Medicine

There are some powerful tools in your arsenal that will help keep the Sunday Scaries at bay.

The phenomenon also known as “the Sunday Night Blues” can be daunting—but there are ways you can fight back.

Everything you knew about normal human body temperature is a myth.

The average body temperature isn't actually 98.6°F, a fact scientists have known for at least three decades. So why does this myth persist?

Your gut's microbiome can influence everything from digestion to immune health.

Supplements that promise to restore your gut health are everywhere. But not everyone can stomach them.

We’re covering practical tips (like the scent that will alert you to an impending electrical fire) to decidedly stranger ones (how to get out of a kangaroo attack) in the latest episode of The List Show.

If you were a woman in the 19th century, virtually anything could get you committed to a psychiatric hospital—including drinking too much tea.

“The Plague Hospital,” a painting by Francisco Goya.

The Black Death—the world's second bubonic plague pandemic—decimated the populations of Asia, the Middle East, and Europe in the 14th century. But there was a silver lining.

Uncovered on the grounds of the now-demolished Bahr Treatment Center in Indianapolis, this time capsule contained film reels that are still shrouded in a layer of mystery.

As the thinking goes, sharks don’t get cancer, so the pills will keep you from getting it, too. But there’s a problem with that theory.

You can thank Letitia Mumford Geer for this.

The syringes used by medical professionals today can be traced back to her 1899 patent.

Retro Pepsi-Cola logos from the mid-20th century.

Pepsi-Cola was named for two ingredients that it doesn't (and possibly never did) contain.

Astronaut Kellie Gerardi conducts research aboard the Virgin Galactic spacecraft.

Bioastronautics researcher Kellie Gerardi envisions a future when space is open to all.

Frankincense and myrrh are a fragrant part of traditional Christmas celebrations, but what exactly are these pebble-like perfumes?

Use of the word ‘placebo’ in a medical context is more recent than you might think.

What is a placebo? Technically, a Latin phrase meaning ‘I will please.’ It’s also a Catholic prayer and a clever insult.

A surgeon waving a dismembered arm might have sparked the Doctor’s Riot of 1788.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, robbing graves of their corpses for dissection at medical schools was an all too common practice—and sometimes, enraged citizens rose up in protest.

Eating centuries-old mummies was a hot health trend in medieval Europe.

Pigs could be the next step in organ transplantation.

Kidney transplants my one day get an assist from porcine vessels.

Antibiotics are the first treatment for necrotizing fasciitis.

Here's how to stay safe when you take a dip at beaches, lakes, or rivers.

Guests look at a portrait of Henrietta Lacks.

Though she died of cancer in 1951, Henrietta Lacks's immortal cells became the foundation for countless medical advancements.

A new Alzheimer's drug shows promise for those in the early stages of the disease.

Leqembi could slow the progression of Alzheimer's, but the side effects can be severe.

Doctors can self-prescribe, but it's generally discouraged and the practice has quite a few stipulations.

“Hands-only CPR” has gained popularity in recent years. So what is it, and when should you use it?

Martin Couney with two of the premature "incubator babies" in his care.

For many premature babies in the early 20th century, their best chance at life involved being put on display on the Coney Island boardwalk.

Laudanum was used by a number of writers and artists in the Victorian Era.

In an era before modern medicine, laudanum and other opium derivatives became seen as wonder drugs.

A 19th-century illustration of London during the Great Plague.

The Great Plague of 1665 killed about 100,000 Londoners, but winde, quinsie, and livergrown also took their toll.

A Simple Way to Beat the Sunday Scaries

The 98.6°F Myth: Why Everything You Think You Know About Body Temperature Is a Lie

Prebiotic vs. Probiotic: What’s the Difference?

11 Facts That Could Save Your Life

When Drinking Too Much Tea Could Get a Woman Sent to a Psychiatric Hospital

13 Facts About the Black Death

Watch: Mysterious Footage from a 1950s Psychiatric Hospital

Do Sharks Really Not Get Cancer?

Remembering Letitia Mumford Geer, the Nurse Who Invented the One-Handed Syringe

Pop Star: How Pepsi Got Its Name

“Humanity’s Next Giant Leap”: Citizen Astronaut Kellie Gerardi Envisions the Future of Spaceflight

What Are Frankincense and Myrrh, Anyway?

Why Is It Called the “Placebo Effect”?

The Anatomy Riots: When Americans Protested Grave Robbing by Taking to the Streets

How an Unfortunate Misunderstanding Spawned a Medieval Mummy-Eating Fad

Scientific Progress Goes 'Oink': Part-Human Kidneys Have Been Grown in Pig Embryos

What You Should Know About Necrotizing Fasciitis, the Flesh-Eating Bacterial Infection

How Henrietta Lacks Became the Mother of Modern Medicine

The FDA Has Just Given Rare Approval to a New Alzheimer's Drug, Leqembi—Here's What We Know So Far

Can Doctors Self-Prescribe Medications?

Does CPR Still Require Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation?

Preemies on Parade: How a Fake Doctor's Coney Island Incubator Shows Ended Up Saving Thousands of Lives

The Lure of Laudanum, the Victorians’ Favorite Drug

15 Other Diseases that Could Have Killed You During London's Great Plague