Disease and Illnesses

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of a cell (green) infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (yellow), isolated from a patient sample.

Scientists Identify 12 Major Symptoms of Long Covid

The effort is a step toward accelerating research and finding treatments for the debilitating condition

North Carolina's Camp Lejeune in 2017. From 1953 to 1987, the drinking water at the base was contaminated with a number of chemicals.

Common Chemical Strongly Linked to Parkinson's

Service members stationed at Camp Lejeune, where water was contaminated, had a 70 percent greater risk of developing the movement disorder, new study finds

A Babylonian clay model dated to 1800 B.C.E. shows a nude couple on a couch engaged in sex and kissing.

Humanity’s First Recorded Kiss Was Earlier Than We Thought

Ancient texts suggest romantic smooching, and likely the diseases it transmitted, were widespread in Mesopotamia

The "pangenome" is meant to make medicine more equitable by including genetic sequences from a more diverse group of people.

Researchers Reveal the 'Pangenome,' a More Diverse Look at Human DNA

The new version of the human genome could lead to better diagnostics and treatment of genetic diseases

Many new digital psychiatry solutions have attracted funding in recent years, and experts have questions about how helpful or harmful they will be.

The Future of Mental Health

Can Digital Psychiatry Really Fill the Mental Health Care Gap?

Thousands of new tools with unproven results are entering the fold to help Americans in need

Vaccinations of wild koalas began in March this year. For now, scientists hope to inoculate 50 individuals.

Scientists Begin Vaccinating Wild Koalas Against Chlamydia

The effort is part of a field trial to limit the debilitating bacterial disease that can cause infertility, blindness and death

An electron micrograph of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which kills an estimated 160,000 people worldwide each year.

First RSV Vaccine for Older Adults Approved in U.S.

The shot to combat the potentially deadly virus could be available in the fall, pending a green light from the CDC

A diver takes a rubbing of John Greer’s gravestone underwater at Dry Tortugas National Park.

Cool Finds

Quarantine Hospital and Cemetery Found Underwater Off the Coast of Florida

Before it was submerged, a small island was home to 19th-century yellow fever patients

Titled “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” the six-episode limited series stars India Amarteifio as the young queen and Corey Mylchreest as her husband.

Based on a True Story

The Real History Behind 'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story'

The new spinoff follows the royal matriarch as she falls in love with George III and navigates his worsening mental illness

A sign for Covid-19 testing in New York City on March 9, 2023.

As Public Health Emergency Ends, CDC Will Stop Tracking Community Levels of Covid-19

The agency will continue to monitor cases of the virus based on hospitalizations and wastewater testing

A pharmacist delivers a Covid-19 booster shot in Chicago during a clinic for seniors.

Covid-19

When Should I Get Another Covid Booster?

Here’s what you need to know about getting your next vaccine

A digitally colorized view of Vibrio vulnificus bacteria under a scanning electron microscope

These Flesh-Eating Bacteria Are Thriving Because of Climate Change

New research finds that infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus have increased over the last 30 years and expanded to new geographic areas

A portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven by August von Kloeber. The composer suffered from health problems throughout his adult life, including hearing loss and gastrointestinal issues.

DNA From Beethoven's Hair Reveals Clues About His Death

The composer was predisposed to liver disease and had hepatitis B at the end of his life, a new study finds

An artist's illustration of microscopic Candida auris organisms 

Drug-Resistant Fungal Infections Are on the Rise in the U.S.

A yeast called Candida auris has sickened more people over a wider area during the pandemic

An analysis of genetic samples taken in 2020 from a market in Wuhan, China, found both the coronavirus and raccoon dog DNA.

Genetic Evidence Ties Covid's Origin to Raccoon Dogs

New data support the theory that the virus causing Covid-19 first spread to humans from animals

Since the pandemic began, the country has implemented strict zero-Covid poicies.

China Fully Reopens to Travelers After Three Years of Closures

Hoping to boost its tourism industry, the country is now issuing all types of visas

"Forever chemicals" have been in firefighting foam as well as products including nonstick cookware and water-repellant clothing. Research has linked them to a number of health problems, including cancer.

EPA Proposes First Limits for Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water

Under the rule, public water systems would monitor levels of six types of long-lasting contaminants known as PFAS

Researchers suspect a 75-year-old Alabama man came down with tickborne relapsing fever after being bitten by a lone star tick.

Man's Rare Tickborne Illness Was Caused by an Unexpected Bacteria

Until now, the bacteria from a lone star tick had not been reported to cause tickborne relapsing fever

Two dogs walk around the abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine, in 2022, near the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Why Scientists Are Studying the Stray Dogs Living at Chernobyl

A new study is a first step toward understanding how radiation exposure might affect DNA

An image taken through a microscope of bone marrow tissue. To cure the patient of HIV, researchers destroyed his bone marrow cells and gave him a donation of stem cells with an HIV-resistant mutation.

Patient Cured of HIV After Stem Cell Transplant, Researchers Say

He is at least the third person cured in this way, which would likely be too risky for patients who don’t also have cancer

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