Articles tagged as Disease | Smithsonian Magazine

The pace of drug development can be key in minimizing the scale of an outbreak.

The Story of a Resurrected Antiviral Could Hold Lessons for Combating Zika

How Stanford scientists used two genetic screening techniques in tandem to unravel the mystery of a discarded antiviral

September 8, 2016

After reports of four new Zika cases, Dorchester County aerial sprayed insecticide, destroying several beekeeping operations

September 2, 2016

A illustration of a herd of hadrosaurs like the arthritic one discovered in New Jersey.

New Research

This Duck-Billed Dinosaur Had a Rare Case of Arthritis

Nothing like a bum leg

August 3, 2016

Your sub could cause that office cold to spread even more quickly.

New Research

Going Home Sick? Your Substitute Could Spread Disease More Widely

Though it may seem counterintuitive, bringing in a sub isn’t necessarily the best solution

August 2, 2016

New anti-Zika measures go way beyond bug spray.

All the Extremely Absurd Ways People Are Fighting Zika at the Rio Olympics

Donning facial masks, wearing Zika-proof uniforms and freezing sperm: Does any of this stuff actually work?

July 26, 2016

Hygiene sticks excavated at Xuanquanzhi station along the Silk Road

New Research

Ancient “Poop Sticks” Offer Clues to the Spread of Disease Along the Silk Road

The parasites found within the 2,000-year-old-feces smeared on bamboo suggest more than commodities made the trip

July 26, 2016

Athletes with Down Syndrome compete in the first-ever Olympic-style competition for people with the condition.

Cool Finds

Italy Just Hosted the First Olympics-Like Competition for People With Down Syndrome

The unique competition drew 1,000 athletes

July 25, 2016

There is an outbreak of norovirus among a group of staffers for the California delegation of the Republican National Convention in Ohio.

It’s a short-lived bug with explosive—and contagious—results

July 19, 2016

Goodbye sweet spoons, hello food safety

June 30, 2016

Scientists will attempt to edit T cells in cancer patients in the first-ever human trial of CRISPR in the United States.

The first-ever trial of CRISPR in the U.S. will test if it’s safe to edit T cells in cancer patients

June 23, 2016

Hospital staff in West Darfur receive the yellow fever vaccine.

Why We’re Giving People 20 Percent Doses of the Yellow Fever Vaccine

Vaccine stores in Africa have repeatedly been depleted. The WHO’s decision to allow mini-doses reflects a precarious—and cyclical—shortage

June 22, 2016

This pesky pest has a tendency to alter world history.

How the Lowly Mosquito Helped America Win Independence

The blood-sucking insect has played a leading role in the rise and fall of empires throughout history

June 15, 2016

A skin affliction on display at the Moulage Museum.

See Over 2,000 Wax Models of Skin Diseases at This Swiss Medical Moulage Museum

It’s hard to look, and hard to look away, at this unique, and medically valuable, collection of wax blisters, hives and sores

June 3, 2016

A female mosquito in the process of feeding on a human host.

Malaria, Zika and Dengue Could Meet Their Match in Mosquito-Borne Bacteria

A common bacteria that infects mosquitoes seems to prevent them from carrying more deadly diseases.

May 31, 2016

The Next Pandemic

Research Reveals More Complete Picture of the Devastation Wrought by the Black Death

By examining pottery remains in over 50 rural settlements, archaeologists now better understand the extent that the population was wiped out by the plague

May 25, 2016

The Next Pandemic

The “Antibiotic Apocalypse” Is Upon Us: Five Ways We Can Turn Things Around

Antibiotic-resistant diseases kill 700,000 people per year, but a new report shows all hope is not lost

May 20, 2016

Environmental cues mosquitoes to swarm inside a lab.

The Next Pandemic

Kill All the Mosquitoes?!

New gene-editing technology gives scientists the ability to wipe out the carriers of malaria and the Zika virus. But should they use it?

June 2016

Human brain cells infected by the Zika virus (in red).

New Research

Mice Show How the Zika Virus Can Cause Birth Defects

A new study offers the first experimental evidence of the virus crossing the placenta and damaging fetal brains

May 12, 2016

The long, trailing skirts of the Victorian period eventually fell out of favor when they were thought to harbor tuberculosis microbes.

How Tuberculosis Shaped Victorian Fashion

The deadly disease—and later efforts to control it—influenced trends for decades

May 10, 2016

Fowl flu fuels foie gras fears

May 5, 2016