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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The ‘Man-Eater’ Screwworm Is Coming
After a decades-long campaign to beat the parasites down to Panama, they’re speeding back up north.
Jose Luis Gonzalez / Reuters The Mother Who Never Stopped Believing Her Son Was Still There
For decades, Eve Baer remained convinced that her son, unresponsive after a severe brain injury, was still conscious. Science eventually proved her right.
Sarah Blesener for The Atlantic The End of Chicken-Breast Dominance
The price of boneless chicken thighs is finally catching up with the price of white meat.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Getty. What Makes Modern Measles Outbreaks Different
Unvaccinated children are becoming unvaccinated adults, who are at risk of dangerous complications.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Nisian Hughes / Getty. COVID Broke the Rules of Virus Evolution
Why did this coronavirus change faster than scientists expected?
Illustration by Julia Schimautz Eat Less Beef. Eat More Ostrich?
Ostrich is touted as a more sustainable red meat that tastes just like beef.
Marcus Brandt / Picture Alliance / Getty The Ozempic Flip-Flop
West Virginia gave obesity drugs to teachers and state employees—then took them away.
Kristian Thacker for The Atlantic 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.
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