It's been about ten years since scientists categorized alpha-gal syndrome, AKA the red meat allergy spread by ticks. But while researchers know more about it, there's a chance that doctors don't.

In the future, humans will likely die of a very different suite of causes than we do now, thanks to advances in healthcare, an aging population, and changes in the environment.

Every species on Earth has a fingerprint - whether or not they have fingers at all.

You've heard of the Human Genome Project, and how having all that info about our genes could help us treat /tons/ of diseases. But a newer project wants to zoom out a little and use different genetic information to help us solve our...

Clearing tropical forests isn't just dangerous to the natural world — it's also a threat to human health and wellbeing, says physician Neil Vora. Tracing how environmental devastation led to deadly epidemics like Ebola, he presents three...

Since humanity’s earliest days, we’ve been plagued by countless disease-causing pathogens. Invisible and persistent, these microorganisms and the illnesses they incur have killed more humans than anything else in history. But which...

For over 200 years, potatoes thrived in Ireland; roughly half the country’s residents lived almost entirely on potatoes. But when harvesting began in 1845, farmers found their potatoes blackened and shriveled. While this failed harvest...

The bubonic plague killed so many people in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa that that natural selection event is still rippling through our genomes today. But the same genes that helped your ancestors survive the Black Death...

The Ice Bucket Challenge raised millions of dollars for research into treatments for ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Where did that money go? Into characterizing new genes that we may be able to target with chemotherapy drugs like...

Viruses keep jumping out of nature and into humans and getting us very sick in the process. So why do zoonotic spillovers like SARS-CoV-2 happen, and why are they becoming more frequent? We asked an expert.

I’m vaccinated. I’m boosted. And I still got infected with the omicron variant of COVID-19. Here’s what I learned, and what it means for the possible end of this pandemic.

Some swear they're cursed to be hunted by mosquitos while their close-by companions are regularly left unscathed. Are mosquitos really attracted to some people more than others? And if so, is there anything we can do about it? Maria...

Physician-scientist Anna Greka investigates the world's rarest genetic diseases, decoding the secrets of our cells through "molecular detective work." She explains how her team is using new, advanced technology to solve decades-old...

You've probably heard of CRISPR, the revolutionary technology that allows us to edit the DNA in living organisms. Biochemist and 2023 Audacious Project grantee Jennifer Doudna earned the Nobel Prize for her groundbreaking work in this...

After decades of improvement, the number of malaria deaths is on the rise again. So scientists are experimenting with a new kind of mosquito control, and it's not an insecticide.

Thalidomide is the infamous drug at the heart of one of the world's worst drug safety catastrophes in modern medicine. And yet, more recent research is finding that thalidomide is still worth using, despite the risks. So what makes this...

By combining historical demography and epidemiology, we can (sort of) determine how people throughout history have died.

A simple mis-folding in a certain brain protein causes a disease for which we have no cure.

We actually have no idea what a “disease” is.

We’ve made a lot of progress recently in curing two deadly diseases that have been difficult to treat!

Last week, the World Health Organization announced that a malaria vaccine has finally made it through all the regulatory hurdles and is being distributed in the country of Malawi. Learn how it works and why it’s taken so long to develop...

The little fish Danio rerio holds secrets to understanding how vertebrates develop, how diseases like cancer work, and how we might one day learn how to regenerate human heart tissue.

Does bee venom therapy work? Stings cause pain, itching, or even death in some people, so how might potential benefits outweigh the risks?

Luckily, we live in a time where we don't have to worry about smallpox anymore. It's a horrible disease, but through smart vaccination techniques, we took it from killing millions worldwide, to being eradicated from the planet!