TimeMagazine In an average year, the U.S. sees only seven human cases of the rare and severe neurologic disease Eastern equine encephalitis, or EEE. But so far this year about 30 cases have been reported nationwide, and a pair of deaths this week brings the number of 2019 EEE fatalities up to 11, highlighting continuing risks … Read more
Cutting back on sugary drinks is among the simplest and most impactful ways to benefit your health, study after study has shown. Now, a new paper shows just how much of an impact that easy change can have. Over a period of four years, swapping just one soda or juice for an unsweetened choice—such as … Read more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday that the number of people who have died from a vaping-related illness has increased to 18 as of Wednesday. The number of vaping-related illnesses has also increased to 1,080 people in 48 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Both statistics are likely to further increase … Read more
For months, U.S. health officials have scrambled to determine why more than 800 people have developed lung illnesses and at least 12 people have died due to problems connected to vaping, but reached frustratingly few conclusions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week made its strongest statement yet, saying it believes products … Read more
Three hospitals in Alabama remained closed Wednesday “to all but the most critical new patients” due to a ransomware attack that disrupted medical care. “A criminal is limiting our ability to use our computer systems in exchange for an as-yet unknown payment,” the DCH Health System said in a statement on Tuesday. “Our hospitals have … Read more
Each week brings a new story of some calamity brought by vaping. In late July, a Connecticut man filed suit against e-cigarette giant Juul Labs after suffering a massive stroke. The suit alleges that he became addicted while he was still a high schooler, even though the company says it is specifically taking action to … Read more
Jeffrey Grossman set out to study how exercise affects college students’ grades. What he found, instead, offers uniquely specific insight into the impact sleep has on academic performance. Grossman, a professor of materials science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), asked 100 of his Introduction to Solid State Chemistry students to wear … Read more
The conditions of human life began to improve with the Enlightenment of the 18th century, and we are better off now by many measures: food access, health, lifespan, and so on. But it hasn’t been an unbroken line of advancement. In the last three decades, U.S. death rates have risen steeply from suicide and compulsive … Read more
Dr. Herbert Kleber, one of the first major researchers to treat addiction as a disease, not a moral failing, is remembered by Google Doodle on the 23rd anniversary of his election to the National Academy of Medicine. The Doodle, illustrated by Massachusetts-based artist and author Jarrett J. Krosoczka, celebrates Kleber, who throughout his 50-year career … Read more
Americans aren’t sleeping well. Roughly 80% of U.S. adults say they struggle to fall asleep at least one night a week, according to a recent Consumer Reports survey. And research has found that sleep problems are also on the rise among adolescents. While the causes of America’s sleep woes are up for debate, there’s little … Read more