MEDICINE

Here’s What To Pack In Your Go-Bag in Case of an Emergency

Get tips for what to pack in a go-bag, including the essentials you should definitely have stashed away before a natural disaster strikes.

MRSA bacteria bound to a neutrophil, a type of infection-fighting white blood cell.

What Is Antibiotic Resistance?

Public health officials are concerned that we could move back into a situation like that of the early 20th century, before antibiotics were discovered.

8 Questionable Moisturizers from History

Winter is synonymous with dry and flaky skin, but we don’t recommend treating it with these ancient recipes for body lotion.

Searching for ideas on what to spend your FSA funds on this year? Consider these.

14 Creative Ways to Spend Your FSA Money Before the Deadline

Unsure how to spend your FSA money? From new glasses to over-the-counter (OTC) medication, here are some health products you can purchase using FSA funds.

12 Foundational Facts About the Liver

Not only is the liver your largest internal organ; it is in charge of hundreds of bodily processes ranging from fighting infection to manufacturing proteins and hormones to helping your blood clot.

Why Does Your Body Jerk Awake As You’re Trying to Fall Asleep?

Up to 70 percent of people have experienced hypnic jerks, but they’re usually nothing to worry about.

A doctor checks a young girl for swollen tonsils.

10 Facts About Your Tonsils

You might think they’re unnecessary, because so many people have had their tonsils removed—but tonsils actually serve an important role in your immune system.

Super-thin pasta has medical usefulness.

The World’s Thinnest Spaghetti Could Have Surprising Medical Applications

It's 200 times thinner than human hair, and you won't find it at Olive Garden anytime soon.

The Caduceus: The Mistaken Meaning of the Medical Symbol

This ancient symbol, also called the Staff of Hermes, depicts two snakes intertwining around a stick that is capped by wings. It’s used as a medical logo, but for almost all its roughly 5000-year history, the caduceus had nothing to do with medicine.

An Australian Zoo Needs Help Collecting Deadly Spiders and Their Eggs

The Australian Reptile Park is asking the public to capture the Sydney funnel-web spider, one of the most dangerous species in the world.

Why Doctors Warn Against Spending Too Much Time on the Toilet

Here’s another reason to rethink bringing your phone into the bathroom with you.

Going on “fart walks” can alleviate digestion issues.

The Science and Benefits of “Fart Walks”

“Fart walks” could be the answer to your gastrointestinal woes.

Nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) is a common anesthetic that only requires a mask over the mouth and nose.

How Does Anesthesia Work?

Anesthesia is a complex mixture of medications that lessen pain during procedures. Different types affect the body in different ways.

Scurvy decimated sailors, explorers, and regular citizens for centuries before a cure for the vitamin deficiency was discovered.

Scurvy—a “Disease of the Past”—Is Making a Comeback

A case study of a man in Australia is highlighting the return of a disease associated with Elizabethan sailors and polar explorers.

Don’t expect 120th birthdays to become the norm anytime soon.

The Average Human Lifespan May Be Reaching a Plateau

Barring some dramatic medical advancements, living into your eighties remains the best-case scenario.

Quitting Smoking Is Beneficial Even in Old Age, Study Finds

Science reinforces that it’s never too late to stop smoking.

'Knotty muscles' can be a real pain in the neck.

Are ‘Muscle Knots’ Actually Knots?

The nagging pain in your neck may feel tight, but it's knot what you think.

One of the original samples of Alexander Fleming’s penicillin mold.

Old Mold to Be Sold: Fleming’s Original Penicillin Sample Up for Auction

Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and FDR once owned one of Fleming's penicillin mold samples. Now you can, too.

Old age may precede dying, but it doesn’t directly cause it.

Do People Really Die of ‘Old Age’?

Can an octogenarian really just collapse from the wear and tear of life?

Being an astronaut isn’t as glamorous as you were led to believe.

10 Surprising Facts About Your Childhood Dream Jobs

In the latest episode of The List Show, we’re tackling some fun facts—and the occasional harsh truth—about the careers you imagined for yourself as a kid.

13 Myths About Organ Donation, Debunked

Not only is there a chronic shortage of organ donations in the U.S.—there multiple myths about the process.

Legionella in a Petri dish under UV light.

What Is Legionnaires’ Disease?

The unusual respiratory illness was named for a 1976 outbreak among attendees of an American Legion conference.

Why Does My Eyelid Sometimes Twitch?

Caffeine is just one of the things that may be to blame for the irritating spasms.

A health care worker prepares to deliver an mpox vaccine during the 2022 outbreak.

8 Times the World Health Organization Declared a Public Health Emergency (Including for Mpox)

All of the WHO's declarations of emergency since 2007 have been for viral diseases, including the most recent one for mpox.