Smoking or Vaping May Increase the Risk of a Severe Coronavirus Infection
Though few studies have investigated the connection specifically, cigarette smoke and vaping aerosol are linked to lung inflammation and lowered immune function
Stories by Tanya Lewis
A Promising Antiviral Is Being Tested for the Coronavirus—but Results Are Not Yet Out
The drug remdesivir is effective against many other viruses, and some experts are optimistic that it—or similar compounds—may work for the pathogen responsible for COVID-19
What Coronavirus Emergency Measures Could U.S. Communities Take?
Health security expert Caitlin Rivers talks about what schools, businesses and individuals can do to minimize the impact
Will the New Coronavirus Keep Spreading or Not? You Have to Know One Little Number
Whenever there’s a new outbreak, scientists rush to calculate a number called R0, or R-naught
Will the New Coronavirus Keep Spreading or Not? You Have to Know One Little Number
Whenever there’s a new outbreak, scientists rush to calculate a number called R 0 , or R-naught. Why? It’s been a critical part of the scientific effort to understand just how transmissible the new virus is...
China’s Citywide Quarantines: Are They Ethical and Effective?
The country has shut down all travel to and from Wuhan and nearby cities in an attempt to curb the spread of a new virus
Infectious Disease Expert Discusses What We Know about the New Virus in China
Federal disease agency director Anthony Fauci discusses the novel pathogen that has, so far, sickened hundreds in Asia and one person in the U.S.
Johns Hopkins Scientists Give Psychedelics the Serious Treatment
The first research center of its kind in the country is bringing renewed rigor to the investigation of the drugs’ therapeutic uses
Virus Spread by Shrews Linked to Human Deaths from Mysterious Brain Infections
The pathogen has been newly identified in eight cases of encephalitis in Germany over the past 20 years
E. coli Could Produce a Popular Psychedelic for Therapeutic Use
Scientists engineered the bacterium to produce psilocybin
Vaping May Increase the Risk of Chronic Respiratory Disease
In addition to a recent spate of lung illnesses, e-cigarettes have been linked to a greater likelihood of developing diseases such as COPD and emphysema
Police Killings of Unarmed Black Americans May Affect Health of Black Infants
Maternal stress arising from perceived racial discrimination could cause premature births and lower birth weights
Four Out of Five Adolescents Worldwide Aren't Getting Enough Exercise
A new report of young adults in 146 countries finds that most did not meet recommended activity levels, especially girls
What We Know about the Possible Carcinogen Found in Zantac
The popular heartburn drug may produce potentially unsafe levels of NDMA when its active ingredient breaks down
A Dangerous Optical Illusion
A common vision correction could interfere with depth perception while driving
Scientists Program CRISPR to Fight Viruses in Human Cells
A common gene-editing enzyme could be used to disable RNA viruses such as flu or Ebola
New Gene-Editing Tool Could Fix Genetic Defects—with Fewer Unwanted Effects
“Prime editing” can potentially correct almost any type of mutation, but it requires much more testing before clinical use
Discovery of Molecular Switch for How Cells Use Oxygen Wins 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine
Research by William Kaelin, Jr., Peter Ratcliffe and Gregg Semenza led the way for applications in treating anemia, cancer and other diseases
Can Rabbits Help Unravel the Mystery of Female Orgasm?
A study suggests the phenomenon may have evolved from a mechanism for triggering ovulation
Possible Carcinogen Found in a Common Heartburn Medication Is Present in Some Foods
Some forms of the drug ranitidine—including Zantac—have been shown to contain low levels of NDMA, which causes cancer in rats
