Health

The latest news in medicine and wellness: From findings on heart disease, to facts about fitness, to breakthroughs on COVID-19.

Latest in Health

women wearing masks at the grocery store
COVID-19

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

By Kate Baggaley

a person holding an "I Voted" sticker on their finger
COVID-19

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

By John Kennedy

Child pretending to be a superhero
COVID-19

Have no fear—healthy Halloween ideas are here

By Michael Goran/The Conversation

A human hand holds a light brown vampire bat.
Animals

Vampire bats socially distance when they feel sick

By María Paula Rubiano A.

halloween decorations
COVID-19

How to safely celebrate Halloween during COVID-19

By Kate Baggaley

a person texting
Health

Heavy media multitasking might make you more forgetful

By Kat Eschner

A protester holding an Abolish ICE sign
Health

Medical experts have uncovered more evidence of sterilization practices on women held by ICE

By Purbita Saha

Listeria
Food Safety

Everything you need to know about deadly listeria outbreaks

By Sara Chodosh

A doctor wearing blue gloves giving someone a vaccine
COVID-19

Rural America is now the center of the COVID pandemic

By Rachael Zisk

Trump and Biden
COVID-19

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
COVID-19

The current state of the pandemic in five graphs

By Sara Chodosh

a microscope's view of an orange-stained virus
COVID-19

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
Diseases

Your grip strength could hint at future health problems

By Adam Taylor/The Conversation

masks
COVID-19

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
Aviation

COVID-19 continues to make flying a risky proposition

By Kat Eschner

Bianca Jones Marlin brushing her daughter's hair in a playroom
Health

This neurobiologist wants to know if children can inherit trauma genetically

By Science Friday

smoke stacks from energy plant
Climate Change

Prosecutions under the Clean Air and Water acts dropped in half after Trump took office

By Ula Chrobak

older adult men playing chess together
Health

Everyone should have a social life, especially older adults

By Kat Eschner

video call on laptop
COVID-19

Meet the disease detectives fighting to understand COVID-19

By Eleanor Cummins

A sign that says "Screening checkpoint ahead" placed in front of the door to a hospital
COVID-19

One motorcycle rally may have triggered COVID-19′s new Midwest surge

By Rachael Zisk

daycare center
COVID-19

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

By Kate Baggaley

Julia Bernhard illustration
Health

How elite athletes learn to live with the fear of failure

By Sara Chodosh

dentists working with full PPE
COVID-19

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

By Kat Eschner

basketball
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
COVID-19

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

By Ula Chrobak

graph showing covid cases per day
COVID-19

COVID-19 cases are on the rise yet again

By Sara Chodosh

Couple walking while wearing masks
COVID-19

COVID-19 might not ever truly go away

By Hans Heesterbeek/The Conversation

newborn baby holding mother's finger
COVID-19

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

By Kat Eschner

person wearing mask in reflection
COVID-19

Tracking down ‘patient zero’ is a crucial piece of the pandemic puzzle

By Jack Herrera

vaccine generic
COVID-19

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.
COVID-19

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

By María Paula Rubiano A.

a woman standing calm and happy in the sunlight
DIY

Fight election season burnout with these mental health tips

By Rachael Zisk

A Black family enjoying the beach with their toddler
Health

How to find joy during tough times

By Angela Gorrell/The Conversation

Julia Bernhard illustration
Health

Babies don’t need fancy gadgets. Here’s why simple toys are best.

By Sara Kiley Watson

A stage with an American flag and a Trump campaign sign
COVID-19

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

By Popular Science Team

A small monkey looking surprised
Health

The truth about reading body language

By Ramin Skibba/Undark

A toddler with a black mask on
COVID-19

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

By Rob Verger

Outdoor time can be very beneficial for boosting mental health during the pandemic, experts say.
COVID-19

What mental health professionals have learned six months into pandemic care

By Marion Renault

crispr
Gene Editing

Two women just won the Nobel Prize for their work on the gene-editing technique CRISPR

By Claire Maldarelli

President Donald Trump signing an executive order in the White House in 2017
COVID-19

Why COVID-19 attacks aging immune systems so fiercely

By Brian Geiss/The Conversation

PPE face masks
COVID-19

Here’s what Donald Trump should know about recovering from COVID-19

By Kate Baggaley

MC Wolfman illustration
Health

Why do we see ghosts?

By Jake Bittle

Nobel prize.
Health

The Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to the trio that discovered hepatitis C

By Sara Kiley Watson

Permian Basin
COVID-19

The pandemic could end Texas’s oil boom—and start something better

By Justin Miller/Texas Observer

drugs
COVID-19

These are the best COVID-19 treatments right now

By Claire Maldarelli

an IV bag
COVID-19

President Trump’s COVID-19 treatment includes an experimental antibody cocktail

By Popular Science Team

contact tracing app
COVID-19

How does contact tracing work, and how extensive will it be for Trump?

By Nina Pullano

Blood pressure taken at the doctor's office.
COVID-19

All the conditions we know increase your risk of dying from COVID-19

By Sara Kiley Watson

A pregnant person in a straw hat and blue shirt
COVID-19

How do we know if medicines are safe during pregnancies?

By Jyoti Madhusoodanan / Undark

The US-Mexico border wall in Tijuana and San Diego
Health

How border walls trick the human brain and psyche

By Jessica Wapner

Donald Trump and Mile Pence in front of a giant american flag
COVID-19

President Trump has COVID-19, according to White House statements

By Popular Science Team

woman lifting weights
Fitness & Exercise

BCAA supplements can enhance your fitness routine, but should you take them?

By Amy Schellenbaum

vaccines
COVID-19

Keeping older folks out of COVID-19 vaccine trials hurts everyone

By Kat Eschner

a gym full of exercise equipment
DIY

You should definitely rotate your workouts

By John Kennedy

a man stretching out and warming up before exercise
DIY

There’s a better way to warm up than stretching

By John Kennedy

A conceptual botox procedure on a red-haired model
Health

Can you get too much Botox?

By Matthew J. Lin/The Conversation

old photographs
Health

You can’t completely trust your memories

By David Linden

Kassandra taking a leap of faith from the Temple of Athena in Sparta in Assassin's Creed Odyssey
DIY

It’s time to add video games to your workout routine

By John Kennedy

President Donald Trump (left) and former Vice President Joe Biden at the first 2020 presidential debate
Climate Change

Five key science takeaways from the first presidential debate

By Purbita Saha

a black pig is smiling
Animals

Pig sex and celery have a surprising connection

By Popular Science Team

Astrocytes in the brain expressing a fluorescent calcium indicator captured with a two-photon microscope.
Health

Why do brains need sleep? These ‘twinkling’ star-shaped cells may help us find out

By Rachael Zisk

a person with their hands in the water
Climate Change

Brain-eating amoebae are very rare, but warming waters may change that

By Kat Eschner

child getting bandage after a vaccine
Health

One-third of US parents say they won’t get their kids the flu vaccine

By Rachael Zisk

A row of Barbie dolls with fake blood
Health

Playing bad can shape behavior, but not in the way you think

By Erin Blakemore

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