Michaeleen Doucleff

Think of it as a gift within a gift. Some beneficial gut bacteria contain viruses called "bacteriophages." And some of these phages now have been associated with good intestinal health in humans.

Before the games, computer scientists weren't worried about the spread of Zika. But some public health experts were. What does the data show?

A virus is generally like a little ball with a few genes. Now scientists have found one that's broken up into five little balls — as if it were dismembered.

Babies born with small heads are "just the tip of the iceberg" of what Zika does to a fetus's brain, says Dr. Deborah Levine, a contributor to a new study.

So far, health officials know of 37 confirmed cases of people who contracted Zika from mosquitoes in Miami. But computer models suggest the underlying outbreak in Miami is bigger — and spreading.

Some people are trying to treat autoimmune problems with an unlikely tool: worms that live in your gut, permanently. Scientists are finally starting to figure out whether they work.

Health officials thought they were close to wiping out the parasite. It's been President Carter's dream for decades. But the dogs of Chad have turned out to be a major problem.

Russia is experiencing its first anthrax outbreak in more than 70 years. One child died. Health officials think it might have been triggered by warming permafrost, which unleashed dormant bacteria.

Federal health officials are cautioning pregnant travelers to avoid a Miami neighborhood where at least 14 cases of the virus have been traced to local mosquitoes. What about the rest of Florida?

A massive study looks at how heights around the world have changed over the past century.

AIDS is the biggest killer of young women in southern Africa, where many are sexually abused. The CEO of a nonprofit is trying to tip the balance to women with an unlikely tool: a vaginal ring.

Scientists have evidence that the epidemic in Latin America may have started to subside. But the U.S. isn't out of the woods yet.

Most Americans will, at some point, suffer back pain, but there are a few cultures where back pain hardly exists. (This piece originally aired on June 8, 2015 on Morning Edition.)

Scientists are making impressive progress in creating a vaccine for Zika. And they're using a new technology that makes vaccine development faster than ever.

A crazy idea helped get rid of the screwworm fly, which once took a toll on cattle. Now the strategy is being used in the battle against Zika.

So far, data suggest that Zika doesn't pose the same risk of neurological defects to babies and children as it does to fetuses in the womb. But doctors don't know the long-term effects of the virus.

Scientists tracked nearly 600 pregnant women in Colombia, who were reportedly infected with Zika during their third trimester. None of these women gave birth to a baby with apparent problems.

A few months ago, health officials published a map that made it look like a big part of the U.S. was at high risk for Zika. Now they've released a new map that paints a very different picture.

The first question: Should you go at all? The next question: If you do go, how do you protect yourself?

There's a heated battle about the Olympics in Rio. Some health experts are calling for the games to be moved because of Zika. Others say attending the games doesn't pose a threat.