How are your New Year’s resolutions going? If you’ve given up on them, you’re not alone. Every January, people across the world seek a fresh start and set goals for…
Category: Anthropology
Reddit and TikTok – with the help of AI
When you think of tools for studying substance use and addiction, a social media site like Reddit, TikTok or YouTube probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Yet…
Colorado ranks among the highest states in the country for flu – an emergency room physician describes why the 2025-26 flu season is hitting hard
Colorado is in the midst of a record-breaking flu season. In the week ending Dec. 27, 2025, 831 people were hospitalized with influenza – the most since the state started…
Eating less ultraprocessed food supports healthier aging, new research shows
Older adults can dramatically reduce the amount of ultraprocessed foods they eat while keeping a familiar, balanced diet – and this shift leads to improvements across several key markers related…
CPR on TV is often inaccurate – but watching characters jump to the rescue can still save real lives
Television characters who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital are more likely to receive CPR than people in real life. But the CPR on these shows often depicts outdated practices…
‘Shared decision-making’ for childhood vaccines sounds empowering – but it may mean less access for families already stretched thin
When federal health officials announced on Jan. 5, 2026, that they were taking six out of 17 vaccines off the childhood immunization schedule, they argued that the move would give…
New US dietary guidelines recommend more protein and whole milk, less ultraprocessed foods
Every five years, the U.S. government releases an updated set of recommendations on healthy eating. This document, called the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, has served as the cornerstone of nutrition…
Illness is more than just biological – medical sociology shows how social factors get under the skin and cause disease
Health and medicine is more than just biological – societal forces can get under your skin and cause illness. Medical sociologists like me study these forces by treating society itself…
New federal loan limits will worsen America’s nursing shortage and leave patients waiting longer for care
There is growing need for nurses in the United States – but not enough nurses currently working, or students training to become nurses, to promptly see all of the patients…
Viral outbreaks are always on the horizon – here are the viruses an infectious disease expert is watching in 2026
A new year might mean new viral threats. Old viruses are constantly evolving. A warming and increasingly populated planet puts humans in contact with more and different viruses. And increased…
