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Explained

What’s next in the Ozempic era?

Diabetes, weight loss and now heart health: A new family of drugs is changing the way scientists are thinking about obesity — and more uses are on the horizon

The US abortion decision is already having global impacts

OPINION: The reversal of Roe v. Wade is a tragedy not just for the United States, but for women everywhere

New antifungal medications are sorely needed

Better treatment for Candida auris, Aspergillus and other dangerous fungal pathogens is slow to come, even as rates of drug resistance rise. New therapies are in the pipeline, and hospital practices can help.

Battling arsenic pollution

Arsenic-poisoned water remains a threat to public health the world over. Scientists hope to change that.

Postpartum depression: Better remedies, and now a predictive blood test

Scientists are learning more about this leading complication of childbirth. Treatments are improving and doctors can test for biological markers that flag heightened risk.

Tracking down the hidden pollutants that make wildlife sick

A new technique for detecting unknown and unlooked-for chemicals is revealing dozens of contaminants in alligators, sea lions and condors

Achieving lasting remission for HIV

People infected with HIV must take antiretroviral drugs for life. But promising trials using engineered antibodies suggest that ‘functional cures’ may be in reach.

HIV medications: Did fears about side effects come to pass?

The emergence of antiretroviral drugs saved millions of lives — but some worried about long-term health problems. Here’s how that turned out.

What is the protein of the future?

OPINION: It’s sustainable, nutritious and delicious. Scientists need to ramp up efforts to meet this urgent need.

Progress fighting pancreatic cancer — one of the deadliest malignancies

Better outcomes may come from new drugs, strategies to rev up the immune system and learning to identify the disease sooner in its course

Preventing the next pandemic: Exploring the origins and spread of animal viruses

VIDEO: Watch our conversation about how infectious agents are transmitted from one species to another, and what can be done to prevent future pandemics

The remaining frontiers in fighting hepatitis C

A scientist whose work was key to identifying, studying and finding treatments for this life-threatening virus discusses the scientific journey and challenges that persist

Beating back the Aedes aegypti mosquito

Scientists are taking a multipronged approach to tackle this dangerous carrier of dengue, yellow fever and other noxious viruses

The pernicious infections infiltrating Ukraine’s front lines

Doctors and scientists are waging a shadow war in the besieged nation: bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. The deadly bugs are now knocking on western Europe’s door.

Everything you need to know about bird flu

How dangerous is it? Where did it come from? H5N1 influenza’s origins stretch back to the 1990s, and key events paved the way for the outbreak we’re seeing today.

Why disease outbreaks on Chinese fur farms are a serious risk to public health

Farming animals for fur is not only cruel but also provides an ideal environment for viruses to mix and cross over into humans

Getting rid of bed bugs: Trickier than ever

The blood-sucking insects now show up in two varieties and are resistant to many pesticides. New eradication strategies include fungal spores and nasty human odors.

How to short-circuit short-term thinking

OPINION: Human behavior is fueling major social dilemmas — from climate change to the Covid pandemic to the spread of misinformation. But that means it’s also the solution, if only we can harness psychology for the common good.

Top science stories of 2025

In a year of funding chaos, ongoing climate change and pollution perils, we also saw the most powerful telescope yet, personalized gene therapy, and the next-best-thing to an HIV vaccine — not to mention a brand-new color

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