Stories by Tanya Lewis

Repeated exposure to outrage-inducing news or events can lead to emotional exhaustion. An expert who studies online outrage says there are ways to cope

Samples from a hospitalized patient in Louisiana show changes that could make the H5N1 virus spread more easily between humans

We’re closing out the year with a roundup of the science stories that stood out to our editors in 2024.

Louisiana reported a person hospitalized with a severe case of H5N1, and the USDA has begun bulk milk testing

From periods of rapid aging in our 40s and 60s to ancient brains that don’t decompose, here are some of the year’s most intriguing stories about human biology

Scientific American sat down with physician-scientist Anthony Fauci, who recently published a memoir, to discuss COVID mistakes and successes, bird flu concerns and political divisions

The suspect in the recent shooting of a UnitedHealthcare CEO reportedly had spondylolisthesis, a condition that causes the vertebrae to go out of alignment

“America’s Doctor” says that our common enemy is the danger posed by viruses, not each other.

RFK, Jr., could restructure the CDC, FDA and NIH in pursuit of his flawed vision of public health. Plus, we discuss chimpanzees at play and the first-ever close-up image of a star.

The outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election could reshape policies from health care at home to nuclear proliferation abroad

Humans and pigs could both serve as mixing vessels for a bird flu–seasonal flu hybrid, posing a risk of wider spread

The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was given to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of an important gene-manipulating mechanism in cells

The presidential candidates have vastly divergent records on and plans for protecting access to reproductive health care, including abortion and IVF

Experts call for greater testing of contacts of a person who was infected with the H5N1 bird flu strain before the virus causes a wider outbreak

Uterus transplants are becoming more common, opening up the possibility of pregnancy and parenthood to people with certain health conditions

A man who received a partial face and eye transplant after a serious accident does not have any vision in the transplanted eye, but the eye itself is still alive

Caring for aging loved ones brings its own set of emotional and physical hurdles. Experts offer guidance on finding support.

A small study of transgender men taking testosterone revealed changes in immune pathways involved in responding to viruses and inflammation

Personal stories and research reveal the challenges of family caregiving.

Opioid overdoses have fallen since their pandemic peak, according to new data from the past few months

Project 2025 would jeopardize federal scientists’ independence and undermine their influence

Political violence has a different effect on people today than it did in the past because of social media and extreme partisanship

A combination of human behavior and immunity, the environment, and SARS-CoV-2 itself explains why the virus surges during both hotter and colder months

A Supreme Court decision allows emergency abortion care despite a state ban in Idaho while the case works its way through lower courts