Stories by Lauren J. Young

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

Scientific American staff and sleep experts share advice on how to get better sleep in the stressful days leading up to the U.S. presidential election—and those that come after

Harris recently proposed a Medicare plan that would cover at-home health aides and other long-term care services, which could provide much needed relief to older adults and caregivers

Wegovy and similar weight-loss medications are becoming widely prescribed for teenagers with obesity, but little is known about their long-term effects

As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, people in recently storm-stricken areas grapple with the physical and mental health tolls of evacuating and seeking shelter

Both Trump and Harris pledge to make drug prices affordable and health care accessible. Here’s how their policies differ

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

New research harnessed the highly absorbent dye tartrazine, used as the common food coloring Yellow No. 5, to turn tissues in living mice clear—temporarily revealing organs and vessels inside the animals

Personal stories and research reveal the challenges of family caregiving.

An expert explains the transmission and symptoms of eastern equine encephalitis, a rare mosquito-borne illness that has caused one death and two hospitalizations in northeastern states

Researchers combined the drug harmine with a medication similar to Ozempic to boost the number and function of human insulin-producing cells transplanted into mice

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

Researchers are investigating changes in cancer risks among young people as new data predict that rising rates of leading cancers, such as colon cancer, will overtake improvements

Flash pasteurization destroyed H5N1 viral particles that were highly concentrated in raw milk, confirming that standard techniques can keep dairy products safe from bird flu

Blockbuster weight-loss drugs are revealing how appetite, pleasure and addiction work in the brain

COVID numbers are low, but some evidence suggests they could be rising. Here’s how to protect yourself this summer, according to experts

Experts explain how certain worms can infect the brain and why they are an important global public health problem

Changing demographics mean shrinking families and more older relatives in future decades

When symptoms start, COVID tests may say you’re not infected when you really are.

Ozempic and similar drugs are ushering in a new era of weight management and obesity treatments, and researchers are racing to understand their impact

Experts weigh in on how you can navigate social gatherings and travel as respiratory illnesses rise this winter

Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for mRNA vaccine discoveries that made highly effective COVID vaccines possible

COVID hospitalizations are slowly rising again this summer, causing scientists and clinicians to rethink if or when the disease will become a seasonal illness

Drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic might help people tackle substance abuse as well as shed pounds.