Disease | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/disease/RSS feed for DiseaseenWed, 02 Sep 2026 15:48:22 +0000World War II Sugar Rationing Data Hints That Limiting Intake of the Sweet Stuff Early in Life Lowers the Risk of Dementia and Cancerhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/world-war-ii-sugar-rationing-data-hints-that-limiting-intake-of-the-sweet-stuff-early-in-life-lowers-the-risk-of-dementia-and-cancer-180989431/For roughly a decade leading up to September 1953, the United Kingdom limited sugar purchases. Scientists studied health outcomes in people born during the ration and right afterWed, 02 Sep 2026 15:48:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/world-war-ii-sugar-rationing-data-hints-that-limiting-intake-of-the-sweet-stuff-early-in-life-lowers-the-risk-of-dementia-and-cancer-180989431/For Many Americans, Covid Is Still a Chronic, Disabling Disease. These Scientists Are Working Tirelessly to Bring Them Reliefhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/many-americans-covid-still-chronic-disabling-disease-scientists-working-tirelessly-bring-them-relief-180989290/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 answersMon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/many-americans-covid-still-chronic-disabling-disease-scientists-working-tirelessly-bring-them-relief-180989290/Brazil's First Urban Yellow Fever Outbreak in Nearly a Century May Have Been Fueled by a Surprising Culprithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brazils-first-urban-yellow-fever-outbreak-in-nearly-a-century-may-have-been-fueled-by-a-surprising-culprit-180989363/Extremely wet conditions are known to help spread mosquito-borne diseases like yellow fever. But based on computer simulations, researchers suspect that a severe drought may have contributed to the South American country’s recent deadly epidemicWed, 19 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brazils-first-urban-yellow-fever-outbreak-in-nearly-a-century-may-have-been-fueled-by-a-surprising-culprit-180989363/Way Bandy Was One of the Most Influential Makeup Artists in the World. He Challenged Stigmas in the 1980s by Making Sure His Death From AIDS Was Widely Knownhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/way-bandy-was-one-of-the-most-influential-makeup-artists-in-the-world-he-challenged-stigmas-in-the-1980s-by-making-sure-his-death-from-aids-was-widely-known-180989330/He instructed the executors of his will to make his specific cause of death from the disease public during a time when many others feared doing soThu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/way-bandy-was-one-of-the-most-influential-makeup-artists-in-the-world-he-challenged-stigmas-in-the-1980s-by-making-sure-his-death-from-aids-was-widely-known-180989330/This High Schooler Invented a Plant-Based Plastic That Removes Microplastics From the Environment as It Biodegradeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-high-schooler-invented-a-plant-based-plastic-that-removes-microplastics-from-the-environment-as-it-biodegrades-180989254/Eighteen-year-old Arya Satheesh created her award-winning Eco Purge to help address the global problem of plastic pollutionThu, 06 Aug 2026 11:06:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-high-schooler-invented-a-plant-based-plastic-that-removes-microplastics-from-the-environment-as-it-biodegrades-180989254/Two People Died After Getting Sick With Cyclosporiasis, Marking the First Known Deaths Linked to the Ongoing Multistate Outbreakhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-peope-died-after-getting-sick-with-cyclosporiasis-marking-the-first-known-deaths-linked-to-the-ongoing-multi-state-outbreak-180989256/Both patients, who were in Michigan, had underlying health conditions, according to state officials. The parasite-caused infection usually isn't life-threateningTue, 04 Aug 2026 19:17:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-peope-died-after-getting-sick-with-cyclosporiasis-marking-the-first-known-deaths-linked-to-the-ongoing-multi-state-outbreak-180989256/After Receiving a Custom Experimental Medicine, a Teen With a Rare Genetic Disorder Walked on His Own for the First Timehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-receiving-a-custom-experimental-medicine-a-teen-with-a-rare-genetic-disorder-walked-on-his-own-for-the-first-time-180989230/The patient's genetic disorder causes frequent seizures and developmental delays. His progress, along with that of another boy who received a similar personalized treatment, highlights the promise—and challenges—of tailor-made drugsMon, 03 Aug 2026 17:31:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-receiving-a-custom-experimental-medicine-a-teen-with-a-rare-genetic-disorder-walked-on-his-own-for-the-first-time-180989230/Smallpox DNA Hidden for Centuries in Mummies Found in Chile Suggests European Colonists Brought the Virus to the Americashttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smallpox-dna-hidden-for-centuries-in-mummies-found-in-chile-suggests-european-colonists-brought-the-virus-to-the-americas-180989244/Researchers say they found the first direct, molecular