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Science / Mind & Body

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

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

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

The Nautilus, a research vessel operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust, and the ROV Hercules (in the water) on the hunt for a cancer-busting marine bacteria.

A Marine Bacteria Species Shows Promise for Curing an Aggressive Brain Cancer

A new glioblastoma drug is derived from a microbe found in the ocean at depths of up to 6,500 feet

A man in Laruns, southwestern France, whistling as a form of speech. Like others in the Canary Islands and elsewhere, local people have learned to whistle their language to communicate across long distances. Linguists are studying whistled speech to help understand which sound elements are essential to comprehension.

More Than 80 Cultures Still Speak in Whistles

Dozens of traditional cultures use a whistled form of their native language for long-distance communication. You could, too.

Transplanting a human protein, known for promoting growth, into crops may engender larger, heavier and more bountiful plants.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Researchers Transfer a Human Protein Into Plants to Supersize Them

While a promising route to boosting crop yields, experts say more work needs to be done to understand why the tweak works

A man in Seattle wears a mask as wildfire smoke descends on the city in September of 2020.

Covid-19

Four Ways to Protect Yourself From Harmful Air Pollution Caused by Wildfires

Awareness about exposure, high-quality masks and air filters can help protect you from dangerous pollutants in smoke

Working with the Papuan Past Project, François-Xavier Ricaut measures the lung function of a highlander study participant at St. Therese’s School at Denglagu mission.

Why Papua New Guinea’s Highlanders Differ Physically From Those Living Near Sea Level

New research shows villagers living at high altitude are shorter, have higher lung capacity and have smaller waistlines

Nine out of 10 malaria victims live in Africa, most of them children under the age of five.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

West African Scientists Are Leading the Science Behind a Malaria Vaccine

Researchers in Mali have been working for decades on the treatment that’s now in the final phase of clinical trials

DARPA's initial, modest goal is to alleviate jet lag.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

This Implant Could One Day Control Your Sleep and Wake Cycles

The so-called ‘living pharmacy’ will be able to manufacture pharmaceuticals from inside the body

Minute Molecular, the company developing the device, has high hopes for it as an efficient and accurate means of testing people at schools, workplaces and sports stadiums.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

This Compact PCR Test for Covid-19 Could Give Accurate Results in 15 Minutes

The speed and ease of the DASH testing platform would be a boon for screening efforts

Candy-size molecular models, about the diameter of Nerds candy, can help students with blindness to learn chemistry.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Gummy Candy-Like Models Can Help Students With Blindness Study Chemistry

Tiny shapes made from gelatin and resin may empower children to learn science

Bats, whales, naked mole rats, elephants, albatrosses, certain dog breeds and a few other animals live unexpectedly long lives. Can scientists discover their secrets?

Why Scientists Are Studying the Genetic Tricks of the Longest-Lived Animals

Researchers are investigating how some species live unexpectedly long lives in order to pinpoint factors affecting human longevity.

The aged bathe in the restorative waters of the mythical fountain of youth in this 1546 oil painting by German Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. Scientists have turned to studies of blood to identify a path to rejuvenating tissues damaged by the aging process.

In the Search to Stall Aging, Biotech Startups Are Out for Blood

A handful of companies are trying vastly different approaches to spin animal studies into the next big anti-aging therapy

Bodies lose their vigor with the passing of the years, but emotional well-being tends to improve, studies find. Among the observations: Though older people may have fewer social contacts, those they retain bring more satisfaction and meaning.

Why Do Older Individuals Have Greater Control of Their Feelings?

Psychologist Susan Turk Charles talks about findings that reveal the elderly have higher emotional well-being

Surgeon Ala Stanford takes a pause from testing while standing near one of her group's signs in North Philadelphia.

Covid-19

Meet the Black Physicians Bringing Covid Vaccines to Hard-Hit Philadelphia Communities

The Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium is leveraging their medical expertise and connections to provide testing and vaccines where measures are most needed

For moms, there's physiological and neurological truth to the cliché that parenthood changes a person.

The New Science of Motherhood

Through studies of fetal DNA, researchers are revealing how a child can shape a mom’s heart and mind—literally

After receiving a Covid-19 vaccine, many patients experience side effects, like arm soreness, headache and fever.

Covid-19

Experts Answer Eight Key Questions About Covid-19 Vaccine Reactions

Medical professionals weigh in on why some individuals have different responses to the shots and offer advice on what to expect

Covid-19 patients during their weekly vocal lessons as part of ENO Breathe.

Covid-19

How Opera Singing Is Helping Long-Haul Covid-19 Patients Recover

Developed in the United Kingdom, ENO Breathe is a virtual program that rehabilitates patients through the art of song

An illustration of antibodies responding to an infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19

Covid-19

The Next Step in Covid-19 Vaccines May Be Through the Nose

Intranasal vaccines may help prevent transmission and hinder the evolution of new viral variants

Zipline has started to deliver Covid-19 vaccines in Ghana.

Covid-19

Drones Are Delivering Covid-19 Vaccines to Underserved Communities

The company Zipline is using the technology to provide medical resources to rural areas in markets around the world

A creek runs by moss-covered rocks not far From Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park. Researchers have found that listening to natural sounds like running water may benefit human health.

Listening to Nature Gives You a Real Rocky Mountain High

Sounds like birdsong and flowing water may alleviate stress, help lower blood pressure and lead to feelings of tranquility

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