Health & Safety

Teens are drinking and driving less, but it's still a huge public health issue.

This Generation Of Teens Is Drinking And Driving Less

3:30pm December 11, 2015

by Angus Chen

It's a good-news trend in public health: Teens and young adults are less likely to drive while impaired than they were 12 years ago. But the study didn't ask specifically about marijuana.

Sipping on rum punch at the office party may be festive, but too much alcohol can lead to behavior that might embarrass you later

Health & Safety

Boozing At The Office Holiday Party? Use Our Tips, Take Our Survey

2:18pm December 11, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

Sipping on rum punch at the office party may be festive, but too much alcohol can lead to behavior that might embarrass you later. Read our tips on staying in control and take our survey.

Cessation of breathing is a rare, but serious risk for some children who take cough syrup or painkillers that contain codeine, research shows. Advisers to the FDA say no one under 18 should take the drug.

Limits Urged On The Use Of Codeine To Stop Kids' Coughs And Pain

1:46pm December 11, 2015

by Rob Stein

Codeine can trigger rare, but life-threatening, breathing problems in kids. Food and Drug Administration advisers want to more tightly restrict the drug's use by anyone under 18.

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Cattle graze in a field near Sacramento, Calif. California Gov. Jerry Brown, along with many health advocacy groups, has called the overuse of antibiotics "an urgent public health problem."

Antibiotic Use On Farms Is Up, Despite Promises To Kick The Drugs

11:32am December 11, 2015

by Dan Charles

Producers of poultry, cattle and pigs continue to use more antibiotics, according to the latest government data. That's despite more pledges from food companies to sell meat raised without the drugs.

Jessica Metcalf (left) and fellow researcher Daniel Harmaan collect soil samples before placing a body in 2013. The researchers cataloged any microbial colonies already living in the dirt to see how the communities of tiny organisms in that spot change ov

Tiny Witnesses: Microbes Can Tell When A Murder Victim Died

7:56pm December 10, 2015

by Rob Stein

When bodies decompose, the types of bacteria on and around the body change in predictable ways. These patterns can be used to estimate time of death, a crucial clue in solving murders.

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Fear of cancer's return may be driving women with an early diagnosis of breast cancer to have one or both breasts removed, though research shows milder treatment is just as effective.

Mastectomy No Better Than Lumpectomy For Early Breast Cancer

7:23pm December 10, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

A comparison of common treatments for early-stage breast cancer finds lumpectomy with radiation is essentially equal to breast removal in terms of recurrence and survival, with fewer complications.

Study Finds Happiness Doesn't Guarantee Longer Life

7:10pm December 10, 2015

A recent study finds that being happy doesn't always mean living longer.

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Despite Emphasis On Big Hacks, Small Breaches Of Medical Privacy Do More Harm

6:40pm December 10, 2015

by Alison Kodjak

Millions of private medical records have been hacked at large insurance companies like Anthem. What appears to be causing more damage are smaller violations of medical privacy.

Health & Safety

Whooping Cough Confirmed At Davie County High School

5:16pm December 10, 2015

by Keri Brown

Four cases of pertussis – also known as whooping cough – have been confirmed at Davie County High School.

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Delegates attend a plenary session at the COP21 United Nations Climate Conference.

Dear U.N., Why Is It Mainly A Man's World At The Climate Conference?

5:12pm December 10, 2015

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told women to "get cross" if they see gender inequality. The male-female ratio at the Paris Climate Conference makes our writers very "cross."