The first identification of Alzheimer's was made in 1906

Read the original 1907 paper on the first known Alzheimer's patient

Alzheimer's disease was first identified by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1901, following a postmortem brain examination of a patient experiencing memory loss and other symptoms. Alzheimer's original paper was largely lost until 1995, when an English translation was published in a medical journal.

Five to ten percent of Alzheimer's cases are early-onset

Early-onset Alzheimer’s typically emerges around 40 to 50 years of age, with devastating effects. This video follows Brian, diagnosed with the disease at age 54, as he travels the country as an advocate for research and discusses the progressive mental fog of Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer's brain changes may begin years before symptoms appear

The debilitating disorder degrades cognitive abilities. Its symptoms may start with subtle memory issues, but by the time patients notice any changes, neural changes may already be progressing, such as the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques between neurons and tau protein tangles within them.

1440: Everything you need to know about Alzheimer's

What is Alzheimer's, and is it different from dementia? In short, yes—Alzheimer's is a specific brain disease that falls under the umbrella of dementia. However it is the most prevalent form of the condition, accounting for 60 to 80% of reported dementia cases.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Memory disorders disrupt the brain's ability to make, store, or recall memories

These disorders stem from reversible issues like vitamin deficiencies or irreversible causes such as stroke or dementia. Only one type of dementia—familial Alzheimer’s disease—is directly inherited and accounts for about 20% of Alzheimer’s cases.

Smell is a robust memory cue for individuals with Alzheimer's disease

Odor is more effective than both visual and verbal cues for triggering autobiographical recall in Alzheimer's disease, according to 2021 research.

Does our fear of Alzheimer's create stigma around its treatment?

Surveys suggest our fear of Alzheimer's as a disease outranks that of heart disease and cancer. This piece argues our fear of aging and the slipping away of our mental capacities make it more difficult to treat Alzheimer's compassionately.

Analysis finds dementia was rare in ancient Greece

Ancient medical texts seldom mention severe cognitive decline, suggesting that such conditions were uncommon. This scarcity is attributed to factors like shorter lifespans and active lifestyles, implying that modern environmental and lifestyle changes—along with longer life expectancy—contribute to the current prevalence of dementia.

More than 200 drug trials for Alzheimer's have failed or been abandoned since 2010

The complexity of Alzheimer's disease, coupled with decades of underfunded research efforts, has left patients with little in the way of effective treatments. In recent years, scientists have synthesized several drugs that studies show can slow the progression of Alzheimer's—though the disease itself remains incurable.

Alkaptonuria was the first identified genetic disorder

In 1902, a rare recessive mutation was determined to cause alkaptonuria—a disease that induces dark pigmentation of connective tissue. The responsible gene was not isolated until the 1990s.

A top Alzheimer's researcher was accused of faking results

In 2021, an investigation revealed photo manipulation in images from a seminal 2006 paper by researcher Sylvain Lesné on the role of amyloid plaques in progressive Alzheimer's disease. The revelation rocked the field, leaving many wondering whether they had tried to build on fabricated results. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

The virus was officially described for the first time in 1789

Michael Underwood, an English physician and surgeon, was the first to describe the disorder, noting it caused disability in the lower extremities in children. Large-scale outbreaks of the disease were not observed until the late 19th century.

Food allergies were first documented more than 4,000 years ago

Although food allergies are on the rise in modern times, they have been documented in written records for thousands of years. More than 3,000 years ago, Chinese emperors advised patients to avoid certain foods, and Hippocrates noted in his work that food could cause serious harm to certain individuals, and even lead to death.

In 1933, the influenza virus was first identified through “ferret flu” experiments

In 1933, British researchers dripped filtered nasal fluids from a sick colleague into ferrets, which quickly developed “ferret flu.” This experiment proved influenza was viral, not bacterial, and established the basis for modern flu vaccines.

LSD was discovered accidentally after its inventor touched his face and hallucinated

Unlike many drugs, the first time a human ever tripped on acid was recorded first-hand by a scientist. Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, curious about the "not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition" that overcame him after an accidental exposure, set up a rigorous experiment to test the drug's effects on himself.

Ménière's disease was first identified in 1861

This condition is named after the French clinician Prosper Ménière, who first identified it as being linked to the inner ear, noting it was a disorder of the semicircular canals. It tends to occur in people who are 40 years old or older.

