A Polio Quarantine Card outlining the Act of Assembly Act from 1909

The Origin of Quarantine

Such forms of enforced isolation are referenced as far back as the Old Testament, while the word "quarantine" itself dates to the late medieval Plague.
A close-up of a finger prick diabetes test

Stem Cells Offer Hope for Treating Type I Diabetes

Douglas Melton’s stem cell lab at Harvard published a landmark study in Cell documenting a huge step towards treating Type I Diabetes
Illustration from 1411 depicting Moses standing between two individuals laying down and covered with boils

Infection Control 600 Years Before the CDC

Modern health authorities combating the Ebola virus in West Africa might look to medieval infection control for inspiration.
Marijuana plant

Is Marijuana Good for Public Health?

What if the rise in marijuana smoking prompted by legalization brings more than just tolerable negative side effects? What if it is actually good for public health?
Various fruit with a sectioned orange in the foreground

Train Your Brain to Prefer Healthy Food?

Researchers in Boston found that it may be possible to train the brain to unconsciously prefer healthier, more nutritious foods. 
A tagged dairy cow stands in the middle of a flowering field.

Is Beef Really Worse for the Environment Than Driving?

What’s the single biggest action a person can take to reduce their personal impact on climate change? It would seem that the answer is to eat less beef.
Bathroom sign with instructions on how to properly wash hands.

How to Wash Your Hands

The research behind hand washing and MRSA, a resistant bacteria.
A medical professional prepares a patient for testing.

The ABCs of Ebola

A is for don’t panic. The rest is science.
Fist full of soap suds

Is Our Soap Hurting Us?

Julia Scott, a writer and radio producer in San Francisco, was recently a test subject for a living ...