Disease

Bacteria are living infectious microbes that exist in the environment independent of hosts, although some clearly exist in host organisms (the gut microbiome). Some of the truly massive plagues in human history were bacterial in origin.

Iceland is a small island in the North Atlantic Ocean with a total population of about 330,000. Its relatively small size belies what may turn out to be its great importance to the world's aging population.

Smallpox, rabies, Spanish flu, polio, AIDS and Ebola are all viruses that evoke great fear, having demonstrated catastrophic impacts on humans, including wiping out entire populations.  The evolution and emergence of viral infectious diseases

Prion diseases are rare progressive neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a particularly nasty form of arthritis.

As if on cue, two articles on transmission of diseases came across my computer screen simultaneously.

In the battle against antibiotic resistance, here's an interesting proposal: salted doorknobs [in hospitals, or elsewhere] could fight super bug infections. Intrigued? So are we. Bummed you didn't think of it first? So are we.

The body's organs are fed by blood, which provides nutrients in exchange for waste products from cells. This free exchange of goods and services, however, is dangerous for the brain, primarily for two reasons.

The HPV vaccine has been the subject of some controversy in the United States.

Part One: Going Back to Neanderthals