Diseases (Page 14)

Groundbreaking research on COVID-19, cancer, diabetes, and other health concerns.

Latest in Diseases

A person sticking out a purple-stained tongue

Can’t smell or taste the bacon? It’s probably a sign of COVID-19.

By Tyler Santora

A man in medical PPE holds a syringe full of yellow liquid

Pfizer’s COVID vaccine just hit a major milestone on its way to FDA authorization

By Rachel Feltman

Two kids running on a lawn with masks on

Shaming the public into smarter COVID-19 decisions won’t work. This will.

By Maia Szalavitz/Undark

A pharmacist picking a medication off a shelf

See how COVID-19 vaccines will get to your neighborhood

By Bahar Aliakbarian/The Conversation

100 days of wearing masks could make an enormous difference in the pandemic

By Kate Baggaley

A cutting board with baked venison

Hunters are helping keep food banks stocked through COVID-19

By Alex Robinson & Natalie Krebs/ Outdoor Life

person handling blood samples in a lab

COVID-19 may have been circulating in the U.S. as early as last year

Person looking at mirror

Mask up without breaking out. Here’s how to prevent pandemic acne.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

cancer evolution chart

This chart shows how far we’ve come in fighting cancer

By Eleanor Cummins

young girl receiving polio vaccine

COVID-19 is helping another terrible disease make a comeback in Afghanistan

By Ruchi Kumar/Undark

Woman in mask with dog.

Dog owners may catch COVID-19 more often, but the reason will surprise you

By Sara Kiley Watson

We’re just beginning to understand how our genes and COVID-19 mix

Borneo’s Gunung Palung National Park

The fight to stop the next pandemic starts in the jungles of Borneo

a woman throws fall leaves into the air while smiling

2020 isn’t all bad. Here are 13 science stories to be thankful for.

By Rachel Feltman

A surgeon in scrubs pulling a mask off their face

Vaccines could be out by the end of 2020, but reaching everyone will take time

By Tyler Santora

The starry Arctic sky over an iceberg in Greenland

Four science conversations worth having this holiday

By Purbita Saha

Volunteers gathering food off of a truck.

The best and safest ways to donate food and time this holiday season

By Sara Kiley Watson

Why AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine is an important addition to the fleet of offerings

person alone traveling

COVID-19 testing can’t guarantee a safe Thanksgiving. Here’s why.

By Kate Baggaley

A kid with a cartoon-themed mask standing in a field

When states mandate masks, fewer people catch COVID-19

By Tyler Santora

a person in the park wearing a mask

That new study saying masks might not be effective? It has a few caveats.

By Kate Baggaley

How well a mask works depends on how well it fits

A kid gets a traditional nasal-swab test from a doctor in PPE

The FDA just okayed a rapid at-home COVID test—but it won’t work for everyone

By Tyler Santora

Person in a mask and disposable gloves holding a basket of groceries

A step-by-step guide to grocery shopping during a pandemic

By Amy Schellenbaum

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is now 95 percent effective. Here’s what that actually means.

By Claire Maldarelli

tropical peatlands Markurius Sera / Borneo Nature Foundation

Conserving tropical peatlands could be key to preventing the next pandemic

Marryam Moma collage

In Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley,’ a Black community battles an industry that threatens its health—and history

By Megan I. Gannon

people walking around in masks

These countries managed to turn COVID-19 around. Here’s how we could do the same.

By Kate Baggaley

A doctor wearing a mask and scrubs holds up a syringe with a vaccine inside

You can get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time

By Rachael Zisk

A second COVID-19 vaccine just reported excellent results. What now?

By Claire Maldarelli

infected human cell

How the COVID-19 pandemic might end

By Wendy Orent/Undark

Pile of fabric masks.

Masks protect the wearer from COVID-19, too

By Sara Kiley Watson

A new paper from the National Institute of Standards and Technology helps demonstrate why one group of masks similar to those pictured here—valved masks—is almost as ineffective in controlling the spread of mouth particles as wearing no masks at all.

Why you should think twice before opting for a valved N95 mask

National guard members salute a veteran who died from COVID-19 at the Javits Center field hospital in New York City

Eight reasons COVID-19 has hit veterans particularly hard

By Jamie Rowen/The Conversation

National guard members assist with point-of-care testing in Tempe, Arizona wearing face shields and plastic suits

Across the US, COVID-19 slams rural towns, suburbs, and cities alike

By Rachel Feltman

someone reading online news

Biden’s COVID-19 response plan is missing one major component

A child wearing a mask reading a picture book

The CDC released a COVID-19 test knowing it had a high failure rate

By Rachael Zisk

A hospital doctor in PPE

The US hit 120,000 new COVID cases on Thursday, breaking records for the second day in a row

By Sara Kiley Watson

parent putting mask on their child

A record number of kids got COVID-19 last week

By Sara Chodosh

Pregnant women are at an increased risk of severe COVID-19, but there’s no need to panic

By Claire Maldarelli

A woman checking a child's temperature

We’re getting better at treating COVID-19

By Rachael Zisk

women wearing masks at the grocery store

When it comes to airborne COVID-19 transmission, droplet size matters

By Kate Baggaley

a person holding an "I Voted" sticker on their finger

How to prepare for in-person voting during the COVID-19 pandemic

By John Kennedy

Child pretending to be a superhero

Have no fear—healthy Halloween ideas are here

By Michael Goran/The Conversation

A human hand holds a light brown vampire bat.

Vampire bats socially distance when they feel sick

By María Paula Rubiano A.

halloween decorations

How to safely celebrate Halloween during COVID-19

By Kate Baggaley

A doctor wearing blue gloves giving someone a vaccine

Rural America is now the center of the COVID pandemic

By Rachael Zisk

Trump and Biden

Science was a big winner—and loser—at this week’s presidential debate

By Sara Chodosh

map of covid infections among nursing staff at care homes

The current state of the pandemic in five graphs

By Sara Chodosh

a microscope's view of an orange-stained virus

Remdesivir is the first FDA-approved COVID-19 treatment. Here’s what to know about it.

By Rachel Feltman

A manicured hand holding a dumbbell

Your grip strength could hint at future health problems

By Adam Taylor/The Conversation

2020 is shaping up to be America’s deadliest year in recent memory

By Claire Maldarelli

someone in an airplane seat with a mask on

COVID-19 continues to make flying a risky proposition

video call on laptop

Meet the disease detectives fighting to understand COVID-19

By Eleanor Cummins

The ‘near-Herculean’ effort by daycare workers to prevent COVID-19 spread is working

By Kate Baggaley

dentists working with full PPE

Don’t worry. Your dentist probably won’t catch COVID-19.

The NBA bubble was a one-of-a-kind COVID-19 success story

By Kate Baggaley

people walking on path at geysers in yellowstone

National Parks are logging record crowds. Here’s how to visit safely.

Couple walking while wearing masks

COVID-19 might not ever truly go away

By Hans Heesterbeek/The Conversation

newborn baby holding mother's finger

COVID-19 doesn’t have to jump from mother to newborn

vaccine generic

A taskforce of Black doctors is independently evaluating COVID-19 vaccine candidates

By Kate Baggaley

A drone-photograph shows an illegal mine in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. The image shows two artisanal pools, where the miners separate gold from rocks using mercury.

A pandemic-created ‘gold rush’ in the Amazon is destroying Indigenous lands

By María Paula Rubiano A.

A stage with an American flag and a Trump campaign sign

President Trump wants to hold rallies this weekend. Could he spread COVID-19?

By Popular Science Team

A toddler with a black mask on

We already know how to keep the next pandemic from catching us off guard