Health

To Understand Anti-vaxxers, Consider Aristotle

Science denialism reaches back centuries.

Life Is Worse for Older People Now

A generation of Americans still can’t escape the threat of COVID.

A Major Clue to COVID’s Origins Is Just Out of Reach

A key set of data could shore up the case for a purely animal origin. So why aren’t scientists sharing it?

The Strongest Evidence Yet That an Animal Started the Pandemic

A new analysis of genetic samples from China appears to link the pandemic’s origin to raccoon dogs.

The Rogue Theory That Gravity Causes IBS

Our bodies are constantly coping with the force. What if that ability can somehow go haywire?

The Next Stage of COVID Is Starting Now

What happens when everyone first gets immunity to the coronavirus as a very young kid?

How People With Dementia Make Sense of the World

The human brain has a way of creating logic, even when it’s drifting from reality.

Milk Has Lost All Meaning

Yes, it’s a white-ish liquid. Beyond that, milk’s identity is hard to pin down.

We Have a Mink Problem

Birds aren’t humanity’s only bird-flu worry.

No One Really Knows How Much COVID Is Silently Spreading … Again

More immunity and relaxed behavior add up to a new COVID mystery: How common is symptomless spread now?

The Lab Leak Will Haunt Us Forever

Each new revelation is a reminder of how little is actually known.

Colds Haven’t Changed. So Why Do They Suddenly Feel So Bad?

We all forgot how nasty colds are.

The Secret Ingredient That Could Save Fake Meat

I tried “bacon” made with lab-grown fat, and it was just as good as the real thing.

Wash Your Hands and Pray You Don’t Get Sick

Once a norovirus transmission chain begins, it can be difficult to break.

A New Turn in the Fight Over Masks

A crucial pandemic question is deceptively hard to answer.

The Future of Long COVID

This emergency is not about to end.

So Are Nonstick Pans Safe or What?

There are still no good answers about America’s favorite cookware.

I Bought a CO2 Monitor, and It Broke Me

I thought I could fix the air quality in my apartment. I was wrong.

The Good News About Vaccine Hesitancy

America can’t shake the feeling that vaccination rates are about to plummet. The facts say otherwise.

The FDA’s New ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Policy for Blood Donation

It’s still discrimination.