Health & Safety

Eating Yogurt Is Not Enough: Rebalancing The Ecosystem Of 'The Microbes Within Us'

1:28pm August 18, 2016

Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes, says someday we might be able to improve our health by taking probiotics, but "we are still in the very early stages of working out how to do this."

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Better Burgers, More Healthful Hot Dogs: Could A Pinch Of Seaweed Be The Answer?

10:54am August 18, 2016

by Carolyn Beans

Processed meats used in hot dogs and hamburgers are high in levels of salt and fat. Some scientists want to boost these foods' nutritional profile by adding seaweed to the meats.

The goal is to intervene early so that fewer Latino women develop Type 2 diabetes.

To Fight Off Diabetes, Latina Women Find Power In A Group

10:27am August 18, 2016

by Amanda B. Keener

La Comunidad, a grassroots effort in Winston-Salem, N.C., offers treatment to a population at high risk of developing diabetes. Group meetings led by non-medical facilitators help reduce costs.

The condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM, is inherited and can be a killer. But some of the genetic mutations once thought linked to the illness are actually harmless, geneticists say.

Study Of Sudden Cardiac Death Exposes Limits Of Genetic Testing

8:57pm August 17, 2016

by Richard Harris

Some genetic tests for a common cause of sudden heart failure can be wrong, researchers say, because the underlying science didn't take into account racial diversity.

Containers hold genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes before being released in Panama City, Panama, in September 2014.

Florida Keys Opposition Stalls Tests Of Genetically Altered Mosquitoes

6:47pm August 17, 2016

by Greg Allen

The Food and Drug Administration has approved release of genetically engineered mosquitoes in an effort to halt the spread of Zika virus. But residents of the Florida Keys aren't keen on the concept.

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China's Fu Yuanhui won a bronze medal for the women's 100m backstroke at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Health & Safety

A Swimmer's 'Period' Comment Breaks Taboos In Sports — And In China

6:08pm August 17, 2016

by Malaka Gharib

When Olympian Fu Yuanhui said "my period started last night," she shed light on shifting attitudes toward menstruation in her homeland.

Scientists Engineer An Opioid That May Reduce Pain With Less Risk

5:20pm August 17, 2016

by Angus Chen

Opioids lock to a receptor in the brain that controls pain relief, pleasure and need. A new compound may offer relief without as much risk of addiction or overdose. But it's only been tested in mice.

Mark Bertolini, CEO of Aetna, told the Justice Department in July that the insurer would walk away from many health exchanges if the government opposed the company's proposed deal for Humana. On Tuesday, Aetna followed through.

Aetna CEO To Justice Department: Block Our Deal And We'll Drop Out Of Obamacare

3:51pm August 17, 2016

by Scott Hensley

A July letter from Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini to the Justice Department said the company would pull back from health insurance exchanges if the government opposed the company's merger with Humana.

Women may have different ways of coping with childhood stresses than men, which may increase their risk of health problems in adulthood.

Abuse In Childhood Raises The Risk Of Early Death For Women

12:25pm August 17, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

The link isn't definite, but it matches other research that suggests that difficult experiences in childhood affect physical health years down the line. Just how that happens remains a mystery.

Pregnant Women In Miami Take Extra Precautions Against Zika

6:17am August 17, 2016

by Sammy Mack

There's only one place in the continental U.S. where mosquitoes are known to be transmitting the Zika virus: Miami's Wynwood neighborhood. Pregnant women are arming themselves against mosquitoes.