How apple detectives solved the mystery of an ancient tree—and rewrote the history of fruitAnd how they might have helped save the future of American apples Sep 15 26September 15, 2026Article at Scientific American
New Treatments Can Free Kids from the Deadly Threat of Peanut AllergyRemarkable new treatments can free millions of kids and adults from the deadly threat of peanut allergy, tackling one of our fastest-growing medical problems Aug 19 25August 19, 2025Article at Scientific American
Why You Should Look for ‘Slow Flowers’ Grown without Dangerous Chemicals That Dominate the U.S. MarketNew “slow flower” farms grow beautiful blooms—without health-harming chemicals used by overseas operations that dominate the U.S. flower market Feb 13 25February 13, 2025Article at Scientific American
Reshaping Sickle Cell Treatment with Patient PerspectivesIlluminating the experience of people living with sickle cell could improve patients’ lives and enhance all of medicine This article is part of “Innovations In: Sickle Cell Disease,” an editorially independent special report that was produced with… Sep 17 24September 17, 2024Article at Scientific American
Deadly Fungi Are the Newest Emerging Microbe Threat All Over the WorldThese pathogens already kill 1.6 million people every year, and we have few defenses against them By Maryn McKenna Editor’s Note (3/21/23): The dangerous fungus Candida auris is spreading rapidly in hospitals and other health care facilities, the… Jun 01 21June 01, 2021Article at Scientific American
Why Deadly ‘Black Fungus’ Is Ravaging COVID Patients in IndiaStandard treatments such as steroids, as well as illnesses such as diabetes, make the fungal infection worse By Maryn McKenna The hospital of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, a medical school in the town of Sevagram in the Indian… May 28 21May 28, 2021Article at Scientific American
In the Fight against Infectious Disease, Social Changes Are the New MedicineVaccines and drugs drove a century of progress, but today’s contagions thrive on inequality Listen to an audio version of the article. In 1972 the distinguished virologist Frank Macfarlane Burnet looked back over medical progress made in the 20th… Sep 01 20September 01, 2020Article at Scientific American
Maryn McKenna's Big Chicken, Part 2Award-winning journalist Maryn McKenna talks about her latest book, Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats. (Part 2 of 2) By Maryn McKenna & Steve Mirsky Award-winning… Oct 18 17October 18, 2017Article at Scientific American
Maryn McKenna's Big Chicken, Part 1Award-winning journalist Maryn McKenna talks about her latest book, Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats. (Part 1 of 2) By Maryn McKenna & Steve Mirsky Award-winning… Oct 18 17October 18, 2017Article at Scientific American
A Flu Vaccine That’s Always in SeasonA single shot to thwart all flu viruses may be within reach By Maryn McKenna In the spring of 2013 a strain of influenza virus that had never infected humans before began to make people in China extremely ill. Although the virus, known as H7N9, had… Jan 01 14January 01, 2014Article at Scientific American
Researchers Struggle to Develop New Treatments for SepsisDuring sepsis, the body attacks itself. Researchers are working on new ways to fight back By Maryn McKenna Sepsis is a serious and often deadly illness, yet it remains an unfamiliar threat to most of the general public, as well as one of the most… Apr 01 13April 01, 2013Article at Scientific American
Small Gadgets That Make You HealthierMobile phones and tiny sensors are making it easier to quickly flag health trends By Maryn McKenna At any moment, someone in the U.S. most likely is having an asthma attack. The breath-robbing disease afflicts around 25 million Americans, and every… Mar 01 13March 01, 2013Article at Scientific American
Virtues of the Virtual AutopsyMedical imaging offers new ways to examine the deceased By Maryn McKenna Once a common medical procedure, the standard autopsy is passing out of use. In the 1970s bodies underwent postmortem examination in nearly 20 percent of deaths in the U.S. By… Nov 01 12November 01, 2012Article at Scientific American
Clean Sweep: Hospitals Bring Janitors to the Front Lines of Infection ControlHospitals bring janitors to the front lines of infection control By Maryn McKenna When hospitals want to make a name for themselves, they spend on reputations and technology—on the esteemed surgeon or the top-of-the-line gamma knife and the star… Sep 01 12September 01, 2012Article at Scientific American
International AIDS Conference Returns to U.S. with Much Remaining UndoneSo much changed in a 22-year span since the conference was last held in the U.S. that its return effectively marks a new phase in the epidemic in terms of treatment, prevention, funding and death rates By Maryn McKenna Late Sunday afternoon, less… Jul 21 12July 21, 2012Article at Scientific American
Return of the ClapGonorrhea, once a minor illness, is developing resistance to the last category of drugs that still works against it and could become untreatable Mark Pandori was worried. It was 2008, and he had just read the latest in a string of reports from Japan.… May 01 12May 01, 2012Article at Scientific American
Food Poisoning's Hidden LegacyMost people think of foodborne illness as an unpleasant few days of fever and diarrhea, but for some there may be lifelong consequences By Maryn McKenna Colette Dziadul struggled for years to understand her daughter’s joint problems. Dana, who is now… Apr 01 12April 01, 2012Article at Scientific American
Diabetes Mystery: Why Are Type 1 Cases Surging?Researchers are baffled by the worldwide increase in type 1 diabetes, the less common form of the disease By Maryn McKenna When public health officials fret about the soaring incidence of diabetes in the U.S. and worldwide, they are generally… Feb 01 12February 01, 2012Article at Scientific American
Progress Made in Developing Community-Acquired MRSA VaccineA pediatric infectious-disease physician has raised the alarm about the epidemic and is taking an unconventional approach to combatting it Over the years, Robert Daum has learned to respect his adversary. In 1995, he and his co-workers at the… Feb 01 12February 01, 2012Article at Scientific American
Swapping Germs: Should Fecal Transplants Become Routine for Debilitating Diarrhea?A potentially beneficial but unusual treatment for serious intestinal ailments may fall victim to regulatory difficulties By Maryn McKenna Marion Browning of North Providence, R.I., was at her wit’s end. The 79-year-old retired nurse had suffered… Dec 01 11December 01, 2011Article at Scientific American
