Medicine

You are getting dangerously close to this Gila monster.

Meet the Gila monster, the largest native lizard in the United States. But watch out for its venomous bites.

The Brown family was involved in New England’s vampire panic.

Some families were so desperate to save their loved ones from a mysterious illness, they were willing to try anything, even exhuming them.

Men could soon bear some of the responsibility for contraceptives.

Long before developing the polio vaccine, Salk had wanted to be a lawyer and politician.

Seth Pincus, Elizabeth Fischer and Austin Athman, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health // Public Domain

So-called "Patient Zero" was not, in fact, the first person in North America to contract the virus.

Your spit can tell you much more about your health than whether you should be flossing.

1. A scratch could become deadly.

The peptide only exists in the umbilical cords and circulatory systems of newborn babies for about two weeks; then it disappears.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome are so obscure that most doctors have never heard of them.

Their condition occurs once in every 2.5 million births.

Proteins called ATIs can trigger symptoms of asthma, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and more.

Of the wide variety of abandoned buildings, perhaps none are as eerie as deserted hospitals.

A controversial new study finds that humanity may have already reached the peak of its natural lifespan.

Brigham and Women's Hospital via YouTube

An IED took all four of his limbs. A team of 12 surgeons needed 14 hours to replace two of them.

The last case of endemic measles was in 2002.

The U.S. military studies everything from uniform button placement to traveler's diarrhea to organ transplants with the same intense rigor.

Breathe a little easier.

He was the first to figure out that irritating buzz could be a danger sign.

The “patent” in the name didn’t refer to government approval, but proprietary concoctions marketed with extreme promises and flamboyant showmanship.

And around colleges, they're filled with caffeine and nicotine to boot.

Jennie Bushnell was terrified her six children would be seen as freaks—so she kept their remarkable birth a secret.

A recent study of Ebola patients revealed a surprising finding.

The tiny pods will help you simplify your sick days.

Hospital bills are not only confusing and intimidating, they may also be costing you money.

12 Fascinating Facts About Gila Monsters

The Mystery Behind the 19th-Century New England Vampire Panic

Male Birth Control Is 96 Percent Effective, Study Finds

12 Innocuous Facts About Jonas Salk

Scientists Pinpoint When and Where HIV Arrived in the U.S.

The Science of Spit

5 Ways a Post-Antibiotic Era Could Change Medicine

A Factor in Babies’ Blood May Treat Inflammation and Sepsis

One Gene Mutation Links Three Mysterious, Debilitating Diseases

Twins Conjoined at the Head Separated After 27 Hours of Surgery

Scientists Find Non-Gluten Cause of Wheat Sensitivity

7 Abandoned Hospitals From Around the World

Humans Will Never Live Past 115 Years Old, Study Argues

This Marine is Learning to Live with a Double Arm Transplant

The Americas Have Officially Been Declared Measles-Free

15 Unexpected Facts About Military Research From Mary Roach’s Grunt

7 Tips for Living with Asthma in a Big City

Patrick Manson, the Man Who First Linked Mosquitoes to Disease

15 Curious Quack Remedies From the Age of Patent Medicine

More Proof That Sewers Are Full of Medication-Laced Pee

The 1866 Chicago Sextuplets Hidden From the World

Being Infected With Malaria Helped Ebola Victims to Survive

Introducing Cold Medicine That Comes in K-Cup Form

6 Tips to Better Understand Your Medical Bills