Your Health

A reconstruction of a Neanderthal man (right) based on skull found at the La Ferrassie rock shelter in Dordogne Valley, France. He's face to face with a male Homo sapien.

Science Seeks Clues To Human Health In Neanderthal DNA

11:20pm February 11, 2016

by Christopher Joyce

Some of the genetic variations in human DNA that have been linked to quick clotting or depression or diabetes lie within or near the genetic stretches we picked up from Neanderthals, a study finds.

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Nanette Hoogslag/Getty Images/Ikon Images

Can Dementia Be Prevented? Education May Bolster Brain Against Risk

5:48pm February 11, 2016

by Nancy Shute

The risk of getting dementia has been dropping for decades. Why? Research suggests education's effect on the brain and good cardiovascular health help.

Scott Weaver, of the University of Texas Medical Branch, was one of only a few scientists studying Zika before the latest outbreak in Latin America.

Virus Profilers Race To Figure Out What Makes Zika Tick

3:14pm February 10, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Though Zika was discovered in 1947, few scientists since had studied the virus. Now, while some check its genes, others turn to placental cells for clues to any link between Zika and birth defects.

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Screenshot from the CDC Emergency Operations Center B-Roll

Zika Virus: What Happened When

2:20pm February 10, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

For decades, Zika was considered a mild virus that rarely made people ill. Suddenly it seems to be causing serious problems and is spreading across the Americas. Here's the latest news.

The Aedes Aegypti mosquito has been linked to both dengue fever and the Zika virus.

State Of Emergency On Hawaii's Big Island Over Dengue Fever Outbreak

5:33pm February 09, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Hawaii has nearly 250 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne virus since September 2015. State health officials say dengue symptoms include fever, rash, severe headaches and eye, joint and muscle pain.

The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is a fat-soluble compound called THC.

Why Is It So Hard To Test Whether Drivers Are Stoned?

2:08pm February 09, 2016

by Angus Chen

Blood alcohol levels match well with a person's impairment. But the THC in marijuana doesn't move around the body the same way, so blood tests can miss people who are stoned.

How 401(k) Withdrawals Can Complicate Health Plan Subsidies

12:27pm February 09, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

When someone taps into pretax retirement savings, the IRS considers it income. An unexpected withdrawal can change a person's subsidy for health premiums.

Emotion seemed to fuel plenty of sighs by Humphrey Bogart's character Rick (right) in the 1942 film classic Casablanca, and even Rick's good friend Sam, played by actor Dooley Wilson, couldn't console him.

Sorry, Bogie, A Sigh Is Not Just A Sigh

8:39pm February 08, 2016

by Jon Hamilton

Sighs aren't just signs of resignation, relief or the blues. Involuntary sighs are vital to lung health, say scientists who think they have figured out the brain circuitry that controls the reflex.

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.

When Men Get Breast Cancer, They Enter A World Of Pink

2:02pm February 08, 2016

by Patti Neighmond

Most breast cancer cases are in women, so treatment and support are geared toward them. Men with breast cancer can feel isolated. One man was given a pink ice pack.

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