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Public health improvements stall amid Trump's DEI crackdown
THOMASVILLE, Ga. — As Earl Williams drove through a historic Black neighborhood known as Dewey City in his hometown, he hardly recognized what he saw.
Homes that once belonged to friends, family, and neighbors had siding covered in mold. Some were boarded up. Others had holes in their roofs.
Black churches once used Oquina Creek, which runs ...Read more
How stress accelerates aging
Some of the greatest thinkers -- from ecologist Barry Commoner to jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes and artist LEOnardo Da Vinci -- have proposed that everything is connected to everything else. And it turns out that nothing provides a more vivid example of that interconnection than the human body.
A lab study in Cell Stem Cell has identified how ...Read more
Breaking Down What Exactly Constitutes Protein
DEAR DR. ROACH: I know this maybe an ignorant question, but what exactly constitutes protein? I know that it naturally comes from livestock and their byproducts. But one can find diverse categories -- such as cereals, pasta, sweet/salty snacks, and even soda pop -- with "protein" displayed on the packaging. What's up with that? -- E.M.
ANSWER...Read more
As measles cases in Pennsylvania rise, officials scramble to track cases
Pennsylvania tallied more than two dozen new cases of measles in the last week, including several in the Philadelphia region.
In Chester County, health officials confirmed 13 cases in the suburban Philadelphia county since April, with seven identified since Monday.
The rising counts come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ...Read more
California House Republicans ask Trump administration to block state's new tax
California House Republicans are asking the Trump administration to prevent Democratic state leaders from implementing a new tax on health insurers.
Six House members, including Reps. Kevin Kiley, I-Rocklin, and James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, sent a letter Friday to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ...Read more
Delaware County launches vaccine campaign as Pa. measles cases reach highest level in more than 30 years
PHILADELPHIA — When Robert Barclay’s two daughters moved from Africa to live with him in Delaware County, getting them up-to-date on their vaccines was top of his list.
His daughters, 14-year-old Albertine and 20-year-old Ruth, were among the first clients at Delaware County Health Department’s new mobile clinic, which launched earlier ...Read more
What makes muscles contract? A physiologist explains how muscles move
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.
What makes the cells of the muscles contract? – Samarth, age 13, India
Muscles are amazing. They’re what let you strum a guitar, kick a soccer ball and high-five your ...Read more
How vaccine skeptics use storytelling effectively to create powerful but medically inaccurate messaging
As long as there have been vaccines, there have been people who doubted their science and safety.
Back in 19th-century England, people rioted against a mandatory smallpox vaccine, claiming that it violated civil rights and was an affront to human bodily integrity. In the United States, organizations dedicated to resisting vaccines ...Read more
Michigan cyclosporiasis cases rise to 9,200
DETROIT — The number of cyclosporiasis cases reported in Michigan since the outbreak began in late June rose to 9,253 on Monday, a 13% increase over Friday's total.
Health officials continue to investigate the state's worst-ever outbreak of the parasitic illness, which usually only affects around 50 people each year. As of Thursday, 160 ...Read more
Mitch McConnell continuing recovery, not yet cleared to return to Senate
Sen. Mitch McConnell is not yet medically cleared to return to work or leave the rehabilitation facility where he’s receiving care following his fall at home last month, his office shared late Monday morning.
McConnell, who was hospitalized June 14, released a statement that said the 84-year-old Kentucky senator is still recovering and ...Read more
Michigan couple sues Taco Bell and Taylor Farms over cyclosporiasis
DETROIT — A Michigan couple is suing Taco Bell and Taylor Farms after the couple says they contracted cyclosporiasis from eating infected lettuce from the restaurant, which was sourced from Taylor Farms.
Karl and Gina Hercula, of Clinton Township, became ill in July after eating Taco Bell meals containing shredded lettuce in June, according ...Read more
Mitch McConnell continuing recovery, not yet cleared to return to Senate
Sen. Mitch McConnell is not yet medically cleared to return to work or leave the rehabilitation facility where he’s receiving care following his fall at home last month, his office shared late Monday morning.
McConnell, who was hospitalized June 14, released a statement that said the 84-year-old Republican Kentucky senator is still recovering...Read more
Ask the Pediatrician: Teen curfews: Safety, sleep and how to set rules that work
As teens grow more independent and begin to spend more time away from home, questions about curfews often come up. How late should your teen stay out, and how do you set limits without constant conflict?
Adolescents are programmed to hate curfews because they think they're about control or trust. But a curfew is a reflection of your concern for...Read more
Lifelike simulator keeps rural Minnesota childbirth centers ready -- and open
Even if it wasn’t a real emergency, nurse Pam Johnson sensed the clock ticking as she tried to deliver a baby doll whose shoulder had lodged in the birth canal of a high-tech childbirth mannequin.
An instructor guided her on where to put her hands and how hard to press to get the baby unstuck.
“That’s a lot of pressure!” Johnson ...Read more
Colorectal cancer isn't the only gastrointestinal cancer rising in young adults
PHOENIX — You may have heard that colorectal cancer is increasingly affecting young adults. However, it is not the only gastrointestinal (GI) cancer that doctors are diagnosing in patients below the age of 50, explains Christina Wu, M.D., an oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Arizona.
"People under 50 are not too young ...Read more
Become a palm reader -- on labels
You may think of palm trees as a symbol of a tropical paradise, but palm oil is far from a thing of beauty when you ingest it. A new study in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism says that saturated-fat-laden palm oil, which is very common in packaged foods, fuels insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes by triggering inflammation, toxic fat ...Read more
RA Patient Hasn't Found A Medication That Alleviates Joint Pain
DEAR DR. ROACH: I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but my rheumatologist hasn't been helpful in finding a medication that I'm not allergic to for alleviating joint pain. (I seem to be allergic to most meds that I've tried.) I'm only 68. I saw the term "biological" medication for RA in one of your recent columns. What is this, and do...Read more
Profs and Pints: Psychedelics' emerging role in therapy
While sipping on pints of beer and eating soft pretzels at Guilford Hall Brewery, more than 100 people eagerly listened as professor Whitney Marris outlined new research in psychedelic medicine and how the drugs can be used to treat a range of conditions.
Marris, who works at the University at Buffalo’s School of Social Work, was the featured...Read more
Measles cases in California already double 2025 totals. Here's what to know
Measles cases in California in 2026 have already more than doubled the total for all of 2025, state health officials reported.
In California, there have been 52 confirmed cases of measles in 2026, the California Department of Public Health said July 20.
The state had 25 confirmed cases in all of 2025.
Children ages 5 to 19 account for 52% of ...Read more
COVID-19 levels run high in Bay Area wastewater, prompting calls for precautions
Public health officials and infectious disease experts are urging Bay Area residents to take added precautions against COVID-19 as wastewater testing shows high concentrations of the virus in parts of the region.
Measurements at wastewater treatment plants in Santa Clara County and San Francisco have shown high concentrations of the virus over ...Read more
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Popular Stories
- What makes muscles contract? A physiologist explains how muscles move
- How vaccine skeptics use storytelling effectively to create powerful but medically inaccurate messaging
- Delaware County launches vaccine campaign as Pa. measles cases reach highest level in more than 30 years
- Michigan cyclosporiasis cases rise to 9,200
- Is COVID returning? Summer uptick of virus may have begun in California






















