Articles tagged as Health | Smithsonian Magazine

Illustration shows two sperm fertilizing an egg.

Doctors Identify Very Rare ‘Semi-Identical’ Twins

There is only one other known case of this unusual type of conception, which happens when an egg is fertilized by two sperm

February 28, 2019

New Parents May Face Up to Six Years of Disrupted Sleep

A new study has found that sleep deprivation doesn’t end once babies start sleeping through the night

February 27, 2019

The study's authors say search data could be used to better anticipate patients' needs and gauge issues they might feel uncomfortable discussing in person

What Do People Google Before Going to the E.R.?

Study reveals that patients’ health-related searches doubled in the week before an emergency room visit

February 25, 2019

‘Young Blood’ Transfusions Are Ineffective and Dangerous, FDA Warns

The agency has called out ‘unscrupulous actors’ who claim that plasma from young donors can combat everything from natural aging to Parkinson’s disease

February 20, 2019

Racial Gap in Cancer Mortality Rates Narrows

The American Cancer Society reports for some age and gender groups, the race-based disparity is now nearly nonexistent

February 15, 2019

A health worker in protective gear works at an Ebola treatment centre in Beni, Eastern Congo in September 2018.

Ebola Outbreak in the Congo Has Killed 500 People, Including 100 Children

Efforts to bring the crisis under control are being hampered by violent conflicts and widespread misconceptions about the infection

February 12, 2019

New Research

Feeding Mosquitoes Diet Drugs Makes Them Stop Biting

The drugs—which block hunger signals in humans and the insects—keep the bugs from bloodsucking for a few days

February 8, 2019

We appear to be experiencing a loneliness epidemic.

Can a Pill Fight Loneliness?

A University of Chicago scientist thinks the hormone pregnenolone might reduce lonely people’s fear of connecting—and their risk of serious health problems

February 8, 2019

Climate Change May Cause Increased Rates of Heart Defects in Babies

A new study predicts that increases in maternal heat exposure across the United States will lead to 7,000 additional cases of congenital heart defects

February 1, 2019

Operation Ranch Hand has led to a multi-generational health crisis and an environmental catastrophe.

Sailors had long been excluded from health benefits related to the dioxin-tainted herbicide the military spread during the war

January 31, 2019

A new report argues that the epidemics of obesity, undernutrition and climate change should be treated as one global mega-problem

January 30, 2019

The watch was cleared for adults by the FDA early last year; now it’s been cleared for children too.

This Smartwatch Can Help Detect Seizures in Kids

The Embrace is one of a growing number of wearables capable of detecting seizures and alerting caregivers

January 30, 2019

Measles Outbreak Sparks Public Health Emergency in Washington State

There have been 36 confirmed cases, and most of the patients had not been vaccinated

January 29, 2019

Please don't smooch or snuggle your hedgehog too much, CDC says.

CDC Cautions Against Kissing Pet Hedgehogs

The prickly critters have been linked to a recent salmonella outbreak

January 28, 2019

‘Highborn’ women who have switched sides seem to do best on the fantasy series, while ‘lowborn’ men tend to die violently

January 25, 2019

Mothers and babies gather for a "Better Baby Contest" in Minnesota in 1920.

‘Better Babies’ Contests Pushed for Much-Needed Infant Health but Also Played Into the Eugenics Movement

Contests around the country judged infants like they would livestock as a motivator for parents to take better care of their children

January 17, 2019

Romaine lettuce was recently affected by an E. coli outbreak

The Government Shutdown Is Affecting FDA Food Inspections—but Don’t Panic

FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb says the agency will resume scheduling inspections of ‘high risk’ foods next week

January 11, 2019

The Nexus Air Taxi could have Uber airborne within a decade.

Seven Unforgettable Inventions Unveiled at This Year’s CES

From a self-driving suitcase to a flying taxi, these concepts made a splash at the huge trade show in Las Vegas

January 11, 2019

In trials, the app correctly identified breathing patterns indicative of impending overdose 90 percent of the time

This App Tracks Breathing to Identify Opioid Overdoses Before They Turn Deadly

Second Chance transforms smartphones into sonar systems, tracking users’ breathing and sending for help if a potential overdose is detected

January 10, 2019

Nine Innovators to Watch in 2019

These big thinkers are set to make news this year with exciting developments in transportation, energy, health, food science and more

January 10, 2019