The United States remains tightly in the grasp of an ongoing, and escalating, crisis of deaths caused by opioid overdoses. With a record-high 109,000 people dying in 2022, it is…
Category: Anthropology
Horseshoe crab blood is vital for testing intravenous drugs, but new synthetic alternatives could mean pharma won’t bleed this unique species dry
If you have ever gotten a vaccine or received an intravenous drug and did not come down with a potentially life-threatening fever, you can thank a horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus).…
Vaccines against COVID-19, the seasonal flu and RSV are our best chance of preventing a winter surge
As cold and flu season ramps up, health care experts are once again on high alert for the possibility of a tripledemic, or a surge brought on by the respiratory…
Are people born with good balance? A physical therapist explains the systems that help keep you on your toes
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. Are people born with good…
Health on the ballot as Argentina poised to elect ‘anarcho-capitalist’ bent on slashing social protections
The front-runner heading into Argentina’s presidential vote on Oct. 22 is prone to wielding a chain saw – both physically and metaphorically. Javier Milei, a right-wing libertarian whose brash demagoguery…
Why are thousands of Kaiser health care workers on strike? 5 questions answered
More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers began a three-day strike in Virginia, California, Colorado, Washington state, Oregon and Washington, D.C., on Oct. 4, 2023, after company executives and…
Being told where their blood ends up encourages donors to give again – new research
Telling people who have donated blood when and where the blood was used makes them more likely to do it again, according to our new study. Donors who got details…
HIV self-test kits are meant to empower those at risk − but they don’t necessarily lead to starting HIV treatment or prevention
HIV self-test kits were developed to make it easier for people to access HIV testing. However, our research team has found that many people who use self-test kits do not…
Tracking daily step counts can be a useful tool for weight management – an exercise scientist parses the science
Over the last decade, smartphones have become ubiquitous not just for sending texts and staying abreast of news, but also for monitoring daily activity levels. Among the most common, and…
