Quick Naps Are Good for Your Brain
Daytime naps of about 30 minutes really improve your thinking and may spark creativity.
Stories by Josh Fischman
Josh Fischman is a senior editor at Scientific American who covers medicine, biology and science policy. He has written and edited about science and health for Discover, Science, Earth, and U.S. News & World Report. Follow Josh Fischman on Twitter.
What Are Ultraprocessed Foods, and Are They Bad for You?
More than half of our diet consists of foods that have been industrially processed in some way, and they may be harmful to our health
How to Handle This New COVID Season
The dangerous virus is still here. Here’s how you can stay safe.
A Popular Decongestant Doesn’t Work. What Does?
The popular decongestant phenylephrine is not effective, an FDA panel found. Here’s what to use instead.
2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Goes to Tiny Quantum Dots with Huge Effects
Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of quantum dots, an entirely new class of material that is used in large-screen TVs and cancer surgery
Should You Get a Blood Test For Alzheimer’s?
Consumers can now get easy tests for Alzheimer’s. But these tests may not really help patients that much—yet.
This Tick Bite Makes You Allergic to Red Meat
The bite of the lone star tick makes people allergic to a sugar found in mammalian products, and many doctors don’t know about it.
See How Stress Affects Inflammatory Bowel Disease
In inflammatory bowel disease, mental stress can produce two painful responses
Hearing Aids Stave Off Cognitive Decline
Hearing aids may help maintain better brain functions in older people and better health overall.
Could Weight-Loss Drugs Curb Addiction? Your Health, Quickly, Episode 12
Drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic might help people tackle substance abuse as well as shed pounds.
How Stress Messes With Your Gut
Inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups can be traced to mental stress
Doctor AI Will See You Now
ChatGPT and other AI programs can offer medical advice. But how good are they?
How to Cool Down Fast in Summer Heat
Your body has a secret cooling method, and scientists explain how to use it.
MDMA Moves from Club Drug to Real Therapy
The party drug MDMA could soon be approved for treating people with severe PTSD.
The End of the COVID Emergency and What It Means for You
What you pay for tests, vaccines, and medicine will change
Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder through the ‘Community’ of Ella
We learn the story of “Ella,” a patient with 12 different personalities, or “parts,” and of her therapist, who helped her form a peaceful community—many selves in one body and mind.
A 19th-Century Obscenity Law Is Being Used Again to Limit Abortion
Recent rulings on the abortion pill cite the Comstock Act, a 150-year-old law that’s still on the books
The Bad Side of ‘Good’ Cholesterol
Very high HDL cholesterol levels almost double your risk of heart problems.
We Have Good News for Coffee Lovers
A careful new study reveals coffee is generally safe for your heart and may boost your daily step count.
Long COVID’s Roots in the Brain: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 3
Post-COVID symptoms can linger for months or years, and more and more evidence points to problems with the nervous system.
RSV Vaccines Are Coming At Last: Your Health, Quickly, Episode 2
A vaccine pioneer tells us that shots to protect against RSV—a dangerous virus for babies and older people—are finally nearing approval.
The Pandemic’s Mental Toll, and Does Telehealth Work? Your Health, Quickly, Episode 1
Hosts Josh Fischman and Tanya Lewis explore the pandemic’s mental health toll on teens and young adults. They also delve into the effectiveness of telehealth, which has been booming since the start of the pandemic.
How Vaccines Saved Money and Lives and China’s Zero-COVID Protests: COVID, Quickly Podcast, Episode 44
Vaccines saved New York City billions of dollars, and China faces public fury over its strict virus-control policies.
New Halloween ‘Scariant’ Variants and Boosting Your Immunity: COVID, Quickly, Episode 41
In a new episode of the COVID, Quickly podcast, we talk about the variants that are likely to be around this winter and how boosters help even if you’ve already had the disease.