Urban Ebola? Why the Latest Outbreak in Uganda Raises Worries
The presence of an infected person in the country’s capital, Kampala, has got the city freaked out — and it could be a rehearsal for the next great pandemic
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H5N1 Paper Published: Deadly, Transmissible Bird Flu Could Be Closer than Thought
After an epic debate over whether to release research detailing how scientists created H5N1 in the lab, Nature finally published one of the two controversial papers on Wednesday.
Drug-Resistant Malaria Is Spreading, and It Could Be a Public Health Disaster
Artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites first emerged in Cambodia in 2006. Now researchers say the deadly bugs are quickly spreading.
Bad Food: Illnesses from Imported Food Are on the Rise, CDC Says
The biggest sources of illness from imported foods in recent years: fish and spices.
Soda Wars: Can the Color in Your Cola Give You Cancer?
A public-health advocacy group is on a mission to get caramel coloring banned from soda on the grounds that it may cause cancer.
Bird Flu: More Common, Less Deadly than We Thought?
A new study suggests H5N1 is more easily spread and far less deadly than scientists believed. What does that mean for work on potentially lethal man-made versions of the virus?
Study: BPA May Be Linked with Heart Disease
Researchers link the ubiquitous chemical, found in plastics and in the lining of food and beverage cans, to an increased risk of heart disease in humans.
Oh, Baby: There May Be Arsenic in Your Formula
A new study suggests that organic brown-rice syrup — a sweetener used in many organic and gluten-free foods, including baby formula — may be a hidden source of arsenic
The Great Introverts and Extroverts of Our Time
Herewith, TIME’s unscientific survey of loud (and quiet) giants — it takes both kinds to make history. Read the related TIME cover story, “The Upside of Being an Introvert,” available to subscribers here.
How a New Swine Flu Virus Could Complicate Influenza Season
Since August, the CDC has logged 12 cases of human infection with H3N2, a new flu virus from pigs. Should we be worried?
Should Journals Describe How Scientists Made a Killer Flu?
In an unprecedented move, the U.S. government asked scientific journals not to publish the details of experiments on the deadly H5N1, for fear that the information could be used with malice. Is such censorship smart?
Arsenic and Old Rice: Should We Worry About a Toxic Chemical in a Popular Food?
Arsenic is nasty stuff. Concentrated doses of the chemical can be fatal — one reason it’s long been a popular poison for assassins and unhappy widows. And chronic high exposure has been linked to skin lesions, certain cancers …
Are Wi-Fi-Enabled Laptops Really Frying Your Sperm?
On the whole, I’m assuming that studies in the academic journal Fertility and Sterility — which include chart-toppers like “Are varicoceles associated with increased deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation?” — don’t receive a …