Health

It is now five years since clinicians in Wuhan, China, first encountered covid-19 cases in December 2019. Hindsight makes it even clearer how the battle against the disease wasn’t just a fight against a virus, but also a struggle against the political suppression of scientific evidence. This isn’t a new …

When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sits for his confirmation hearing to potentially become the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), he will face scrutiny over his vaccine skepticism and unorthodox views on medicine. But there’s one area Kennedy may be able to find bipartisan support: food …

NEW YORK — As the investigation into a masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of one of the largest U.S. health insurers moved into its third day Friday, possible leads emerged about his travel before the shooting and a message scrawled on ammunition found at the crime scene. …

A highly infectious strain of bird flu has been circulating worldwide since 2020 ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images The H5N1 bird flu virus that has spread worldwide is already better at infecting people than earlier strains. What’s more, a single mutation could allow it to infect the cells lining our …

At least 58 people in the U.S. have been infected by the H5N1 bird flu virus this year, according to federal statistics. All but two of them had been around cows or chickens, two species in which H5N1 is circulating widely. That’s reassuring to scientists because it suggests the virus …

This still image from surveillance video obtained by the Associated Press shows the suspect, left, sought in the the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, center, outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding an investor conference, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo)

Immune cells are vital for our survival, but can turn nasty and attack healthy cells KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY As women age, they produce an increasing number of “killer” immune cells, which hunt down and destroy infected cells. This discovery, and the fact that the same isn’t true of men, …

Kate Dineen was about 33 weeks pregnant with her second child when an ultrasound revealed that her baby had suffered a catastrophic stroke in utero and would likely either die before birth or have a short and painful life. “This was a deeply wanted pregnancy. Everything had been progressing smoothly,” …

Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning NEW YORK — Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, according to a person briefed on the investigation. The person spoke …

Your sweat holds a lot of information about the state of your health Ryan Pierse/Getty Images “Wow, you’re quite salty,” says Stefan van der Fluit, looking over my numbers. I could have told him that. I have just done a sweaty, 45-minute workout on an exercise bike and the salt …