Disease

Can Great Apes Be Vaccinated Against Ebola and Other Diseases?

Vaccinations could be the best defense against devastating population drops

The little brown bat infected with white-nose syndrome found in the state of Washington

White-Nose Syndrome Detected in Bats West of the Rockies for the First Time

The fungal disease, which has devastated bat populations in the Eastern U.S., has now shown up in Washington state

The Tribeca Film Festival injected even more controversy into the anti-vaccine "debate" when it decided to show a film by the movement's most polarizing figure.

UPDATE: The Tribeca Film Festival Changes Course, Will Not Screen Film About the Discredited Anti-Vaxx Movement

The controversy shows the film isn't immune to unfounded fears about vaccination

People planning to travel to high-elevation locations in Central and South America like Mexico City are breathing a sigh of relief.

The CDC Says High Elevation Regions Are Safe From Zika

It's welcome news for anyone with travel plans

Mosquito Deterrents: The Good, the Bad and the Potentially Effective

With Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses on the rise, researchers are looking for the next best way to keep the bugs from biting

U.S. species, like this red salamander, may be at risk as a new form of deadly amphibian fungus spreads.

A Ban on Salamanders Is Just Part of the Fight Against This Deadly Fungus

Scientists are deploying a variety of weapons as new clues emerge about the fungal diseases killing off amphibians

Michelangelo painted some of art history's greatest hands.

Michelangelo May Have Had Arthritis

Researchers used old portraits and letters to study the master's hands

“One out of every four deer that you see on your lawn or in the woods is infected with malaria,” says Ellen Martinsen.

One in Four U.S. Deer Is Infected With Malaria

Scientists suspect the undetected blood parasite has been present in the animals ever since they arrived across the Bering Land Bridge

Thousands of infants born in Brazil have been reported to show signs of microcephaly, like Alice pictured here being comforted by her father.

How Can Viruses Like Zika Cause Birth Defects?

While the link between Zika and microcephaly is uncertain, similar diseases show how the virus might be affecting infants

A doctor and patients in Nicaragua during an outbreak of dengue and chikugunya virus earlier in 2015

Introducing the First Dengue Fever Vaccine

Three countries have already approved the vaccine

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium responsible for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea.

Gonorrhea Is Developing Antibiotic Resistance

And public health officials are scared of what comes next

The FDA Lifted a Lifetime Ban on Gay and Bisexual Men Giving Blood

Or did it?

Marburg virus is one of the pathogens the WHO recently identified as most dangerous.

These Are the World’s Most Dangerous Emerging Pathogens, According to WHO

You may not know their names, but health officials are concerned about the epidemic potential of these illnesses

An adult Rhodnius prolixus (kissing bug) on the right and large nymph on the left

Five Things to Know about Kissing Bugs and Chagas Disease

The disease-causing parasite spread by biting bugs has spread beyond the tropical world

Cataract of the human eye

This Chemical Compound Could Melt Away Cataracts

Eye drops made from "compound 29" have been shown to reduce cataracts in mice. Researchers hope the same will hold true for humans.

Doo Yeon Kim, left, and Rudolph Tanzi

The Two Brains at the Forefront of the Fight Against Alzheimer's

Rudolph Tanzi and Doo Yeon Kim have invented a revolutionary new tool to study the mysteries of the disease and counter the coming epidemic of dementia

Saiga antelope with two calves at the Black Earth Nature Reserve in Kalmykia, Russia

The Culprits Behind Mysterious Mass Antelope Deaths Finally Exposed

More than half of the world's endangered saiga antelopes died suddenly on the Central Asian steppes last spring

A sugar mold with the University of Michigan logo

A Disaster in the Kitchen Leads to a Breakthrough in the Lab

After a failed attempt at making cotton candy, biomedical engineer Chris Moraes thought to use sugar to mold silicone and study human cells

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Ask Smithsonian: Is the World Due for Another Massive Plague Outbreak?

It is highly unlikely, experts say, but a plague-based bioterror assault is another matter

This Bronze Age skull is from the Yamnaya culture, which later developed into the Afanasievo culture of Central Asia, one of the peoples that carried early strains of plague.

Plague Was Infecting Humans 3,300 Years Earlier Than Thought

DNA from Bronze Age victims helped pinpoint mutations that allowed the disease to go from localized illness to deadly pandemic

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