Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 31, 2012

Racing Nature: H5N1 Research Explained

To head off the possibility of a flu pandemic, scientists in two labs hit fast forward on the H5N1 virus, giving the virus a newfound ability to spread, something it lacks in nature, but could evolve. Their results offered a glimpse into a possible future for the virus. Details on...

Dec 31, 2011

Swallowing Parasitic Worms May Heal Your Ails

Parasitic worms may be useful in treating lung disease and healing wounds, according to a study published online today (Jan.15) in Nature Medicine. Although far from benign — these intestinal parasites infect more than a billion humans worldwide and kill or sicken hundreds of millions of people yearly — the...

Nov 30, 2013

Flu Vaccine May Work Better in Women

Women have a stronger immune response than men when given the flu vaccine, new research shows. This may mean that vaccinated women are better protected against catching the flu than vaccinated men, although the new study did not look at this directly, the researchers said. In the study, researchers examined...

Oct 31, 2013

What the heck is ... Peripheral Artery Disease?

Dr. Michael Go is a vascular surgeon at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Peripheral artery disease (PAD), also called peripheral vascular disease, is a narrowing of the peripheral arteries (arteries outside the heart). It is a common...

Aug 31, 2013

Infected and Hunched: King Richard III Was Crawling With Roundworms

William Shakespeare depicted King Richard III as a crooked ruler, due to the monarch's supposed ruthless demeanor and his curved spine. A new study suggests that in addition to scoliosis, Richard III suffered from a roundworm infection. Interest and research into the monarch has spiked since scientists found Richard III's...

Aug 31, 2013

What is Known, and Unknown, About Parkinson's Disease? (Op-Ed)

Dr. Punit Agrawal is a neurologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. This fall, Michael J. Fox is back in the spotlight again, making his return to primetime television with a new show on NBC. Two decades...

Jul 31, 2013

Ebola Treatment May Be On the Horizon (Op-Ed)

Jeff Nesbit was the director of public affairs for two prominent federal science agencies. This article was adapted from one that first appeared in U.S. News & World Report. Nesbit contributed the article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. U.S. Army medical researchers may have found an emergency treatment...

Jul 31, 2013

4 Immune Boosting Tips for Back-to-School Season

Strep throat, double ear infections and yet another nasty stomach bug. Is it biological warfare, or just another back-to-school season? Parents of young children know this scenario all too well, but this is a problem that affects many others too. Teachers, parents of teenagers and anyone attending classes themselves have...

Jun 30, 2013

Why MERS is Not the New SARS

The new virus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has been compared to that of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) — the viruses belong to the same family, and are particularly deadly to infected people — however, the two conditions have some important differences, a new study says. While...

May 31, 2013

As Cancer Deaths Fall, Malignant-Melanoma Rates Climb (Op-Ed)

Dr. Doris Day, a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The American Cancer Society reports that death rates for many cancers in the United States have fallen — but that's not the case for melanoma. In fact, the...

Feb 28, 2013

Too Much Tea Causes Unusual Bone Disease

A 47-year-old Michigan woman developed a bone disease rarely seen in the U.S. after she drank a pitcher of tea made from at least 100 tea bags daily, for 17 years, researchers report. The Detroit woman visited the doctor after experiencing pain in her lower back, arms, legs and hips...

Jan 31, 2013

Weight, Lack of Exercise Raise Risk of Colorectal Cancer

The heavier a person is and the less exercise he or she does, the greater the likelihood of developing a specific type of colorectal cancer, a new study finds. Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston analyzed data on weight and physical activity from questionnaires sent every two years...

Nov 30, 2014

US Cancer Death Rates Fall, Saving 1.5 Million Lives

The death rates from most cancers have dropped across the United States, sparing the lives of 1.5 million Americans over two decades, a new report found. There was a 22 percent decline in the average rate of all cancer deaths from 1991 (the year it peaked) to 2011, according to...

Oct 31, 2014

Have a Cold? Don't Ask Your Doctor for Antibiotics

This article was originally published on The Conversation. The publication contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to public health. Resistance makes it harder for physicians to treat infections and can increase the chance patients will die from an infection....

Sep 30, 2014

Watch for Fake Ebola Cures Online, FDA Warns

There is no approved treatment for patients infected with the Ebola virus, but that hasn't stopped online dealers from offering products they claim will prevent the virus or treat people who have the infection. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers today (Aug. 14) that products claiming to...