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Close-up image of a girl playing with soil in her hand.
Is playing in the dirt good for kids' immune systems? Experts explain why it's healthy to let your children occasionally play in the dirt — and it may not be for the reasons you assume.
A close-up of poppy seeds and their pods
Can you get high from poppy seeds? Poppy seeds come from the same plant that's used to make opium and morphine. So can they get you high?
Woman holds her belly skin while applying insulin shot by an injection
Ozempic-like drugs may treat alcohol addiction, study finds A study using Swedish patient data found anti-obesity drugs were linked with fewer hospitalizations related to alcohol use, adding to a body of work suggesting these drugs could potentially be used to manage addiction.

Latest about Health

an artist's rendering of DNA double helixes in rainbow colors

1 gene may explain 30 mysterious medical conditions

By Stephanie Pappas published

While investigating a rare developmental disorder, researchers ended up discovering a spectrum of conditions that are all linked to one gene.

Genetics
A woman grasps her chest in pain, with an illustration of a heart imposed on top

Women are at higher risk of dying from heart disease. Here's why.

By Amy Huebschmann, Judith Regensteiner published

Cardiovascular disease develops and presents differently in women and men. But medical guidelines are often based on studies that excluded women.

Heart & Circulation
An older woman with gray hair

Can gray hair be reversed?

By Sarah Wells published

Gray hair is often a sign of aging, but is it possible to delay its advance or reverse the color change?

Ageing
3D rendered image of a dengue virus particle against a black background. Other viral particles can be seen blurred in the background at a distance.

'Dengue is coming': Climate-fueled rise in cases will affect the US, scientists warn

By Emily Cooke published

New research suggests that climate change is currently driving a surge in global dengue infections and that case rates could increase by 60% by 2050.

Viruses, Infections & Disease
Two rats in a remote operated vehicle.

Neuroscientists taught rats to drive tiny cars. They took them out on 'joy rides.'

By Kelly Lambert published

Scientists taught rats to drive to a certain destination, but the rodents took a detour, suggesting they enjoy both the journey and the rewarding destination.

Neuroscience
A 3D rendering of a neuron

'Tour de force' study may explain why trauma can lead to PTSD

By Marianne Guenot published

Stress can shape how memories are formed, a study in mice suggests. The findings could point the way to future treatments for PTSD and anxiety.

Memory
a woman works in a laboratory

Severe COVID-19 may shrink cancer tumors, early data suggest

By Julie Goldenberg published

Immune cells produced during severe COVID-19 infection may shrink tumors. The unexpected mechanism offers a new therapeutic possibility for advanced and treatment-resistant cancers.

Viruses, Infections & Disease
a color-coded picture of an AQI graph

What is the Air Quality Index?

By Joanne Lewsley last updated

REFERENCE What is the Air Quality Index and what exactly does it refer to?

REFERENCE
A close-up picture of someone vacuuming a mattress

How to get rid of dust mites

By Maddy Biddulph last updated

Reference Learn how to get rid of dust mites with these allergist-approved tips.

Reference
A gloved hand holds a petri dish marked "Avian flu" on a table with other lab equipment

Teen sickened with Canada's first human case of bird flu is in critical condition — and the source remains a mystery

By Stephanie Pappas published

A teenager in Canada is critically ill with the country's first human case of H5N1 bird flu. Health officials aren't sure how the youth was exposed.

Viruses, Infections & Disease
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