Disease

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

Jaundice is usually treated with short-wave blue light.

These Plastic Canopies Could Save Thousands of Babies

Researchers have developed sunlight-filtering canopies as a low-tech treatment for jaundice in newborns

More than 200 concussions occurred in last year's NFL season.

The Future of Concussions: How 5 New Advances Could Change Treatment

Scientists and engineers are working on ways to diagnose, treat and prevent head injuries

An illustration of the dengue virus, which is transmitted by mosquito bites.

A Single Protein Is the Root of Dengue's Virulence

But researchers who found the culprit say it could be a clue in developing a vaccine for the mosquito-borne virus

An 1885 illustration shows bodies being thrown into a pit during the Great Plague of 1655. Now, new research is turning this image on its head.

See How the Plague Swept Through London

New research shows that during mass burials, bodies were given more respect than previously thought

Knut, the star of the Berlin Zoo, died due to swelling in his brain.

Knut the Polar Bear’s Mysterious Death Finally Solved

The famed Berlin Zoo bear suffered from an autoimmune disease that until now has only been known to occur in humans

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

Why Infectious Tropical Diseases Are Returning to America

Climate, geography and economy are just a few risk factors

Female saiga at the Black Earth Nature Reserve in Russia in 2009

What Killed Over 134,000 Endangered Antelopes?

Experts are closer to an answer

Acropora species, like those pictured above in Malaysia, seem to be targeted by a disease that destroys coral tissue.

A Mysterious Disease Is Killing Corals

Researchers still haven't cracked the mystery of "white syndrome"

An actor, playing the role of a vaccine against Ebola, performs at a school in Abidja, Ivory Coast, last September

Experimental Ebola Vaccine Gives 100 Percent Protection in Trial

An unusual trial design helped prove the vaccine safe and effective in less than a year

Malaria infected blood cells (blue)

The First Malaria Vaccine Could Be Released Soon

The vaccine isn’t as effective as hoped however, and needs several more approvals

Anthophyllite asbestos from Georgia

Why Are People Still Using Asbestos?

The story holds parallels with that of the tobacco industry

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

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

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

A scanning electron micrograph of Yersinia pestis bacteria

These Two Mutations Turned Not-so-Deadly Bacteria Into the Plague

The ancestor of the bacterium responsible for the Black Plague isn’t nearly as deadly

Urine (Not Chlorine) Causes Red Eyes in Pools

CDC spreads the word about the peril of pee in pools

This illustration shows how the STIMband fits on a patient's head.

Could This Head Gear Help Treat Parkinson's Disease?

Students at Johns Hopkins University have created an at-home brain-stimulating device to ease Parkinson's symptoms

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

Can Hookworms Cure Hayfever?

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

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