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Poor indoor air quality can contribute to health problems. Letting in fresh air, keeping air filters changed and using air purifiers can help. skaman306/Getty Images hide caption
How hardworking microbes ferment cabbage into kimchi
Michael Hawley, general manager of the kitchen at Faulkner Hospital, places roasted tomatoes into a pot as he prepares the roasted tomato and shallot coulis. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption
A precisely timed pulse to a brain area just behind the ear can help reduce memory deficits in patients suffering moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop hide caption
When a brain injury impairs memory, a pulse of electricity may help
A team of researchers recently reviewed studies on five of the most widely discussed happiness strategies—gratitude, being social, exercise, mindfulness/meditation and being in nature—to see if the findings held up to current scientific best practices. filo/Getty Images hide caption
The science of happiness sounds great. But is the research solid?
Leland has been an editor at the literary magazine The Believer since its inception in 2003. Gregory Halpern/Penguin Random House hide caption
As a writer slowly loses his sight, he embraces other kinds of perception
Sodas like Poppi and Olipop have added prebiotic ingredients intended to help nourish your gut bacteria. Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Poppi hide caption
Prebiotic sodas promise to boost your gut health. Here's what to eat instead
The author awaits a bowl of ramen noodles in a Tokyo restaurant. Yuki Noguchi/NPR hide caption
What the U.S. could learn from Japan about making healthy living easier
When humans interact with dogs, the feel-good hormone oxytocin increases — in the person and the dog. Sally Anscombe/Getty Images hide caption
Petting other people's dogs, even briefly, can boost your health
Jeremy Nottingham (bottom right) sits for a family photo with his parents, Junius and Sharon, and sister Briana. Junius Nottingham Jr. hide caption
Testing your genes for cancer risk is way cheaper now — and it could save your life
Extreme heat can slow cognition and increase anxiety, research finds. AleksandarGeorgiev/Getty Images hide caption
Yes, heat can affect your brain and mood. Here's why
A summer of extreme heat is raising alarms of health risks. Here, a child plays in a waterfall feature at Yards Park in Washington, D.C., on June 26. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
In 2006, Waikiki Beach was near empty of swimmers due to a sewage spill which diverted millions of gallons of raw sewage into a nearby canal. Marco Garcia/Getty Images hide caption
Peanuts for infants, poopy beaches and summer pet safety in our news roundup
An aerial view shows damage to a Pfizer pharmaceutical factory in Rocky Mount, N.C., from a tornado that struck on July 19. The plant produces many drugs used in hospitals. Sean Rayford/Getty Images hide caption
Tornado damage to Pfizer factory highlights vulnerabilities of drug supply
HCA Healthcare, a for-profit hospital company headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., had a huge data breach it acknowledged this month, exposing the medical records of 11 million people. Rusty Russell/Getty Images hide caption
A new study finds a gap in excess deaths opened between Republicans and Democrats in 2021, after vaccine access was widened to all adults. Here, a Walgreens worker prepares vaccine shots for school staff in Dayton, Ohio, in February 2021. Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Dr. Chris van Tulleken took part in a month-long experiment. He ate 80% of his calories from ultra-processed food. He explains what happened in his new book, Ultra-Processed People. Jonny Storey hide caption
An ultra-processed diet made this doctor sick. Now he's studying why
Heat can be deadly, as this sign in Death Valley National Park warns. Some of the hottest temperatures in the world have been recorded here. But it doesn't need to be 130 degrees out to be dangerous. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption
How heat kills: What happens to the body in extreme temperatures
There's a way to get healthier without even going to a gym. It's called NEAT
Doctors are starting to face a flood of message from patients and some health care companies are billing for clinical advice delivered this way. jose carlos cerdeno martinez/Getty Images hide caption
'Hi, Doc!' DM'ing the doctor could cost you (or your insurance plan)
Andres Matamoros wipes the sweat from his face while selling fresh fruit and cold coconuts from his roadside stand on June 28, 2023, in Houston. Nearly 400 daily maximum temperature records fell in the South in June and the first half of July, most of them in Texas. David J. Phillip/AP hide caption
El Niño will likely continue into early 2024, driving even more hot weather
AbbVie's Humira was the world's best-selling drug for many years. Now it faces competition for copycats that cost a fraction of its price. David J. Phillip/AP hide caption