Health

Get all the health news without the hype. From diet and exercise tips and mental health findings to the latest discoveries in disease treatment and that science of aging, Live Science Health delivers thoughtful, well-researched news and features that you can trust.

By Live Science

Primates
Why Do Our Fingernails Keep Growing Until the Day We Die?
Live Science - Emma Bryce
At 20 weeks in the womb, humans suddenly sprout tough little casings from the tips of our tiny digits. By the time we're born, our fingers and toes …
How Did a Neck Crack Leave a Woman Partially Paralyzed?
Live Science - Mindy Weisberger
A young paramedic in the United Kingdom recently cracked her neck while stretching and ended up partially paralyzed. On the night of March 4, …
Listeria
Lethal Listeria Outbreak: Why Is This Bug So Dangerous?
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
One person has died in connection with a Listeria outbreak tied to sliced deli meats and cheeses, according to health officials. The outbreak, which …
Imperial College London
This Tiny Knee Bone Had Nearly Vanished As Humans Evolved. It's Coming Back
Live Science - Yasemin Saplakoglu
A tiny bone hidden in the tendon of the knee started to disappear over the course of human evolution ... or so scientists thought. Now, a new study …
Stem Cells
What Are Stem Cells?
Live Science - Jeanna Bryner
The term "stem cells" has become part of the mainstream lexicon, likely to be overheard in conversations anywhere from a baseball game to cocktail …
Disease
Rare 'Bubble Boy Disease' Likely Cured with New Gene Therapy
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
Eight infants with a severe immune disorder, sometimes known as "bubble boy disease," appear to be cured of the disease thanks to an experimental …
Skin
Texas Baby Born Without Skin: What Can Cause This Condition?
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
A baby in Texas was born without skin on much of his body, according to news reports. The boy, Ja'bari Gray, was born Jan. 1 in San Antonio and …
Physiology
How Scientists 3D Printed a Tiny Heart from Human Cells
Live Science - Yasemin Saplakoglu
It has four chambers, blood vessels and it beats — sort of. In a first, scientists have 3D printed a heart using human tissue. Though the heart is …
Hours After Pigs' Death, Scientists Restore Brain Cell Activity
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
In a radical experiment that has some experts questioning what it means to be "alive," scientists have restored brain circulation and some cell …
Flight Attendants
Flight Attendant from Israel in Coma After Getting Measles Virus
Live Science - Sara G. Miller
A flight attendant in Israel is in a coma after getting the measles, according to news reports. Israeli health officials told CNN that the 43-year-old …
Measles
Can You Still Get the Measles If You've Been Vaccinated?
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
The number of measles cases in the U.S. continues to climb, with more than 550 cases reported from January to April, according to the Centers for …
Physiology
What Angry Dreams Look Like in Your Brain
Live Science - Stephanie Pappas
How were your dreams last night? By analyzing brain activity, scientists may be able to answer that question for you — especially if you had an angry …
Celery
No, 'Negative-Calorie' Foods Aren't a Real Thing, Study Says
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
It sounds like a dieter's dream: Foods that require more calories to digest than they actually contain. But, alas, so-called "negative-calorie" foods …
Optometry
How Did Nearsighted People Manage Before Glasses Were Invented?
Live Science - Megan Gannon
In 2017, the super-rich shared with The New Yorker their secrets for doomsday prep. Some were building luxury bunkers and stockpiling weapons. Others …
E.coli
The Source of That Mysterious E. Coli Outbreak Has Likely Been Found
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
The mystery behind what's causing the Escherichia coli outbreak that's sickened more than 100 Americans in the past month may finally be solved: …
Hypernatremia and Hyponatremia: Causes and Risks of Sodium Imbalance
Live Science - Cari Nierenberg
Every cell in the body needs water to survive, but it's possible to get too much or too little of the liquid, and that can cause some pretty serious …
Scott Kelly's Year in Space May Have Aged Him — But He's Mostly Fine
Live Science
In a famous Einsteinian thought experiment called the twin paradox, a twin who embarked on a whirling flight through space would age more slowly …
An Odd Eye Injury Caused a Man's Iris to 'Collapse'
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
The man's eye looks like a cloudy fishbowl, or perhaps a terrarium: A dark orb with a layer of a brown, sandy-looking substance at the bottom. But …
Public Health
How Bad Can the NYC Measles Outbreak Get?
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
A growing measles outbreak in New York City has led officials to declare a public health emergency in parts of the city. There have been nearly 300 …
Holistic Medicine
Vitamins from Food — Not Supplements — Linked with Longer Life
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
There's some good and bad news about vitamins and minerals: The good news is that intake of certain vitamins and minerals is linked with a lower risk …
Candida Auris
Deadly Fungal 'Superbug' Spreads Worldwide, Alarming Scientists
Live Science - Stephanie Pappas
A deadly fungal infection that is resistant to major antimicrobial medications is spreading globally, and scientists aren't sure where it came …
Immune System
How a New Cancer 'Vaccine' Fights Tumors Throughout the Body
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
A new cancer "vaccine" that's injected directly into a single tumor can trigger the immune system to attack cancer cells throughout the body, a small …
The Brain
Electrical Stimulation Makes Old Brains Act Young Again
Live Science - Stephanie Pappas
A short session of brain zapping can reverse some of the effects of aging in older adults, a new study suggests. The technique isn't ready for …
Medical School
Med School Cadaver's Heart Was In the Right Place (But Her Other Organs Weren't)
Live Science - Mindy Weisberger
A woman's body that was recently donated to a medical school in Oregon provided an anatomy lesson that was much stranger than instructors …
Fibrosis
Here's Why This Man Had a Giant White Mass on His Eyeball
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
It looks like a Hollywood special effect: An eye with a bulging white mass where the pupil and iris should be. But this odd eye problem is the result …
Harvard Medical School
How Whole Grains Could Help Your Liver
Live Science - Yasemin Saplakoglu
ATLANTA — Eating whole grains and cereal may reduce the risk of liver cancer. That's according to findings presented Tuesday (April 1) here at the …
Hypothermia
How Doctors Treated the Thai Boys in the Harrowing Minutes After They Were Freed from Cave
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
The harrowing rescue of 12 boys and their coach from a cave in Thailand captured the world's attention last summer. But after the extraordinary feat …
eCigarettes
The FDA Is Investigating a Possible Link Between E-cigarettes and Seizures
Live Science - Rachael Rettner
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a possible link between e-cigarette use and seizures, the agency announced today (April …
You're Probably Using Your Sun-Blocking Moisturizer Wrong
Live Science - Rafi Letzter
SPF facial moisturizers can block the sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays as effectively as comparable sunscreens, but only if you use them correctly. …