Articles tagged as Disease and Illnesses

A "kissing bug," the insect whose bite can transmit the parasite that causes Chagas disease

New Research

Why Infectious Tropical Diseases Are Returning to America

Climate, geography and economy are just a few risk factors

August 14, 2015

Viruses and bacteria may threaten swimmers in the 2016 summer games

August 3, 2015

Injectible contraceptives give women options.

A New Report Identifies 30 Technologies That Will Save Lives in the Next 15 Years

A panel of 60 health experts creates a short list of easy-to-use devices and treatments that could dramatically improve global health

July 28, 2015

Brain tissue infected with Naegleria fowleri glows green.

New Research

Brain-Eating Amoebas May Kill You With Help from Your Own Immune System

The amoeba’s presence in the brain triggers swelling that may do more harm than good

July 24, 2015

An Anopholes mosquito, the vector for malaria, taking a blood meal from a tasty human.

New Research

Mosquitoes Can Carry, and Deliver, a Double Dose of Malaria

Insects that are already carrying one strain are more likely to pick up a second infection and harbor higher numbers of parasites

July 16, 2015

Some scientists think that humans have aided the spread of ticks that carry Lyme bacteria in a few different ways.

Lyme Disease is Spreading, and It’s People’s Fault

Thanks to climate change and human population growth, cases have been on the rise for decades

July 13, 2015

Benjamin Rush, prominent colonial physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, wrote a treatise on alcohol in 1784 that still influences how medicine views substance abuse today.

Cool Finds

Meet the Doctor Who Convinced America to Sober Up

Meet Benjamin Rush, father of the temperance movement, signer of the Declaration of Independence

July 6, 2015

Smart Startup

Can You Crack a Medical Mystery?

A startup called CrowdMed asks volunteer detectives to study cases of patients with symptoms that baffle doctors

July 3, 2015

Tiny Robots Can Clear Clogged Arteries

Engineers at Drexel University are developing micro-swimmers that loosen arterial plaque and release drugs into the bloodstream to prevent future buildup

July 1, 2015

The U.K.'s National Health Service plans to test artificial blood in a clinical trial in 2017.

The First Human Clinical Trial of Synthetic Blood Will Begin Soon

People could receive artificial blood transfusions as early as 2017

June 26, 2015

Joyable helps individuals address different situations that trigger social anxiety.

Smart Startup

There is Now a 12-Week Online Program for Overcoming Social Anxiety

Two Stanford graduates are the brains behind Joyable, a startup that pairs users with coaches to tackle social challenges

June 25, 2015

Evidence (some anecdotal and some clinical) suggests that hookworms could suppress the immune response in people with allergies and other inflammatory diseases.

Cool Finds

Can Hookworms Cure Hayfever?

Maybe. But we need to learn a lot more about them before they hit pharmacy shelves

June 23, 2015

New Research

This is Why Developing an HIV Vaccine is Really Hard

For three decades researchers have been working to protect against the tricky virus

June 19, 2015

Beth Ripley holds a 3D printed heart in her hands at the National Maker Faire last weekend in Washington, D.C.

The Innovative Spirit

Doctors Can Study 3D Printed Models of Your Organs Before Surgery

In a new era of personalized medicine, advanced models are better preparing surgeons for what they will encounter in the operating room

June 17, 2015

A village nestled inside the Brazilian Amazon.

Anthropocene

Protecting Land in Brazil Reduces Malaria and Other Diseases

Areas under strict protection see the most benefit in shielding people from illness and infection

June 15, 2015

Dog flu spreads nose to nose. The virus can be eliminated by cleaning areas touched by potentially infected dogs.

Possible cases of dog flu pop up in 13 states

May 29, 2015

The SE200 kit, which includes the chlorinator, salt and measuring tools.

The Developing World Could Be One Step Closer to Quick, Easy Water Treatment With This New Device

Outdoor retailer MSR and global health non-profit PATH have teamed up to create on-demand chlorine to fight waterborne illness in Africa

May 27, 2015

Make New Memories But Keep the Old, With a Little Help From Electrodes

Matthew Walker thinks there may be a way to simulate deep sleep—vital for memory—by sending a low current to a person’s brain

May 22, 2015

CellScope automatically detects and quantifies infection by parasitic worms in a drop of blood.

This Smartphone Microscope Uses Video to Spot Moving Parasites

A team of Berkeley bioengineers has created CellScope, a mobile phone attachment that can quickly test blood for tropical diseases

May 19, 2015

This 1,500 year old skeleton from the Anglo-Saxon town of Great Chesterford was a young man who had leprosy

New Research

This 1,500-Year-Old Skeleton May Belong to the Man That Brought Leprosy to Britain

Modern techniques show that the young man was in his 20s and likely Scandinavian

May 18, 2015