ticks

From Pez To Ticks, 'Atlas Obscura' Discovers 'Wonderfully Specific' Museums

8:21pm May 30, 2017

by Samantha Raphelson

People often become obsessed with collecting certain types of objects and then, before you know it, they have the basis for what writer Molly McBride Jacobson calls a "wonderfully specific museum."

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The black-legged tick, ixodes scapularis, can spread Lyme disease.

#CuriousGoat: Will Climate Change Help Ticks And Mosquitoes Spread Disease?

7:24pm April 21, 2017

by Michaeleen Doucleff

The disease-spreading bugs are creeping north in the states. But will they bring diseases like Lyme and Zika with them?

Forbidding Forecast For Lyme Disease In The Northeast

2:12pm March 06, 2017

Lyme disease is spreading, and this summer is shaping up as a whopper. Why has the tick-borne illness gotten so bad? The answer traces back to something the colonists did more than 200 years ago.

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The culprit: Lyme disease is caused by the bite of a blacklegged tick.

Did You Get Bit By A Lyme-Infested Tick? Here's What To Do

12:35pm March 06, 2017

by Michaeleen Doucleff

One scientist is predicting a risky year for tick-borne Lyme disease in the Northeast, and it's spreading. But don't panic. We've got tips.

An Afghan boy carries a sheep on his shoulder at a livestock market on September 22, 2015, just ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Kabul.

Why Afghanistan Is Worried About The Meaty Feasts Of Eid Al-Adha

1:06pm September 11, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

The way animals are transported and slaughtered for the major Muslim holiday has health officials concerned about the threat of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

Taking The Battle Against Lyme Disease Ticks To The Backyard

4:17pm July 20, 2016

by Carolyn Beans

Scientists have tested all sorts of strategies to keep Lyme disease ticks from biting us. One is to make it less likely you'll cross paths with the critters in your yard. Sawdust mulch, anyone?

Scientists Discover A Second Bacterium That Causes Lyme Disease

5:41pm February 08, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

It's not the tick that causes Lyme disease, but the bacteria that live in its spit. Scientists at the Mayo Clinic have found a second bacterium capable of causing the disease in people.

A mosquito lurks, eager to score some Halloween candy.

What's The Scariest Halloween Costume Of Them All?

5:15pm October 29, 2015

by Susan Brink

It's a bloodsucking creature. But it's not a vampire. Or a vampire bat. Here's a look at the eight deadliest animals on earth (and a costume primer).

The Lone Star Tick May Be Spreading A New Disease Across America

4:15pm October 28, 2015

by Rae Ellen Bichell

An uptick in cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever might actually be due to a newer tick-borne bacterium. It looks like it's causing milder infections — and a lot of confusion.

Scientists think the lone star tick (center) likely transmits Heartland disease to people. And the virus probably also circulates in deer and coyotes.

Deadly Heartland Virus Is Much More Common Than Scientists Thought

4:13pm September 17, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

The Heartland virus was considered rare. Scientists now say they've found signs of it circulating in animals across the Midwest, New England and the South. They think human cases have been missed.