Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Teens win big for pollution control and HIV detection

    Ah-choo! The 2015 Intel ISEF competition’s top winner designed a way to curb germs on planes. Two other big winners invented ways to detect HIV early and to corral oil spills at sea.

    By
  2. Health & Medicine

    Bones: Custom cushioning helps heal a bad break

    If the stiff casts encasing broken limbs included an inflatable air bladder instead of a soft lining, costly and painful complications experienced by some patients during healing might be avoided, two teens reported at the 2015 Intel ISEF competition.

    By
  3. Brain

    Back off, bullies!

    Mental health is another reason to stop bullies. Victims of bullying are more likely to develop anxiety problems than are victims of abuse or neglect, a new study finds.

    By
  4. Health & Medicine

    Teen researcher eyes peripheral vision

    Our peripheral vision helps us work and play. A student scientist studied how the distance between our eyes affects what we can see on the outer edges of our field of view.

    By
  5. Health & Medicine

    Do mosquitoes love you? Blame your parents

    By studying twins, scientists found that how attractive we are to mosquitoes depends partly on our genes. That could lead to better bug repellents.

    By
  6. Brain

    Trip to Mars could damage astronauts’ brains

    Experiments in mice suggest the high-energy particles that would zap astronauts on a mission to Mars could leave the explorers with brain damage.

    By
  7. Health & Medicine

    Injected nanoparticles treat internal wounds

    Soldiers wounded in a bombing could be treated with a shot of specially designed nanoparticles that stop bleeding and inflammation in the lungs.

    By
  8. Health & Medicine

    News Brief: Ebola’s dead stay infectious for a week

    The Ebola virus doesn’t die with its victims — at least not right away. A corpse may host live virus for up to a week after death, a new study finds.

    By
  9. Health & Medicine

    Mystery solved: Why knuckles crack

    Scientists have puzzled over what makes that loud sound when our knuckles “crack.” Bubbles appear to play a role, but not in popping.

    By
  10. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Hormone

    This is a chemical that travels in the blood and acts as a signal. It can tell distant body parts what to do. When a chemical acts in this way, it has a special name.

    By
  11. Health & Medicine

    Movies may tempt teens to drink

    British 15-year-olds were more likely to binge-drink or have alcohol-related problems if they watched movies with plenty of onscreen drinking.

    By
  12. Health & Medicine

    New virus may have given kids polio-like symptoms

    More than 100 U.S. children developed a paralyzing illness in 2014. Genetic evidence now suggests that the most likely culprit is a new form of a virus in the polio family.

    By