PharmaceuticalsOctober 4, 2023
A Popular Decongestant Doesn’t Work. What Does?
The popular decongestant phenylephrine is not effective, an FDA panel found. Here’s what to use instead.
Stories by Josh Fischman
Josh Fischman is senior editor for special projects at Scientific American and covers medicine, biology and science policy. He has written and edited about science and health for Discover, Science, Earth and U.S. News & World Report. Follow Fischman on Bluesky @jfischman.bsky.social
Materials ScienceOctober 4, 2023
2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Goes to Tiny Quantum Dots with Huge Effects
Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of quantum dots, an entirely new class of material that is used in large-screen TVs and cancer surgery
MedicineSeptember 20, 2023
Should You Get a Blood Test For Alzheimer’s?
Consumers can now get easy tests for Alzheimer’s. But these tests may not really help patients that much—yet.
Public HealthSeptember 6, 2023
This Tick Bite Makes You Allergic to Red Meat
The bite of the lone star tick makes people allergic to a sugar found in mammalian products, and many doctors don’t know about it.
Mental HealthSeptember 1, 2023
See How Stress Affects Inflammatory Bowel Disease
In inflammatory bowel disease, mental stress can produce two painful responses
CognitionAugust 16, 2023
Hearing Aids Stave Off Cognitive Decline
Hearing aids may help maintain better brain functions in older people and better health overall.
Drug UseAugust 2, 2023
Could Weight-Loss Drugs Curb Addiction? Your Health, Quickly, Episode 12
Drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic might help people tackle substance abuse as well as shed pounds.
Public HealthJuly 19, 2023
How Stress Messes With Your Gut
Inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups can be traced to mental stress
Health CareJuly 7, 2023
Doctor AI Will See You Now
ChatGPT and other AI programs can offer medical advice. But how good are they?
Public HealthJune 21, 2023
How to Cool Down Fast in Summer Heat
Your body has a secret cooling method, and scientists explain how to use it.
Mental HealthJune 12, 2023
MDMA Moves from Club Drug to Real Therapy
The party drug MDMA could soon be approved for treating people with severe PTSD.
Public HealthMay 24, 2023
The End of the COVID Emergency and What It Means for You
What you pay for tests, vaccines, and medicine will change
PsychologyMay 17, 2023
Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder through the ‘Community’ of Ella
We learn the story of “Ella,” a patient with 12 different personalities, or “parts,” and of her therapist, who helped her form a peaceful community—many selves in one body and mind.
ReproductionMay 10, 2023
A 19th-Century Obscenity Law Is Being Used Again to Limit Abortion
Recent rulings on the abortion pill cite the Comstock Act, a 150-year-old law that’s still on the books
MedicineApril 26, 2023
The Bad Side of ‘Good’ Cholesterol
Very high HDL cholesterol levels almost double your risk of heart problems.
NutritionApril 12, 2023
We Have Good News for Coffee Lovers
A careful new study reveals coffee is generally safe for your heart and may boost your daily step count.
Public HealthMarch 29, 2023
Long COVID’s Roots in the Brain: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 3
Post-COVID symptoms can linger for months or years, and more and more evidence points to problems with the nervous system.
VaccinesMarch 15, 2023
RSV Vaccines Are Coming At Last: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 2
A vaccine pioneer tells us that shots to protect against RSV—a dangerous virus for babies and older people—are finally nearing approval.
Public HealthMarch 1, 2023
The Pandemic’s Mental Toll, and Does Telehealth Work? Your Health, Quickly, Episode 1
Hosts Josh Fischman and Tanya Lewis explore the pandemic’s mental health toll on teens and young adults. They also delve into the effectiveness of telehealth, which has been booming since the start of the pandemic.
VaccinesDecember 6, 2022
How Vaccines Saved Money and Lives and China’s Zero-COVID Protests: COVID, Quickly Podcast, Episode 44
Vaccines saved New York City billions of dollars, and China faces public fury over its strict virus-control policies.
VaccinesOctober 25, 2022
New Halloween ‘Scariant’ Variants and Boosting Your Immunity: COVID, Quickly, Episode 41
In a new episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about the variants that are likely to be around this winter and how boosters help even if you’ve already had the disease.
EpidemiologyOctober 11, 2022
How the Pandemic Shortened Life Expectancy and New Drugs on the Horizon: COVID, Quickly, Episode 40
In this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about why we’ve had years shaved off our average collective life since 2020. Also, we talk about “mabs” and why you might want to know what they are.
Basic ChemistryOctober 5, 2022
2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for a New Way of Building Molecules
Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless share the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering an easy way to “click” molecular building blocks together
Public HealthSeptember 27, 2022
What the Disease Feels Like, and Presidents Can’t End Pandemics: COVID, Quickly, Episode 39
On this episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, Josh Fischman gets COVID, and President Joe Biden says the pandemic is over.