Medicine
A Few Days on Antibiotics Are Often as Good as Weeks, Research Shows
Shorter courses cause fewer side effects and breed fewer antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”
Stories by Claudia Wallis
Medical & Biotech
The Quest for Cancer-Detecting Blood Tests Speeds Up
Liquid biopsies show promise for early detection of deadly tumors
Public Health
Fixing Medical Devices That Are Biased against Race or Gender
Designers should show how well instruments perform across different populations
Public Health
COVID Has Pushed Medical Research into Remote Trials, Benefiting Patients and Scientists
Using home monitoring and other efficiencies instead of dragging people into hospitals could improve clinical trials after the pandemic
Public Health
Few Would Fear COVID Vaccines if Policy Makers Explained Their Risks Better
Clear messaging and transparency are vital, say some experts on risk assessment and decision-making
Public Health
At Last, Some Help for Meth Addiction
Studies show that a behavioral treatment works well and that two medications may also be useful
Medicine
COVID Showed How Trials for New Drugs Could Be Faster and Better
The pandemic has spotlighted ways to make clinical trials easier on patients and better for science, a heart drug researcher says
Public Health
Unraveling the Complex Link between COVID and Diabetes
Infection with the pandemic-causing virus seems to trigger diabetes in some patients. Here are five plausible explanations as to why
Medicine
7 Ways to Reduce Reluctance to Take COVID Vaccines
Trusted messengers and repeated reminders can overcome hesitancy, social science shows
Public Health
A COVID Look-alike That Strikes Young Adults
A dangerous lung illness stems from substandard vape liquids
Medicine
The Best Evidence for How to Overcome COVID Vaccine Fears
Social science offers valuable lessons about ways to convince those who are hesitant about the shots
Public Health
Is 70 Really the New 60?
People are aging better but not across the board. Education makes a dramatic difference
Mental Health
The Surprising Mental Toll of COVID
The rise in depression and anxiety is even worse than expected, especially among young adults
Neurological Health
Yoga May Bolster the Brain Regions Most Affected by Aging
Brain-scan studies hint that the ancient practice may benefit areas associated with memory, emotion and thinking
Public Health
One in Seven Dire COVID Cases May Result from a Faulty Immune Response
Two new studies link some severe infections to genetics and an autoimmune reaction that attacks the body’s own defenses
Biology
Deadly Spread of Some Cancers May Be Driven by a Common Mouth Microbe
An ordinary bacterium can trigger changes in some primary tumors that lead to dangerous metastasis
Policy & Ethics
When Politics Distorts Science
Shocking levels of interference at the CDC and HHS threaten public faith in our most reliable public health institutions
The Body
How Good a Diet Is Intermittent Fasting?
The popular fasting diet regimen can work well for weight loss, but many other claims about its benefits remain to be proved
Mental Health
Another Tragic Epidemic: Suicide
Suicide rates have been rising for two decades in the U.S. Will the pandemic make things worse?
Public Health
Why Some People Get Terribly Sick from COVID-19
Beyond factors such as age and sex, underlying aspects of biology and society influence disease severity
