Health workers may cool body temperatures with convection cooling

13 unconventional ways to stay cool during heat waves

While air conditioning is the default solution for many in a heat wave, it can get expensive while requiring the consumption of fossil fuel energy. So, how else can you stay cool during a heat wave? This list compiles some practical, at times quirky, suggestions, including an ice-pack-filled aubergine hat.

Heatstroke is when the body's core temperature becomes dangerously high—and needs to cool

Warning signs that the body is overheating include rapid breathing, cramps, heavy sweating, nausea, and feeling lightheaded. Drinking plenty of fluids, seeking shade, and cooling the body down as quickly as possible with icepacks can help reduce the risk of heatstroke.

Heatstroke treatment guidelines were built almost exclusively on research in men

Protocols for the standard treatment recommendation for heatstroke—whole-body cold water immersion—were built based on studies almost entirely in men. The research wasn't replicated in women, who typically cool faster than men during cold water immersion, raising questions about standard protocol safety for women, due to the risk of overcooling.

Data centers require interconnected server- and building-level cooling systems

Computer equipment can be cooled by circulating cold air or water through the equipment racks, siphoning the heated fluid into a heat exchanger. This exchanger transfers thermal energy to building cooling systems, which can dispose of the heat by evaporative cooling—the way humans cool off by sweating—or via air conditioning.

Certain medications that affect blood flow or mood boost the risk of heatstroke

Drugs that narrow blood vessels, beta blockers that regulate blood pressure, diuretics, antidepressants, and antipsychotics can all affect the body's ability to regulate its internal body temperature, and so individuals taking these medications need to take special care in extreme heat and when exercising in hot conditions.

Extreme heat puts people at risk of developing kidney stones

It's essential to remain hydrated in summer weather to keep your body healthy, but one reason is to help dilute minerals that naturally build up if they aren't excreted in our water-fueled urine. Doctors recommend people generally drink 64 ounces of water a day and also eat foods with salt to help ward off dehydration.

Some data shows cold showers can help with depression

An icy water exposure can lead to the release of norepinephrine, cortisol, dopamine, and other stress hormones that are beneficial, among other potential effects. Some data shows that this type of exposure can help combat depression symptoms among some patients, but more research is still needed. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Wind chill speeds up the loss of heat from the body

During cold weather conditions, strong winds against exposed skin can produce a sensation of temperature colder than the surrounding air temperature. The accelerated loss of body heat increases the risk of frostbite and hypothermia, with frostbite able to set in as quickly as five minutes.

Korey Stringer, of the Minnesota Vikings, died of heat-related illness in 2001

In response, the NFL overhauled its heat approach and no other player has since died from heat-related illness. Even at the high school level, research suggests safety measures should include: mandating water breaks, keeping a cool tub available, and having athletes acclimate to high-temperature playing conditions for a week or longer before donning the full set of protective equipment.

Water vapor is used to manage heat in high-end smartphones

While smartphones have traditionally been cooled using a highly conductive plate that dissipates heat from the chip, vapor chambers offer a higher heat-removal capacity. This technology has been utilized in laptops for decades to absorb heat by cycling a fluid between liquid and gaseous phases.

Schizophrenia increases heat death risks in several complex ways

Evidence shows that people with schizophrenia have an inherently harder time regulating internal body temperatures. They may also struggle to find safe shelter during extreme heat, and their prescribed antipsychotic medications often have dehydrating effects, collectively elevating the risk of heat-related illness and death, as illustrated by this article that focuses on the final days of Stephan Goodwin's life in 2022. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Watch the cumbersome, but necessary, precautions healthcare workers must take to care for and protect themselves while caring for Ebola patients.

Watch the cumbersome, but necessary, precautions healthcare workers must take to care for and protect themselves while caring for Ebola patients

Treating someone with Ebola involves a painstaking process of suiting up (donning) and peeling off (doffing) protective gear. Doctors follow detailed CDC guidelines. Properly suiting up is key to protecting against fluids that transmit Ebola, and correctly removing a suit that could be contaminated with the virus is also critical.

Broken or neglected air conditioners are risky for respiratory health

A well-maintained air conditioner can typically keep out unwanted pathogens, but units that are dusty or water-logged can foster germs and cause harm. AC units also remove moisture from the air, potentially causing mucus membranes to dry out and become vulnerable to infection.

Bath bombs can produce endothermic reactions that cool water

In bath bombs containing citric acid and sodium bicarbonate, water facilitates the reaction between the bicarbonate and acid, providing energy as the salt dissolves. The loss of energy in the water reduces the average speed of the water molecules, reducing the temperature of the bath.

