A Medieval French Skeleton Is Rewriting the History of Syphilis
Christopher Columbus was blamed for bringing syphilis to Europe. New DNA evidence suggests it was already there. Maybe both stories are true.
A Flesh-Eating Bacterium Is Creeping North as Oceans Warm
The Vibrio vulnificus pathogen thrives in hot coastal waters, and beachgoers can contract it via a small cut or scrape. It can also kill them in two days.
The Battle Against the Fungal Apocalypse Is Just Beginning
Fungal infections are rising worldwide and climate change may be to blame. Medicine isn’t ready.
This Scorching Summer Is Taking a Toll on Your Favorite Foods
A perfect storm of extreme weather and war have hit northern hemisphere crops like wheat, peaches, and olives. Welcome to the increasingly precarious future of food.
Ticks and the Diseases They Carry Are Spreading. Can This Drug Stamp Them Out?
A small study showed that feeding deer a type of ivermectin reduced the number of ticks drinking their blood. (Yes, it’s that ivermectin. No, you shouldn’t eat it.)
A Rare Domestic Resurgence of Malaria Is Circulating in the US
The mosquito-borne disease was eliminated here long ago. Now “revenge travel,” global migration, poor public funding—and maybe climate change—could help it come back.