How Children Took the Smallpox Vaccine around the World
In 1803, nearly two dozen orphan boys endured long voyages and physical discomfort to transport the smallpox vaccine to Spain's colonies.
Blaming People for Getting Sick Has a Long History
Four major theories of disease transmission dominated scientific discourse in the nineteenth century. As one scholar writes, all were political.
Police Violence Is a Public Health Issue
Research makes the case that people who fear police violence are less likely to seek out health care.
Alondra Nelson: Leave More Genius Work Behind
How do those who have been the objects of scientific study and medical experimentation become the agents or the producers of scientific knowledge?
The Origins of the CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began during World War II to prevent the spread of malaria to troops stationed in the South.
The Weird Ways People Have Tied Blood Types to Identity
Scientific racism. Paternity tests. And mass tattooing, just in case of nuclear attack.
Cytokine Storms: The Cruel Irony of an Immune Response
When bodies fight back against infection, they can overwhelm themselves with their own destructive force.
How Doctors Make End-of-Life Choices
Many people facing the end of their life receive treatments that ultimately have no benefit. A team of researchers set out to find out why.
Preprints, Science, and the News Cycle
Preprints are academic papers that haven't been peer-reviewed yet. When preprints make news, that's often overlooked.