Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Insulin

    This chemical is a lifesaver. It helps our bodies use the sugars from our food, and without it, people develop diabetes.

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  2. Earth

    Editors’ top picks for 2016

    From gravity waves to climate’s human impact and an exploration of post-election racism, we’ve covered the year’s major stories. Here what was most important.

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  3. Health & Medicine

    Outdoor time is good for your eyes

    Being outdoors exposes children to bright light that can be good for their eyes. Spending just one extra daylight hour outdoors each week can substantially lower their chance of becoming nearsighted, a study finds.

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  4. Environment

    Food-like smell on plastic may lure seabirds to eat it

    When plastic smells like supper, seabirds and other animals can be fooled into thinking it is food.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    High school vapers often become heavy smokers

    New studies show e-cig ads promote vaping by teen — and their conversion to smoking tobacco.

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  6. Brain

    To reveal how the brain creates joy, start by tickling rats

    Rats love a good tickle. Not only do they beg for more, but the action itself activates a part of the brain that detects touch, researchers find.

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  7. Science & Society

    Five things students can do about racism

    Racism plagues societies around the world and has since ancient times. But scientists who have studied its impacts offer suggestions on how to make it stop.

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  8. Tech

    Implant traps cancer cells on the move

    A device implanted under the skin extended the life of mice with breast cancer. It trapped injected cancer cells before they created tumors in organs throughout the body.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Simpler way to screen for hidden hearing loss?

    Many teens today walk around with undiagnosed hearing damage. But some Boston-based researchers have come up with a low-tech approach to screening these individuals so they can get help.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    ‘Ringing’ in the ears may signal serious ear damage

    A persistent ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus, has become common in teens — and may point to eventual, permanent hearing loss.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Milking chocolate for its health benefits

    Researchers figure out how to give milk chocolate the same health benefits as dark chocolate. The secret ingredient is an extract from peanut skin.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Could toothpaste give heart disease the brush-off?

    Brushing with a toothpaste that dyes plaque green encourages people to remove more of it. This also lowered inflammation, which may cut someone’s risk of heart disease.

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