Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain health conditions.

'Bibliotherapy' is of increasing interest as a way to improve mental health and help navigate complex life situations—with people immersing themselves in the experiences of fictional characters or non-fiction and self-help books to find relief and gain personal insights.

Congress didn't renew temporary enhanced Affordable Care Act federal subsidies that expired at the end of 2025, a move that substantially raised ACA health insurance premiums.

Fungal diseases cost the US around $19B annually.

Celebrities are able to promote prescription drugs on social media without any required mention of potential side effects due to a legal loophole.

Measles cases in the US reached a 35-year high in 2026 as vaccination rates dropped.

Examine this captivating animation 'building' a human—illustrating the roughly 42 weeks of fetal development.

Scientists have found that kitchen sponges that don't appear dirty or greasy may still harbor bacteria that can cause foodborne illness, and the cleaning items should be discarded regularly, including after wiping surfaces that have come into contact with raw meat.

The first social media platforms date back to the early 2000s, when algorithms were typically chronological, with entities like MySpace and Facebook feeding users content from the most recent posts to the oldest.

If surgeons removed organs, including one of your lungs, a kidney, your spleen, appendix, tonsils, part of your liver, and even some of your reproductive organs, you could still survive.

See how antidepressants—used by roughly 1 in 10 Americans—were discovered.

Measles attacks the body's immune system, leaving it vulnerable to secondary complications.

There have been at least 9 deaths and dozens of reported injuries between 2024 and 2026 from unsafe portable bed rails, products designed for both adults and children.

Autism Spectrum Disorder, defined in 2013, was previously categorized as numerous disorders.

Social media addiction, though not a clinical diagnosis, refers to the idea that infinite scroll, notifications, and algorithms override one's ability to stop using them.

The collapse of gas bubbles in the joint synovial fluid causes 'cracking' knuckles.

Diabetes drug GLP-1 is a peptide (that's what the 'P' is for).

Emerging research suggests that cannabis, used by about 9% of American adults as a sleep aid, may suppress rapid eye movement and lead to worse quality sleep and fewer remembered dreams. (Paywall may apply.)

Red light therapy—a treatment harnessing a specific form of energy that penetrates the top layers of skin—is marketed for skincare and wellness, but has its roots in NASA plant growth research.

Epigenetic editing—altering gene expression by removing or adding chemical groups on DNA—is making significant strides in the lab, even lowering cholesterol in monkey experiments by about 70%. (Free w/email.)

Prisoners granted compassionate release due to severe illness often stay months—or years—largely because nursing homes are reluctant to take prisoners.

Chronic exposure to traffic noise is associated with a higher risk of Parkinson's disease.

The Presidential Fitness Test, designed to measure and promote schoolchildren's health, has returned to schools under the Trump administration after it had been retired by the Obama administration in 2012.

Western babies often lack a gut microbe common elsewhere.

Mosquito-borne illnesses have killed two captive orcas at SeaWorld since they became water park attractions.

Over one million people are estimated to travel to Istanbul each year for a hair transplant.

Humans accurately detect their goose bumps only about one-third of the time.

Visualize the global supply chain of medicine, which may begin with basic research in the US, but outsource intermediate steps.

Male pattern baldness accounts for more than 95% of hair loss in men and is characterized by thinning hair, hair loss, and a receding hairline.

Explore this real-time global air quality map with data reported from more than 10,000 stations around the world.

Watch a histotripsy procedure, a novel noninvasive cancer treatment approach used to destroy tumors with high-intensity sound waves.

Somatic expansion, the lifelong growth of specific repeating DNA sequences, is being studied as a potential treatment target for Huntington's disease and other disorders. (Paywall may apply.)

Sleep deprivation leads to the buildup of dangerous molecules in the gut.

Statins lower your cholesterol, a fatty substance made by the liver, by limiting buildup in the arteries and reducing the risk of deposits breaking off, reducing both heart attack and stroke risks.

Experience a century of America's healthcare advances with this medical visualization, tracing a sampling of healthcare innovations from head to toe.

Retired professional soccer players are showing signs of potential neurological impacts in midlife, according to a study presented at the July 2026 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in London.

One in 10 adults worldwide has diabetes.

Grief can trigger broken heart syndrome, a painful condition that is often mistaken for a heart attack.

In the 1960s, Virginia became home to the first emergency department in the US.

Iceberg lettuce was the salad staple people ate for most of the 20th century, popular due to its durability, long shelf life, and mild flavor.

Alzheimer's can cause significant brain shrinkage in the affected brain regions, including the hippocampus.

Blood evolved many times over hundreds of millions of years.

A single-gene mutation in the FOXC2 gene gave actress Elizabeth Taylor two rows of eyelashes.

It took scientists 277 attempts to successfully clone Dolly from an adult sheep mammalian cell, underscoring the immense undertaking and challenges of cloning—some of which still persist today, 30 years later.

Five patterns may define how we sleep—not just night owl or early bird.

In June 2026, EU food safety regulators approved the sale of a GLP-1-inducing food additive, a change that may lead to 'supercharged' cereals and breads in Europe within a year. (Free w/email).

Insurance coverage for GLP-1s remains uneven, but Medicare began covering it in some instances in July 2026.

The Ancient Egyptians developed the first pregnancy test—and scientists tested it in the 1960s and discovered it was accurate about 70% of the time.

There are hundreds of subtypes of cancer, making a universal cure nearly impossible.

Double world record holder Hunter Ewen helped conquer his fear of balloons, called globophobia, by training to win Guinness World Record titles for balloon inflation.