No, Elderberry is not a magic elixir

No, Elderberry is not a magic elixir

Teddy Amenabar | Washington Post |
Elderberry supplements — marketed for boosting the immune system — have recently become one of the most popular herbal supplements in the ...
Quirky DeepSeek: A look under the hood of China’s clever new open-source search engine

Quirky DeepSeek: A look under the hood of China’s clever new open-source search engine

DeepSeek’s success and a technical paper it published last week suggest that Chinese AI developers can match their U.S. counterparts ...
Determining dementia risk: 21-question Brain Care Score predicts chances of dementia and stroke later in life

One out of three people are likely to develop dementia as they age. Here are 15 ways science can help slow or prevent the process

Marlene Cimons | Washington Post |
A disturbing [study] has predicted that new cases of dementia will double by 2060, estimating that 1 million adults will develop the ...
Is the fiber supplement psyllium the only supplement shown to really work?

Is the fiber supplement psyllium the only supplement shown to really work?

Trisha Pasricha | Washington Post |
In most cases, the supposed benefits of supplements popularized on social media aren’t backed by strong data. But there is ...
Twelve states mandate water fluoridation. What might happen if RFK, Jr. is approved as HHS secretary?

Twelve states mandate water fluoridation. What might happen if RFK, Jr. is approved as HHS secretary?

Hannah Recht | Washington Post |
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the nation’s health agency, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has railed against the practice of ...
Are ultra-processed foods ‘addictive’? It depends

Are ultra-processed foods ‘addictive’? It depends

Tamar Haspel | Washington Post |
Are some foods actually addictive? The answer is straightforward and, you might think, inconsequential: It depends entirely on your definition ...
Western diets need to change to meet sustainability challenges. How resistant will consumers be to munch on insects or plant-based meats

Western diets need to change to meet sustainability challenges. How resistant will consumers be to munch on insects or plant-based meats

Alexandra Plakias | Washington Post |
What will the diets of the future look like? The answer depends in part on what foods Westerners can be ...
Trump’s prospective 'Health Czar' RFK, Jr. says new administration will push to ban fluoride in water

Trump’s prospective ‘Health Czar’ RFK, Jr. says new administration will push to ban fluoride in water

Dan Diamond | Washington Post |
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged ... that a future Trump administration would seek to remove fluoride from drinking water as ...
Following new Idaho law, doctors delayed the pelvic exam of a pregnant 13-year-old girl because they couldn't locate her homeless mother

Following new Idaho law, doctors delayed the pelvic exam of a pregnant 13-year-old girl because they couldn’t locate her homeless mother

Karin Brulliard | Washington Post |
[Mom-to-be Aleah], 36 weeks pregnant, was having mild but frequent contractions.... In most cases, physician Caitlin Gustafson would have begun ...
Viewpoint: The FDA should not be bullied into taking away consumer's choice to eat cell-grown meat

Viewpoint: The FDA should not be bullied into taking away consumer’s choice to eat cell-grown meat

Catherine Rampell | Washington Post |
Consumers might already be weirded out by the prospect of eating lab-grown animal products, so the ideal product should taste ...
The threat of biological conflict is rising. Are we prepared?

The threat of biological conflict is rising. Are we prepared?

George Will | Washington Post |
The coronavirus, [Roger Brent (professor of basic sciences), T. Greg McKelvey Jr. (adviser to the Rand think tank) and Jason ...
Louisiana’s classification of abortion pills as ‘controlled dangerous substances’ signals further anti-abortion restrictions likely in other conservative states

Louisiana’s classification of abortion pills as ‘controlled dangerous substances’ signals further anti-abortion restrictions likely in other conservative states

Emily Wax-Thibodeaux | Washington Post |
Staff in some Louisiana hospitals are doing timed drills, sprinting from patient rooms and through halls to the locked medicine ...
Here’s what people really use AI chatbots for

Here’s what people really use AI chatbots for

Thousands of conversations were analyzed to see what people are really asking them and what topics are most discussed ...
Viewpoint: The dangerous emerging anti-vaccine political alliance between Donald Trump and RFK, Jr.

Viewpoint: The dangerous emerging anti-vaccine political alliance between Donald Trump and RFK, Jr.

