Health
The Income Gap is Becoming a Physical-Activity Divide

Over the last two decades, technology companies and policymakers warned of a “digital divide” in which poor children could fall behind their more affluent peers without equal access to technology. Today, with widespread internet access and smartphone ownership, the gap has narrowed sharply. But with less fanfare a different division has appeared: Across the country, […]

Updated: Mar 24, 2023
What Are Raccoon Dogs? – The New York Times

On Thursday, scientists unveiled new data on the possible origins of the Covid-19 pandemic — and put a strange, squat creature squarely in the spotlight. Meet the raccoon dog; it earns its name from its black facial markings, which give the animal a masked appearance and a more-than-passing resemblance to those infamous raiders of urban […]

Updated: Mar 18, 2023
Scientists Investigate a Bird Flu Outbreak in Seals

Last summer, the highly contagious strain of avian influenza that had been spreading through North American birds made its way into marine mammals, causing a spike in seal strandings along the coast of Maine. In June and July, more than 150 dead or ailing seals washed ashore. Now, a study provides new insight into the […]

Updated: Mar 15, 2023
African Countries Made Huge Gains in Life Expectancy. Now That Could Be Erased.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Hannah Wanjiru was plagued by dizzy spells and headaches for years. After a half-dozen costly trips to the doctor, she was finally diagnosed with high blood pressure. It took two more years — and some fainting spells — before she started to take medication. By then, her husband, David Kimani, had been […]

Updated: Mar 11, 2023
These Morning-After Pills May Prevent STI’s, Researchers Say

Sexually transmitted infections have soared in recent years in the United States, prompting an urgent search for solutions. New research suggests that a widely available antibiotic, taken after sex, may help stem the tide. A single dose of doxycycline taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex dramatically cuts the risk of a bacterial S.T.I., studies […]

Updated: Mar 9, 2023
How A.I. Is Being Used to Detect Cancer That Doctors Miss

Inside a dark room at Bács-Kiskun County Hospital outside Budapest, Dr. Éva Ambrózay, a radiologist with more than two decades of experience, peered at a computer monitor showing a patient’s mammogram. Two radiologists had previously said the X-ray did not show any signs that the patient had breast cancer. But Dr. Ambrózay was looking closely […]

Updated: Mar 6, 2023
More Doctors Can Now Prescribe Buprenorphine to Opioid Users. Will It Help?

BALTIMORE — Buprenorphine, a medication to treat opioid addiction, has quietly stabilized Randall Lambert’s drug use over the past 15 years, even as chaos surrounded him. He cycled in and out of rehab facilities and jail, but the buprenorphine he took eased his heroin cravings and kept him from withdrawal. He is now sober, living […]

Updated: Mar 3, 2023
Rural Hospitals Are Shuttering Their Maternity Units

The mayor, Elpidia Saavedra, 47, had an obstetric emergency 10 years ago when an ectopic pregnancy ruptured. Semone Dittentholer, 39, said she almost died as a teenager, when she miscarried and lost massive amounts of blood. “It’s a lifeline that we’ve had, and now that part of that lifeline is getting cut down,” said Ms. […]

Updated: Feb 28, 2023
Human Bird Flu Cases Investigated in Cambodia

Jump to: Cambodian officials placed posters in Prey Veng village to warn against the dangers of bird flu.Credit…Cambodia Ministry of Health, via Associated Press Cambodia has reported two cases of bird flu infection in people, a father and daughter in a village in Prey Veng Province. The 11-year-old girl died earlier this week. The cases, […]

Updated: Feb 25, 2023
Why PepsiCo’s and Coca-Cola’s Alcohol Drinks Worry Health Experts

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — On a quiet street corner, a sign marks the birthplace of a beverage behemoth: Here, in 1954, the Tri-City Beverage Corporation bottled its first case of Mountain Dew. The soda was originally uncolored and lemon-lime flavored, and its inventors used it as a mixer with bourbon. “Mountain dew” is also a […]

Updated: Feb 22, 2023