Policy & Ethics
Supreme Court Upholds the Affordable Care Act—Again
By a vote of 7-2, the court declined to overturn the landmark health care law for the third time
Public Health3338 articles archived since 1845
Public Health
From $1-Million Lotteries to Free Beer: Do COVID Vaccination Incentives Work?
Doling out cash rewards and lifting mask mandates could increase vaccine uptake, some research suggests
Public Health
Hidden Black Scientists Proved the Polio Vaccine Worked
Tuskegee Institute researchers showed Jonas Salk’s vaccine protected children by developing a key test
Public Health
The COVID Lab-Leak Hypothesis: What Scientists Do and Do Not Know
An examination of the arguments that SARS-CoV-2 escaped from a lab in China and the science behind them
Public Health
Labor Department Issues Emergency Rules to Protect Health Care Workers from COVID
The new rules would require employers to notify workers of possible exposure to the disease and to report deaths or hospitalizations to the government
Public Health
COVAX Effort to Vaccinate the World Is Faltering
The international collaboration does not have enough COVID vaccine doses to meet its goals, so wealthy countries must step up to fill the gap
Public Health
Why We Don’t Know the Animal Origins of the Coronavirus
Viruses that “spill over” to people do not stick around in animals, so finding true sources takes years of careful work, an expert says
Public Health
A ‘Universal’ Coronavirus Vaccine to Prevent the Next Pandemic
A pan-coronavirus vaccine could be “one vaccine to rule them all,” and so far it has shown strong results in mice, hamsters, monkeys, horses and even sharks.
Public Health
Why India’s Second COVID Surge Is So Much Worse Than the First
Large gatherings and much more lenient restrictions have allowed the virus to spread at devastating levels
Public Health
Covid, Quickly: A Pop-Up Podcast
Every two weeks, Scientific American ’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between...
Public Health
Coronavirus News Roundup: May 22–June 4
Pandemic highlights for the past two weeks
Public Health
Some Pandemic Health Habits Deserve to Stay
We need a public health culture change informed by lessons from COVID
Public Health
COVID, Quickly, Episode 8: The Pandemic’s True Death Toll and the Big Lab-Leak Debate
Today we bring you a new episode in our podcast series: COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American ’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between...
Public Health
Fixing Medical Devices That Are Biased against Race or Gender
Designers should show how well instruments perform across different populations
Public Health
Excess Deaths Reveal the Pandemic’s Hidden Toll in Some U.S. Counties
A detailed analysis suggests that COVID deaths and other pandemic-related mortality may have been significantly undercounted in the rural South and West
Public Health
See People’s Emotions as They Get Their COVID Vaccinations
At a mass vaccination site in New Jersey, people got a shot of hope
Public Health
As the Pandemic Wanes, Sexually Transmitted Infections Are Likely to Rise
We created new vaccines. Now how about creating better protection against STIs?
Public Health
Why Deadly ‘Black Fungus’ Is Ravaging COVID Patients in India
Standard treatments such as steroids, as well as illnesses such as diabetes, make the fungal infection worse
Public Health
Divisive COVID ‘Lab Leak’ Debate Prompts Dire Warnings from Researchers
Allegations that COVID escaped from a Chinese lab make it harder for nations to collaborate on ending the pandemic—and fuel online bullying—some scientists say
Public Health
How Dangerous Are New, Fast-Spreading Coronavirus Variants?
Key questions remain about how quickly B.1.617 variants can spread, their potential to evade immunity and how they might affect the course of the pandemic
