Research
Have trouble sleeping in a new place? Most do because of the first-night effect
The first night in a new place is always the same for Robinson Leoni: He takes longer to fall asleep, wakes up more often during the night and gets less sleep overall. At home he averages seven hours. The first night away — with or without earplugs and regardless of the bed’s quality — his […]
Ancient mummy DNA provides scientific evidence that colonization brought smallpox to the Americas
NEW YORK | Ancient mummy DNA recovered in Chile has yielded the firmest evidence yet that European colonization brought smallpox to the Americas. Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history before it was eradicated in 1980, largely thanks to vaccination. For centuries, the virus had killed about one-third of the people it […]
Study suggests the threat of mold-associated illnesses may be underappreciated
NEW YORK | A first-of-its-kind U.S. study suggests invasive mold infections may be an underappreciated — and potentially deadly — threat. The researchers detected about 450 cases in Atlanta-area hospitals over five years. About a third of the patients died in the hospital. The findings, published this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control […]
Between prices and a diarrhea-causing parasite, lettuce is causing hard times at some restaurants
It’s been a choppy year for restaurants that lean into lettuce. Lettuce prices rose sharply in the first half of 2026 due to hot weather in Arizona, where about one-third of America’s lettuce is grown. Now, restaurants are dealing with the fallout from a cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded lettuce that has sickened thousands of […]
How artists transformed a former hospital in Los Angeles to examine human emotions
LOS ANGELES | Just beyond an ambulance and wheelchair ramp wait Dr. Moodswing and Dr. Feelgood, dressed in starched white lab coats and ready to check you in with a neon orange patient wristband. At this hospital though, it’s not your vitals that will be examined, but your feelings. The “Hospital of Emotions” is an […]
What to know about postpartum psychosis, which can affect a new mom’s sense of reality
A key question in a Massachusetts murder trial is whether postpartum psychosis drove a mother to kill her three children. On Monday, a jury heard opening statements in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. Both sides agree she strangled her children aged 5 and younger in […]
Cut the number of choices you make each day. Your brain will thank you
Jeans that fit perfectly. The ideal Netflix show for a Tuesday night. Your one and only soulmate. Modern life promises that with enough options, you will happily find the best of everything. But behavioral scientists say the increasing flood of choices — whether it comes to shopping, social lives or relationships — is doing the […]
How to keep babies safe when temperatures soar
Infants, toddlers and young children need outdoor activity to build strong bodies and minds, but they also require extra care in the heat. In the summer months, those twin imperatives can make parents anxious. How long should kids be out? How do I know they’re OK? What should I avoid? Human-caused climate change is making […]
Study shows a blood test can help identify healthy people at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease
WASHINGTON | A blood test may predict if apparently healthy older adults are likely to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms in the next five or 10 years, researchers reported Wednesday. That information could be reassuring or terrifying, but for now it’s a potential tool to speed drug development by helping to identify and enroll high-risk people into […]
One Tech Tip: How to soothe thumb pain when texting and scrolling
NEW YORK | Do your hands hurt when you use your phone? All that texting and scrolling might be stressing out your fingers. The term texting thumb can describe a wide range of phone-related pains caused by tired-out tendons and achy joints — like general stiffness, throbbing near the knuckle and a clicking sensation when […]