Fevers are an immune response to create hurdles for pathogens

Substances called pyrogens prompt the brain to raise the body temperature to levels where bacteria and viruses struggle to survive. The higher temps also support immune cells fighting off the invaders.

Wearing tick repellent, covering up, and performing tick checks are the best Lyme prevention

Spraying repellents onto your clothes—and reapplying them—or donning impregnated bug-repelling clothes can help keep ticks away. Effective sprays include DEET, picaridin, or permethrin. Bug spray applied to the body should be applied on top of sunscreen, and only after the sunscreen has dried.

Explaining the Leidenfrost effect, where water can hover and move against gravity

Water droplets can glide across surfaces whose temperatures are well above water's boiling point. This heat instantly vaporizes the bottom of the droplet, creating a layer of steam that the rest of the droplet rides and bounces upon. This can be seen when sprinkling water on skillets to determine if the surface is hot enough to cook on.

Watch how to safely remove water from your ears

Do not stick a Q-tip into the ear canal—it can cause microtears of the delicate skin there and elevate infection risks. Instead, try tapping on the side of your tilted head after swimming to break the surface tension so water will drip out, or pulling your earlobe in different directions while the ear is pointed downwards. Another suggested approach is to place a few droplets of isopropyl alcohol or over-the-counter eardrops inside the ear to speed evaporation. If those approaches don't work, consider contacting your physician.

Freezer burn is the result of moisture leaving ice cream

The ice cream death knell occurs when water crystals melt and then refreeze on the surface of the treat, creating a crunchy (but far from delectable) shell. The best way to prevent this unfortunate outcome is by storing your ice cream in a freezer that’s colder than 0°F.

Self-care can't fix burnout on its own

Steps such as exercise, breathing, mindful eating, and spending time with friends, can help alleviate the fight-or-flight mode response of the body to alleviate stress, but they don't fix the stressors causing the burnout. To address those, workplaces may need to consider how to better manage workloads and duties.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

Inside the James Webb's amazing sun shields

The Webb team has stationed its mammoth observatory in solar orbit—and brought its instruments below 40 kelvins (minus 233 ºC). Remarkably, most of the cooling has been done passively, by shielding the telescope from the sun and letting physics take care of the rest.

Conditioners can help unshrink garments by lubricating fibers

Textile fibers relax and shrink due to heat and moisture, disrupting hydrogen bonds. While loosely knitted fabrics are more prone to shrinkage than tightly woven ones, synthetic fibres like polyester resist shrinkage due to their crystalline structure.

Tropical cyclone formation require warm water and limited vertical wind shear

Ocean temperatures above 27 degrees Celsius fuel rising, moist air, which releases energy through heat as water vapor condenses into clouds. Significant changes in wind speed with height can spread out these upflows, preventing the eventual formation of a central column known as the eye.

Harvard and MIT researchers are developing life-saving tattoos

Tattoos aren’t just a fashion statement. Scientists are trying to find life-saving applications for them. Harvard and MIT researchers are developing tattoo inks that react to body chemicals, alerting diabetics to blood sugar fluctuations or athletes to dehydration. Someday, patients may observe their body chemistry with tattoos that change colors.

Why you have to airlift rhinos upside down

Conservationists in Namibia have found that airlifting rhinos upside down is actually better for their health than lying them down on stretchers. A study by Cornell University found that rhinos have higher blood oxygen levels when upside down, which is critical for their survival during transport. The upside-down position also allows the rhino's spine to relax, which can help to prevent injuries. This new finding could revolutionize the way that rhinos are moved.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

Between 10 million and 50 million people in the US develop rashes from poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak each year.

Experimental hantavirus vaccines and therapies, still under development, have long been funded by the US military.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

Against his wishes, Albert Einstein's brain was removed before his cremation, and the pathologist responsible stored it for decades in mason jars within a beer cooler.

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

In recent years a child anxiety expert has created and tested a novel phobia and anxiety treatment approach for children, focused on changing how parents respond to the fears.

While El Niño moves warm Pacific Ocean waters east along the equator, La Niña moves them west, shifting where rainfall will become more common for months.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

Astronauts have repaired genetic damage in space using CRISPR—a molecular tool that can make precise changes to DNA and is used in single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses.

Tattoos remain visible on your skin thanks to immune cells called macrophages

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

US intelligence allegedly pursued more than 600 schemes to assassinate Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.