proof of the deadly trajectory the virus tookMon, 03 Aug 2026 15:27:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smallpox-dna-hidden-for-centuries-in-mummies-found-in-chile-suggests-european-colonists-brought-the-virus-to-the-americas-180989244/Long-Term Exposure to Road Traffic Noise Might Increase Your Risk of Developing Parkinson's Disease, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-term-exposure-to-road-traffic-noise-might-increase-your-risk-of-developing-parkinsons-disease-new-research-suggests-180989216/A study that examined 3.1 million adults in Denmark across 18 years found a modest but consistent correlation. The findings hint that disruptive environmental sounds are a credible risk factor for the brain disorderThu, 30 Jul 2026 15:30:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-term-exposure-to-road-traffic-noise-might-increase-your-risk-of-developing-parkinsons-disease-new-research-suggests-180989216/Experimental Alzheimer's Drug That Fights a Tough-to-Target Protein Shows Promise at Slowing Cognitive Decline in a Clinical Trialhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experimental-alzheimers-drug-that-fights-a-tough-to-target-protein-shows-promise-at-slowing-cognitive-decline-in-a-clinical-trial-180989177/Recently FDA-approved treatments work to clear clumps of the protein amyloid beta in the brain. A drug that instead goes after tangles of the protein tau can yield similar cognitive outcomes, a new study suggestsThu, 23 Jul 2026 19:32:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experimental-alzheimers-drug-that-fights-a-tough-to-target-protein-shows-promise-at-slowing-cognitive-decline-in-a-clinical-trial-180989177/Koalas Are at Risk of Extinction in Some Parts of Australia. Can Freezing Their Sperm and Eggs Help Save the Iconic Marsupials?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/koalas-are-at-risk-of-extinction-in-some-parts-of-australia-can-freezing-their-sperm-and-eggs-help-save-the-iconic-marsupials-180989147/Scientists are preserving the animals' reproductive cells in liquid nitrogen in a bid to boost genetic diversity in future populationsMon, 20 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/koalas-are-at-risk-of-extinction-in-some-parts-of-australia-can-freezing-their-sperm-and-eggs-help-save-the-iconic-marsupials-180989147/Cancer Cases Are Expected to Nearly Double by 2050, Warns the WHO. Low-Income Countries Will Be Disproportionately Affectedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cancer-cases-are-expected-to-nearly-double-by-2050-warns-the-who-low-income-countries-will-be-disproportionately-affected-180989102/In a new report, the World Health Organization predicts that new annual diagnoses will rise from about 20.6 million today to almost 35 million by 2050. The biggest increases will be in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean regionMon, 13 Jul 2026 15:44:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cancer-cases-are-expected-to-nearly-double-by-2050-warns-the-who-low-income-countries-will-be-disproportionately-affected-180989102/Cases of a Parasitic Infection That Can Cause Diarrhea for Weeks Are Rapidly Rising in the U.S. Here's What to Knowhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cases-of-a-parasitic-infection-that-can-cause-diarrhea-for-weeks-are-rapidly-rising-in-the-us-heres-what-to-know-180989108/The illness is caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, which spreads via food or water contaminated with feces, usually on farms. Health officials are still investigating the source of the multistate outbreakFri, 10 Jul 2026 19:26:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cases-of-a-parasitic-infection-that-can-cause-diarrhea-for-weeks-are-rapidly-rising-in-the-us-heres-what-to-know-180989108/Smallpox Scabs That British Doctors Used to Inoculate Patients May Have Introduced the Deadly Disease to Australia, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smallpox-scabs-that-british-doctors-used-to-inoculate-patients-may-have-introduced-the-deadly-disease-to-australia-new-research-suggests-180989093/Two new studies find that British colonists arriving via ship in the late 18th century likely introduced smallpox, which devastated Aboriginal communities far more than previously knownThu, 09 Jul 2026 14:14:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smallpox-scabs-that-british-doctors-used-to-inoculate-patients-may-have-introduced-the-deadly-disease-to-australia-new-research-suggests-180989093/Did This Duke Poison His Brother? A New DNA Analysis May Solve the Centuries-Old Medici Mysteryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-this-duke-poison-his-brother-a-new-dna-analysis-may-solve-the-centuries-old-medici-mystery-180989086/Researchers found evidence of malaria in Francesco I de' Medici's bones, leading them to argue "with scientific certainty" that it was disease, not arsenic, that led to his death in 1587Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:05:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-this-duke-poison-his-brother-a-new-dna-analysis-may-solve-the-centuries-old-medici-mystery-180989086/