A school district in Washington state has offered an extraordinary $34 million settlement to students and parents exposed to toxic chemicals that lingered for at least eight years on a public school campus.
What is earwax?
Everyone’s earwax is unique. Some is more pasty, some is dry, some is yellow, brown or black. Scientists have figured out a gene that seems to calibrate how wet or dry your wax is. So, if your wax is really pasty and stinky, it’s another thing you can blame on your parents.
Pre-workout supplements: why five of the six most common ingredients probably aren’t helping you
Here we take a look at some of the most common pre-workout ingredients to see whether there’s any evidence they work.
Why is it harder to build muscle as you age?
50-year-old muscles just can’t grow big like they used to – the biology of how muscles change with age
Why taking fever-reducing meds and drinking fluids may not be the best way to treat flu and fever
As flu season progresses, so does the chorus of advice, professional and otherwise, to drink plenty of fluids and take fever-reducing medications, like acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin. These recommendations, well-intentioned and firmly entrenched, offer comfort to those sidelined with fever, flu or vaccine side effects. But you may be surprised to learn the science supporting these recommendations is speculative at best, harmful at worst and comes with caveats.
Have the benefits of mindfulness been overhyped in the West?
Mindfulness is seemingly everywhere these days. A Google search I conducted in January 2022 for the term “mindfulness” resulted in almost 3 billion hits. The practice is now routinely offered in workplaces, schools, psychologists’ offices and hospitals all across the country. Most of the public enthusiasm for mindfulness stems from the reputation it has for reducing stress. But scholars and researchers who work on mindfulness, and the Buddhist tradition itself, paint a more complex picture than does the popular media.
What we know now about COVID immunity after infection – including Omicron and Delta variants
We’re starting to get a more detailed understanding of COVID immunity across variants. Here’s what we know so far . . .
What is the best mask for COVID-19?
A mechanical engineer explains the science after 2 years of testing masks in his lab
Can an equation be racist?
Medical algorithms that correct for gender, age, comorbidities, and race span specialties from nephrology to cardiology to pediatrics to obstetrics. Such calculators help guide practitioners in daily decisions about everything from drug dosages to surgery to organ transplants. But race modifiers especially raise problems, since race is often an imprecise proxy for actual ancestry.
Here’s How Abortion Access Would Change if Supreme Court Erodes Roe
As the nation awaits a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could significantly erode abortion rights, state laws on the issue have taken on a whole new meaning. Soon, more than at any time in nearly half a century, obtaining an abortion will depend on where you live.
Drug-Resistant Malaria Is Emerging in Africa. Is the World Ready?
A growing number of malaria cases are proving to be resistant to artemisinin-based combination therapies, the mainstay treatment of the deadly parasite.
Record number sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage through Washington exchange.
A record 240,000 Washingtonians signed up for 2022 coverage. This represents an increase of more than 6% over 2021.
How mRNA and DNA vaccines could soon treat cancers, HIV, autoimmune disorders and genetic diseases
The two most successful coronavirus vaccines developed in the U.S. – the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines – are both mRNA vaccines. The idea of using genetic material to produce an immune response has opened up a world of research and potential medical uses far out of reach of traditional vaccines.
How the pandemic’s unequal toll on people of color underlines US health inequities – and why solving them is so critical
Differences in the social conditions in which people are born, grow, live and work can lead to health disparities.
King County hospitals issue urgent call to action: ‘We Need your Help’
Capacity levels were critical before the current surge with non-COVID care and back-logged surgeries. The surge has exacerbated the situation, making it difficult to provide essential care for non-COVID health concerns.