One in 10 babies in the U.S. – nearly 374,000 infants – were born preterm in 2023, meaning before 37 weeks of pregnancy. More than 15% were very preterm, meaning…
Category: Anthropology
‘Are you married?’ Why doctors ask invasive questions during treatment
It’s a rare occasion when my worlds of biomedical informatics and serialized lesbian melodrama fandom collide. But that’s exactly what happened earlier this summer when two of my favorite actresses…
Doulas play essential roles in reproductive health care – and more states are beginning to recognize it
A growing share of Americans, especially in rural areas, are losing access to reproductive health care. At the same time, American women are dying during or after pregnancy at higher…
Exposure to neighborhood violence leads some Denver teens to use tobacco and alcohol earlier, new study shows
High levels of neighborhood violence increase the risk of Latino and African American teens in Denver starting to use alcohol and tobacco, according to our recent study. In the U.S.,…
PFAS in pregnant women’s drinking water puts their babies at higher risk, study finds
When pregnant women drink water that comes from wells downstream of sites contaminated with PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” the risks to their babies’ health substantially increase, a new study…
Health insurance premiums rose nearly 3x the rate of worker earnings over the past 25 years
Health insurance premiums in the U.S. significantly increased between 1999 and 2024, outpacing the rate of worker earnings by three times, according to our newly published research in the journal…
Vaccine committee votes to scrap universal hepatitis B shots for newborns despite outcry from children’s health experts
The committee advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine policy voted on Dec. 5, 2025, to stop recommending that all newborns be routinely vaccinated against the hepatitis…
Buying a gift for a loved one with cancer? Here’s why you should skip the fuzzy socks and give them meals or help with laundry instead
The season of gifting is in full swing – a time when people scour the internet and shops of all kinds for items that appropriately symbolize their relationships with their…
FDA claims on COVID-19 vaccine safety are unsupported by reliable data – and could severely hinder vaccine access
The Food and Drug Administration is seeking to drastically change procedures for testing vaccine safety and approving vaccines, based on unproven claims that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines caused the death of…
Sugar starts corroding your teeth within seconds – here’s how to protect your pearly whites from decay
Between Halloween candy, Thanksgiving pies and holiday cookies, the end of the year is often packed with opportunities to consume sugar. But what happens in your mouth during those first…