Cell theory originated from microscopic observations of cork and dental plaque

In the mid-1600s, Robert Hooke identified compartment-like structures—which he called cells—in cork, and Anton van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria in samples of his dental scrapings. Almost 200 years later, Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann showed that plants and animals, respectively, are composed of cells, proving that cells are the foundation of all living things.

The history of chemistry, from alchemists to probing atoms before World War I

Those involved in the predecessor of the modern scientific discipline engaged in experimentation to develop recipes that would transform ordinary matter into gold and to create medicines, cosmetics, dyes, and alloys. Over the course of centuries, scientists identified unique elements, organized them based on their properties in the periodic table, and eventually developed the technology to discover the internal structure of atoms.

The term schizophrenia was coined by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1908

He launched the word during a lecture at the German Psychiatric Association in Berlin. In his talk he focused on the splitting of psychic functioning as a defining feature of the disease and noted it wasn't associated with dementia or factors like early puberty onset.

Can you guess which ancient human skull is which?

When scientists discover a new fossil skull, they compare it to skulls that have already been identified as particular early human species. In this activity, you get the chance to be the scientist! Choose a mystery skull to identify by clicking on it.

Computer scientists first started trying to optimize dating using computers in the 1950s

Although early dating sites like Match.com weren't launched until the 1990s, the history of dating apps dates arguably back to the mid-1900s when computer scientists used IBM computers to solve matchmaking and compatibility problems.

Meet Alphonse Desjardins, a credit union pioneer

The first credit union opened in Germany in 1864, but the bank alternative didn’t reach North America until 1901. That’s when Canadian journalist Alphonse Desjardins introduced the concept to his hometown with a starter 10-cent deposit. Desjardins helped launch the first US credit union just eight years later. This engaging timeline highlights Desjardins, his contributions to credit unions, and how the institutions have evolved over the last 100-plus years. Scroll through the timeline here.

Lyme disease-causing bacteria predate any suspected biological weapons testing

Borrelia bacteria existed long before any US biological weapons program—or human presence in North America. One study comparing genomes of the bacteria behind Lyme disease collected samples of the bacteria over three decades and calculated that the bacterium has been in North America longer than humans, at least 60,000 years. Other work found related bacteria preserved in amber from millions of years ago.

The term 'artificial intelligence' was coined in 1956

Dartmouth professor John McCarthy introduced the term during a summer workshop aimed at exploring how to make machines perform human-like tasks. Two years later, Perceptron Mark I became one of the first neural network machines.

A 94-year-old stumbles upon a photo of herself from 1947 at an airport

Earlier this year, Gwendolyn Bruhn, who worked for Hawaiian Airlines in the 1940s, spotted herself in a photo blown up on an airport wall. Here's her story.

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.

The concept of phantom limbs, the perception that amputated limbs are still present, dates back to a French military surgeon in the 16th century.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

A researcher recently discovered an interview from 1967 between groundbreaking journalist Joan Didion and the Grateful Dead, years before the band became an institution.

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

Walt Disney's early film 'Alice's Wonderland' was a groundbreaking innovation in the silent film era

Learn more about the history of fireworks, which dates back to an accidental invention during an alchemist's quest for information about immortality.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

The term 'algorithm' originated from the Latinized name of al-Khwārizmī, a 9th-century mathematician whose works introduced Arabic numerals and the decimal-based numeral system to Europe and whose treatise 'Al-Jabr' gave algebra its name.

Poison ivy was sent to Europe in the 1600s as an exotic, ornamental oddity, where it was purposefully grown in the English royal gardens at Kew, the Faculty of Medicine in Paris, and a few other locations.

This real-time tracking of the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak in May 2026 offers a unique glimpse into the global reach of the outbreak and whether the virus sickened passengers and their communities around the world.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

The first robot in literature may have been a 'mechanical man' in 1907's 'Ozma of Oz,' a book in L Frank Baum's 'Wizard of Oz' series.

The Dracula character, now seen as the vampire archetype, was inspired by a seafood-induced nightmare its creator experienced.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

Trace how the Bill of Rights, inspired by centuries of political theory, took shape between 1774 and 1789.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

The US first hosted the World Cup in 1994, a tournament that lives in soccer infamy for its poor planning and the murder of Colombian player Andres Escobar, who'd accidentally scored on his own net.

While atoms are normally made of protons, neutrons, and electrons, exotic ones have been built with antimatter—alternate versions of normal matter that live for fractions of a second and are about a billion times as rare.