Health
DNA Tests Are Uncovering the True Prevalence of Incest
People are discovering the truth about their biological parents with DNA—and learning that incest is far more common than many think.
Sarah Zhang
Sarah Zhang is a staff writer at The Atlantic. In 2021, she was a Livingston Award finalist for her reporting on Down syndrome. Before joining The Atlantic, she was a staff writer at Wired. She covers science and health.
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The Cystic-Fibrosis Breakthrough That Changed Everything
The disease once guaranteed an early death—but a new treatment has given many patients a chance to live decades longer than expected. What do they do now?
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Here’s How We Know RFK Jr. Is Wrong About Vaccines
Children used to die of diseases far more gruesome and deadly than we remember.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. A ‘Crazy’ Idea for Treating Autoimmune Diseases Might Actually Work
Lupus has long been considered incurable—but a series of breakthroughs are fueling hope.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Jacopin / BSIP / Getty; Velimir Zeland / Shutterstock. Abortion Pills Have Changed the Post-Roe Calculus
Every month, thousands of women in states where abortion is banned are able to get the pills by mail. The right wants to put a stop to that.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Aleksandra Konoplia / Getty. Another Reason to Hate Ticks
Their saliva is making some farmers allergic to their own cattle and sheep.
Illustration by Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Source: Getty. A Simple Lab Ingredient Derailed Science Experiments
A scientist in Arkansas couldn’t get her experiments to work. Then others started saying the same thing.
BTEU/ RKMLGE / Alamy ‘That’s Something That You Won’t Recover From as a Doctor’
In Idaho and other states, draconian laws are forcing physicians to ignore their training and put patients’ lives at risk.
Bethany Mollenkof for The Atlantic A Food-Allergy Fix Hiding in Plain Sight
Why did it take so long to reach patients?
Illustration by Akshita Chandra / The Atlantic. Source: Getty. Why People Are Breaking Open Their Mounjaro Pens
The high cost of Ozempic and Mounjaro is driving patients to tamper with their pens to extend their doses.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. Why I Buy German Toothpaste Now
Toothpaste that uses a newer fluoride alternative called hydroxyapatite works to fight cavities—but is scarce in the United States.
Illustration by The Atlantic Ozempic Patients Need an Off-Ramp
These drugs are meant to be taken for life, but not everyone can afford to.
Illustration by Lucy Murray Willis
