Emily Sohn

A lot of them smoke, though percentages vary widely from country to country for various reasons. When cigarettes sell for 10 cents each, that's definitely a boost for smoking.

A study adds to evidence that it's a matter of blood and genes. "Hopefully, there will be huge medical implications," says one researcher.

Today it's fidget spinners, but soon it will be another little gizmo that children dearly, desperately want. The complicated social dynamics of childhood are one big reason.

A measles outbreak in Minnesota's Somali-American community is the latest example of the challenges public health officials face in addressing deeply ingrained concerns about vaccine safety.

Because what mammal can take down a rodent that sniffs out land mines as well as TB — and jumps 5 feet in the air? Surely not tonight's competitor, the maned wolf.

Nepal's porters carry loads that can weigh more than they do, whether they're toting gear up Mt. Everest or carrying goods to market. A new study tries to figure out how they do it.

The Minnesota legislature is considering letting women who act as gestational surrogates get paid for carrying a fetus for other parents. States vary widely in their approach to the practice.

That's a question that is fairly new to science. Researchers are now looking at the possible links.

It's called Mayaro virus. It was first identified in 1954 and has been active near the Amazon. Now it appears to have popped up in Haiti.

What comes out of the tail end of worms appears to be very good for crops.

The first systematic study of viral hepatitis uncovers surprising facts about the often overlooked disease.

Teenagers are an overlooked group when it comes to global health. A new report offers often surprising insights into the threats to their health and well-being.

Doctors and midwives may have fled. Getting to a clinic could be risky. Women have even been shot while giving birth.

How did the Europeans do it? And are there lessons to be learned for the developing world?

In the developing world, women who want to space pregnancies can't always obtain birth control. A new insertion device for an IUD, post-childbirth, is being tested with promising results.

A 1974 report emphasized vitamins and minerals for malnourished kids, not protein. That was a game-changer. A new study asserts that protein is just as vital.

Every year, millions of kids and teenagers die around the world, often from preventable and treatable conditions. It is a troubling statistic. But if you look beneath the surface numbers, you'll find signs of hope, says Theo Vos, a professor of global health at the University of Washington in ...

Poor bats. Already typecast as movie villains and Halloween bad guys, the persecuted creatures have also been pummeled recently by a rapidly spreading fungal disease. Now this.

A new map published in the February edition of The American Naturalist highlights the hot spots where diseases are most likely ...

In the months after Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans in 2005, Tara Powell was one of the social workers on the scene, trying to help children cope with the disaster.

But as she and colleagues spent time in schools, it quickly became clear that the crisis interventions they were using ...

The misery began around 4:30 a.m. with the sound of my 7-year-old thumping into the hallway. He had already been up once, complaining of a stomachache. This time, I scrambled out of bed and shushed him so he wouldn't wake up his 2-year-old brother. He looked at me and moaned. ...