About half of the US -- 22 states, along with Washington, DC, New York City and Puerto Rico -- is reporting high or very high respiratory illness activity, as flu season sweeps through the country weeks earlier than usual.
Respiratory viruses including flu and RSV are circulating across the United States at high levels, overwhelming children's hospitals and prompting concern among parents of young children. Most kids who get sick this season will recover quickly with home care, but some will need medical attention. What should parents watch for, and how might they know it's time to call their pediatrician or go to the ER?
A new study estimates that 1 in 50 deaths of otherwise healthy children under age 5 around the world is due to a common virus that's currently surging in the US: respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. And in high-income countries, 1 in 56 babies who are born on time and are healthy will be hospitalized with RSV in the first year of life, according to the researchers' estimates.
For over 50 years, ecologists have studied and debated the mystery of the Namib Desert's "fairy circles," circular patches, mostly barren of grass, that have spread across 1,100 miles in the arid grasslands of Southern Africa.
When it comes to eating disorders, early intervention and treatment can make a big difference — but they can be hard to identify. Electrolyte levels may help health care professionals screen for them a year earlier, a new study found.
When a polar satellite designed to improve weather forecasting launched early Thursday, an experimental heat shield tagged along. It could land humans on Mars.
With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, people who are eligible for an updated Covid-19 vaccine booster but still haven't received the shot will need to roll up their sleeves Thursday to get as much protection as possible before the holiday.
A multistate outbreak of listeria linked to deli meat and cheese has sickened over a dozen people and caused one death and a pregnancy loss, the CDC announced. Here's how to protect yourself.
The James Webb Space Telescope has snapped a remarkably detailed image of a nearby dwarf galaxy. The near-infrared view reveals the deepest glimpse yet into a stellar panorama that could offer astronomers an ideal means of studying aspects of the early universe.
If you have a certain level of high blood pressure because you're not diagnosed or you're not taking your medications, you are at high risk for severe Covid, hospitalization or even death, a new study found.
Well-meaning advice for people stressing out about current events often includes encouragement to be patient, stay calm and keep the faith -- but how on Earth are you supposed to do that when the onslaught of troubling news seems never to stop?
Scientists have transfused lab-made red blood cells into a human volunteer in a world-first trial that experts say has major potential for people with hard-to-match blood types or conditions such as sickle cell disease. The research could someday mean an end to long searches for compatible donors or dangerous transfusion reactions.
Stressful situations are a part of everyday life, but it can be a challenge managing the daily grind without feeling the heat. Whether you're stuck in traffic or in an anxiety-inducing thought pattern, your body's stress response naturally kicks in — breathing becomes rapid, your heart races, and blood pressure rises.
A seven-word inscription discovered by accident on a 3,700-year-old lice comb is the oldest known sentence written in an alphabet, according to a new study.
Why would a person pick a potential life partner without feeling the spark of sexual attraction? And can these relationships survive and thrive? Can sexual attraction be cultivated later? Therapist Ian Kerner shares what he's learned in his practice.
The wreck of the Titanic sits in two parts at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean, slowly decaying nearly 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) below the surface, but it's not alone. A sonar blip detected around 26 years ago has now revealed there's much more to this underwater area than previously thought.
