Health & Medicine

  1. A photo of an RSV vaccine bottle with a syringe, stethoscope and other vaccine bottle on a white background.
    Health & Medicine

    The FDA has approved the first-ever vaccine for RSV

    GSK’s shot, for those 60 and over, can protect against severe respiratory syncytial virus. Other vaccines, including to protect newborns, are in the works.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  2. A CT scan image showing a human brain in yellow with a big patch of green in the middle of the brain.
    Health & Medicine

    Ultrasound allows a chemotherapy drug to enter the human brain

    An early-stage clinical trial demonstrates a technique for getting a powerful chemotherapy drug past the usually impenetrable blood-brain barrier.

    By McKenzie Prillaman
  3. An overhead photo of a mouse with gray hair on a light blue background.
    Health & Medicine

    Mouse hair turns gray when certain stem cells get stuck

    Stem cells involved in giving hair its color must keep moving and changing maturity levels to prevent graying, a mouse study suggests.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  4. A wall of posters on a bulletin board in a classroom, one of which reads 'NALOXONE CAN SAVE YOU'
    Health & Medicine

    Fentanyl deaths have spiked among U.S. children and teens

    Wider access to naloxone, which reverses the deadly effect of fentanyl, is key as more children are exposed to the opioid, experts say.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  5. A close up photo of a toddler laying in a bed with a tube attached to his nose.
    Health & Medicine

    Here’s what we know about upcoming vaccines and antibodies against RSV

    New vaccines and monoclonal antibodies may be available this year to fend off severe disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  6. An overhead photo of a small dog sitting on the lap of a person in a yellow long sleeve shirt working on a laptop.
    Health & Medicine

    Pets and people bonded during the pandemic. But owners were still stressed and lonely

    People grew closer to their pets during the first two years of COVID. But pet ownership didn’t reduce stress or loneliness, survey data show.

    By McKenzie Prillaman
  7. A photo of a hand holding a light colored rectangle with darker lines running across it.
    Health & Medicine

    A graphene “tattoo” could help hearts keep their beat

    A proof-of-concept electronic heart tattoo relies on graphene to act as an ultrathin, flexible pacemaker. In rats, it treated an irregular heartbeat.

    By Meghan Rosen
  8. A photo of several maxi pads spread out of a small bag on an orange background.
    Humans

    ‘Period’ wants to change how you think about menstruation

    Kate Clancy offers fascinating science and history about the uterus and menstruation in her book, Period: The Real Story of Menstruation.

    By Aimee Cunningham
  9. A photo of a brown bear walking through a field of green leaves and other plants with trees visible throughout.
    Animals

    Hibernating bears don’t get blood clots. Now scientists know why

    People who sit still for hours have an increased risk of blood clots, but hibernating bears and people with long-term immobility don’t. A key clotting protein appears to be the reason why.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  10. Health & Medicine

    Estrogen in birth control could be cut way back, a study suggests

    Delivering an extra low dose of estrogen, or a combination of estrogen and progesterone, at a specific time of the menstrual cycle may prevent ovulation.

    By Natalia Mesa
  11. A close up photo of several leeches on a transparent background.
    Animals

    Freshwater leeches’ taste for snails could help control snail-borne diseases

    A freshwater leech species will eat snails, raising the possibility that leeches could be used to control snail-borne diseases that infect humans and livestock.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  12. An SEM image of breast cancer cells.
    Health & Medicine

    A new battery starves cancer cells of oxygen in mice

    When a self-charging battery is placed on a mouse’s tumor and combined with anticancer drugs, it reduced tumor size by 90 percent.

    By Bethany Brookshire