat

A sample of cerebrospinal fluid is processed at the University of California, San Francisco, long Covid research lab.

For Many Americans, Covid Is Still a Chronic, Disabling Disease. These Scientists Are Working Tirelessly to Bring Them Relief

Long Covid saps the strength and vitality of patients, who have little recourse to fight it. A team of specialists—including an afflicted researcher working mostly from her bed—is looking for answers

Tennis courts where the author played at Outbound Sedona in the Arizona heat

Tennis Matches Are Heating Up, Literally. Here’s How the Court Became a Living Laboratory for Managing Extreme Temperatures

The sport’s hard-court surfaces can reach some 30 degrees hotter than the surrounding air. With elite players suffering heat illness on the world stage, athletes are following personalized cooling plans

Social media delivers a mix of harms and benefits to youth that researchers are only just beginning to understand.

Australia’s Social Media Ban for Teens May Not Be the Best Solution, But It’s Certainly Getting People Talking

The Aussie experiment comes amid a lack of clear evidence that the apps harm most adolescents. It may take a dramatic research pivot to finally reveal what’s going on and how to fix it.

The mushroom Psilocybe pelliculosa is one of several species that produce psilocybin, a natural compound with hallucinogenic properties.

Could Psilocybin Help Treat Anorexia? A Small Clinical Trial Suggests the Psychedelic May Make Patients More Open to Recovery

The drug, paired with intensive psychological support, may loosen the rigid patterns of thought associated with the eating disorder, scientists say—but they caution that it is not a magic cure

Of the estimated 899 species of ticks worldwide, about 90 are found in the continental U.S.; however, only four species are responsible for most of the infections found in the U.S. today.

The First At-Home Test for Infected Ticks Could Improve Lyme Disease Diagnosis

LymeAlert will hit the market in August. The latest tool against the tick-borne illness could become a medicine cabinet staple

Among medical fields, radiology has pioneered the adoption of A.I. tools. Yet combining the complementary strengths of human and machine intelligence is not straightforward.

How A.I. Will Reshape Radiology—Without Replacing Radiologists

Human experience and flexibility are still necessary even as digital diagnostic tools improve

Cells suspended in a water-based gel make up the “ink” in this 3D printer.

Can Printed ‘Skin’ Heal Burns and Prevent Scars?

Inks created with a patient’s own cells may one day help the body regrow tissues

Slow-healing wounds, especially in diabetics and burn victims, can become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Light-activated nanomaterials offer a potential new way to clear the infection and accelerate wound healing.

Scientists Are Using Nanomaterials to Heal Stubborn Wounds That Resist Antibiotic Treatment

Light-activated therapies may offer a solution to slow-healing lesions common in diabetics and burn victims

The “Ether Dome” at Massachusetts General Hospital is now a National Historic Landmark.

America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark

The Operating Room Where Anesthesia Was First Demonstrated Is Now a Landmark. But for the Men Who Claimed Credit, There Was Much Misery

Medical procedures used to be a scream-filled endurance test until doctors at this Boston institution learned to tame the pain of patients

A swan swims on the Scharmützelsee at sunrise on July 2, 2025, when temperatures in the nearby German cities of Berlin and Brandenberg were expected to hit 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

‘Stupid Hot’: Heat Waves Muddle the Minds of Animals and Humans as Confusion and Aggression Seem to Rise With the Temperature

Wide-ranging research suggests that as temperatures increase, some creatures pick fights while others struggle to learn. The findings hint at consequences that may ripple through ecosystems

CAR-T cells are a patient's own T cells, a form of white blood cell, that have been genetically modified to recognize and destroy certain cancer or autoimmune cells that might otherwise be tolerated by the immune system.

How a Revolutionary Cancer Treatment Could Reset the Immune Systems of Patients With Autoimmune Diseases

Researchers are testing CAR T-cell therapy as a treatment for lupus, Graves’ disease and other conditions in which the body’s defenses go rogue

By studying brain waves, heart rate and shifts in neurotransmitters and hormones, researchers aim to quantify the experiences of beauty and art.

Does the Experience of Beauty Show Up in the Brain? With Electrodes and a Museum Collection of Artifacts, These Neuroscientists Aim to Find Out

Researchers are tracing the brain and body’s response to aesthetic expression in search of a scientific value to art

Kang’s invention won second place and an award of $175,000 at the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the oldest and most prestigious science, technology, engineering and math competition for high school students in the United States.

This High Schooler Developed an A.I. Tool to Diagnose Autism and ADHD Using the Retina

Edward Kang’s RetinaMind analyzes patients’ retinal images and accurately diagnoses neurodevelopmental disorders 89 percent of the time

During and after pregnancy, hormones drive profound changes in the brain’s structure and function.

Pregnancy Changes Mothers’ Brains. These Recent Discoveries Are Showing Us How

“Baby brain” isn’t the deficit it’s stereotyped to be, research suggests. Neural adaptations during pregnancy can prime soon-to-be-moms to become more attuned to their children and enhance social cognition

Some cancer patients ring a bell to signal the end of their treatment and their return to normal life. But many would benefit from specialized long-term medical care to manage the ongoing effects of the disease and its treatments.

Cancer Survivors Are Living Longer but Still Have Complex Needs. That’s Why Doctors and Advocates Want Post-Treatment Care Plans

Survivors have a heightened risk of developing cardiovascular disease, pain, insomnia, psychosocial distress and new cancers. Many, patient advocates say, are not receiving adequate long-term care

More than 50 million people suffer from epilepsy around the world, making it one of the most common and severe neurological disorders globally.

These Young Innovators Have Created a ‘Fitbit’ to Predict Epileptic Seizures

Truman Pierson and Christopher Fitz are developing behind-the-ear EEG patches and an accompanying app that issues an alert if the user is at high risk for a seizure in the next hour

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