Health & Medicine

Explore the current landscape for patient consent with this 1440 Original video tied to Henrietta Lacks' legacy.

US states have reported over $25B in tax revenue from recreational cannabis sales and medical marijuana.

Social media can be a valuable public health tool, combating misinformation, advancing health research, boosting social mobilization, and raising awareness of health services and events.

Small genetic changes that accumulate over time force flu vaccines to be updated regularly.

A baby's due date is calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period—not when sexual intercourse occurred.

Before alarm clocks, people relied more heavily on their circadian rhythms, humans hired to wake them, and on tools such as candle clocks that dropped pins in metal trays at roughly set intervals.

Oregon voters in 2020 greenlit adult use of psilocybin—the active ingredient in magic mushrooms—in state-licensed centers, and a 2026 analysis indicates the program has good safety and satisfaction data.

Vision experts generally don't recommend 'blue light blocking' glasses because there's no scientific evidence that the light from computer screens damages eyes.

Some dementia cases may be linked to treatable microorganism infections in the brain.

NASA worries about the reactivation of dormant viruses during missions—particularly the virus that causes shingles—because spaceflight suppresses the human immune system and elevates stress hormones, making it more challenging to stay healthy.

Explore a technical look at the measles virus and its toll on humanity through the ages.

West Nile Virus has been detected in American alligators, and outbreaks have led to substantial economic losses on alligator farms.

'Weight cycling'—when someone repeatedly loses and gains weight—can harm an individual's metabolism.

The oldest medical report of a near-death experience dates to around 1740.

The measles vaccine has saved an estimated 94 million lives since its introduction.

Patients are messaging their doctors online more than ever—recent research suggests portal messages have risen by 157% since 2020.

Social media platforms benefit not just from ensuring they have satisfied users, but also from the personal data they scoop up and can then sell to online advertisers.

See this graphic of the complex malaria transmission lifecycle.

Discover how strength training may help your brain and what happens inside your cells when you work out with this original '1440 Explores' podcast.

Discover the latest information on US measles cases in the US from official outbreak tracking figures.

Explore 1,800+ exercises with an interactive muscle map that lets you click any muscle to see targeted exercises, including video tutorials and written instructions.

A rare complication of measles is that, although a patient may appear to recover, the virus can linger in the body and continue to replicate, leading to a progressive and fatal breakdown of the central nervous system that occurs years or decades after initial infection.

Without the option of modern blood transfusions, some doctors in the mid-1800s tried to help save cholera patients by injecting them with cow's milk, hoping it would boost their nutrition and hydration.

In 1933, the influenza virus was first identified through 'ferret flu' experiments, which proved that the disease was viral—not bacterial.

Scientists are using CRISPR to genetically modify felines so they don't trigger allergies in humans.

Repeated head injuries, which may occur in collision sports at the youth, amateur, and professional levels, can lead to CTE and early dementia.

'Golden blood' is the rarest blood type in the world—fewer than 50 people are known to have it.

A scientist successfully treated her own breast cancer by injecting the tumor with lab-grown viruses.

Legionnaires' disease is named after a 1976 outbreak at a state convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia.

Bedbug problems have been increasing, and some 2023 research suggests the tiny insects may be capable of spreading 'superbug' MRSA.

See the global blindness burden by cause and continent.

Explore this blood type interactive to learn more about how the 8 most common blood types are defined.

A robot can now stand in for a phlebotomist and draw blood from adult patients after the FDA approved the device in August 2026.

Scientists are using CRISPR to genetically modify felines so they don't trigger allergies in humans.

About 95% of people are naturally immune to leprosy.

Narcolepsy occurs when the brain loses its ability to control its sleep-wake cycle.

Hear what it's like to have malaria from a patient who suffered from the mosquito-borne disease.

Sleeping on a problem does seem to help—in fact research published in 2026 suggests scientists can seed people's dreams with sound cues about a difficult puzzle during REM sleep and they'll be better able to solve it.

Gut microbiome experiments involving transfers of gut microbes from depressed people to rodents indicate that the rodents may then display depression-like symptoms.

Farts are tiny status reports from our gut microbiome, with American adults typically passing gas more than 30 times daily.

Jaundice, which can make the skin and eyes appear yellow, is a buildup of bilirubin, a waste product that forms when old red blood cells break down.

GLP-1s may weaken the effectiveness of birth control and affect other medications, hindering how and when they circulate through the blood.

If hearing is damaged, the brain may amplify remaining sounds, perhaps causing tinnitus.

See which countries have already reached their peak population, and when others will eventually reach theirs.

Tommy John surgery, which can save a pitcher's career, reconstructs a torn ligament in the inner side of the elbow that would otherwise stabilize the elbow during throws.

A rare complication of measles is that, although a patient may appear to recover, the virus can linger in the body and continue to replicate, leading to a progressive and fatal breakdown of the central nervous system that occurs years or decades after initial infection.

The additive effects of smoking, diabetes, and poor diet are the biggest risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer.

See this list of FDA-approved gene therapies, including offerings for inherited conditions as well as some forms of cancer.

There was a backlog of at least 25,000 untested rape kits in 2022, according to data submitted from 30 states and Washington, DC.

Cats have a mutation that prevents them from tasting sweetness, and goldfish rank among the world's supertasters. (Paywall may apply.)