MEDICINE

Photo courtesy of G. Cole, C. Rando, L. Sibun, and T. Waldron; UCL Institute of Archaeology

Archaeologists Discover 7-lb. Calcified Uterus in British Cemetery

"I've never seen anything quite like that before, nor have my colleagues, and we were very excited."

Sage Ross via Wikimedia Commons // CC by 3.0

7 Fast Facts About National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

The government wants to set your drugs on fire.

What Makes These Dominican Children Grow Penises at Puberty?

The phenomenon is so common it even has a name.

5 Game-Changing Mobile Health Devices

Medical gadgets that used to seem like science fiction are becoming reality.

Scientists Discover Why Growing Up on a Farm Helps Protect You from Allergies

It turns out that breathing in farm dust helps protect against allergies later in life.

New Device Can Reanimate Disembodied Hearts

Doctors predict it will increase the number of heart donations by 15 to 30 percent

Mercury in Latrines Helped Historians Follow Lewis and Clark

The expedition's members occasionally got constipated, and relied on Dr. Rush's Bilious Pill.

5 Promising Male Birth Control Methods

Today, men still only have two real options: condoms or vasectomy. Meanwhile, women have 11. What's the holdup?

Buzz Heard 'Round the World via Facebook

The Real-Life Operation That Works Like Operation

If a surgeon gets too close to delicate nerves in the throat, an alarm goes off. (But no one's nose lights up.)

Scientists Make Progress in Their Quest for a Universal Flu Vaccine

Two research groups successfully created vaccines with broad protection against different flu strains in mice, ferrets, and monkeys.

5-Year-Old Uses Robotic Hand to Throw First Pitch at Orioles Game

Cutest/coolest pitcher ever.

Scientists Find a Way to Erase Memories of Drug Use in Addicted Mice

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mouse Mind, anyone?

Why the Fugate Family Has Blue Skin

Their complexions became something of a scarlet letter—or an indigo letter, as it were.

Countering Anti-Vaccination Beliefs May Be About Fear, Not Science

Telling parents how safe vaccinations are isn’t as effective as telling them how dangerous the measles can be, a new study finds.

Clockready, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Why Supercomputer Watson Wants Your Medical Records

By scanning health records, IBM and CVS hope to stop emergency room visits before they happen.

How Uneducated Butchers and Barbers Became Today’s Skilled Surgeons

Before anesthesia, surgery wasn't considered the work of a licensed medical professional.

5 Cutting-Edge Treatments for Inflammatory Diseases

Inflammatory diseases are common—and hard to live with. Here are five potential treatment breakthroughs.

A Drug That Mimics the Effects of Exercise Helps Mice Lose Weight

The molecule makes cells think they’ve run out of energy, helping obese mice lose weight without actually hitting the treadmill (or hamster wheel, as the case may be).

Placebos May Work Even If You Know the Treatment Isn't Real

In one new study, subjects who knew they were taking a placebo still reported feeling pain relief.

Acupuncture May Work By Blocking Stress Hormones

Acupuncture's ability to relieve pain and stress has never been well understood by Western medicine.

Squid Beaks Could Hold The Key To Better Joint Implants

Plastic Robots Can Perform Surgery in an MRI

Robotic assistants could react to real-time scans of the patient’s body.

Possible Breakthrough for Sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Norwegian researchers think chronic fatigue syndrome may be caused by antibodies produced to fight off infection.

'Feeling No Pain' Is Really Bad For You—and It's Genetic

A new study finds more genetic mutations that explain chronic insensitivity to pain.

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