Former president Donald Trump appeared to share Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s long-held vaccine skepticism and urged the independent presidential candidate to do something “big” ...
'Anthropocene' debate: Scientists debate whether we are in a new geological epoch, and here's why it matters

‘Anthropocene’ debate: Scientists disagree over whether we are in a new geological epoch, and here’s why it matters

Dino Grandoni | Washington Post |
A panel of scientists rejected the term “Anthropocene” to describe a period in which humans have profoundly impacted the environment ...
What can Chesapeake Bay tell us about how and when humans first made it to the Americas?

What can Chesapeake Bay tell us about how and when humans first made it to the Americas?

The story of the first Americans has long been a matter of public and scientific fascination, undergirded at times by ...
Can you beat the house in sports wagering? Some people think AI might be your best bet

Can you beat the house in sports wagering? Some people think AI might be your best bet

Washington Post |
Advanced artificial intelligence is already changing the face of professional sports. AI-generated analytics and algorithms can more precisely track such metrics as ...
A new start on life: Deaf 18-month-old Opal is youngest child to have hearing restored by gene therapy

A new start on life: Deaf 18-month-old Opal is youngest child to have hearing restored by gene therapy

Baby from England, is the youngest child to come close to “normal hearing levels” in a gene therapy trial to ...
‘Tool of major corporations’? CRISPR gene editing and other new breeding techniques are improving yields and climate resiliency, but opposition from environmental advocacy groups slows adoption

‘Tool of major corporations’? CRISPR gene editing and other new breeding techniques are improving yields and climate resiliency, but opposition from environmental advocacy groups slows adoption

Shannon Osaka | Washington Post |
While genetically modified crops may still provoke fear and uncertainty, some scientists argue that not only can they help to ...
lisa mosconi menopause brain

What is ‘menopause brain’? Imaging shows dramatic structural changes in midlife that can impact behavior

Lindsey Bever | Washington Post |
For decades, some doctors have told women that the brain fog, insomnia and mood swings they experience in midlife are “all ...
what are the early warning signs of macular degeneration hero

Bionic eyes? Congenital blindness affects more than 2 million people. Possible gene editing solutions are within reach

As a child, Max Hodak learned to develop film in a darkroom with his late grandfather who was almost blind ...
lab grown meat research kelly schultz lehighuniversity main

Viewpoint: Banning fledgling lab-grown meat industry nothing more than ‘conservative nanny states prohibiting the voluntary consumption of products that mostly don’t exist yet’

Last year, the Agriculture Department approved some companies to sell lab-grown chicken; other lab-cultured meats (such as beef, pork and ...
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Weight loss and fertility: Ozempic users report unexpected side effect — surprise pregnancies

Amy Klein | Washington Post |
Across social media, women who have used Ozempic or similar medications for diabetes or weight loss are reporting an unexpected ...
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Can this DNA test predict your chances of getting addicted to opioids? FDA approval stirs controversy

David Ovalle | Washington Post |
Using a swab inside the cheek and a sophisticated computer algorithm, a DNA test recently approved by federal regulators promises to ...
bee hives care bees with honeycombs honey bees

Defying critics, US honeybee population continues five-year surge to record high — but not all the news is good

Andrew Van Dam | Washington Post |
After almost two decades of relentless colony collapse coverage and years of grieving suspiciously clean windshields, we were stunned to run the numbers on the new ...
birthcontrol pills

Weight gain, infertility, depression and anxiety: Online misinformation abounds about birth control — prompting women to forgo contraception

Search for “birth control” on TikTok or Instagram and a cascade of misleading videos vilifying hormonal contraception appear: Young women blaming their weight gain on ...
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Ancient African shrub ibogaine causes psychedelic hallucinations — and can reduce anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Why is it restricted in the US?

Stephen Jones suffers from a traumatic brain injury, but a psychedelic called ibogaine eased his suffering ...
When did our human ancestors arrive in Europe? 1.4-million-year-old artifacts made by hominids track their migration

When did our human ancestors arrive in Europe? 1.4-million-year-old artifacts made by hominids track their migration

Carolyn Johnson | Washington Post |
An artifact-rich archaeological site in western Ukraine may be the oldest spot in Europe to contain evidence of early humans ...