Ward: Environment

311

Your roommate’s genes may be shaping your gut bacteria

Scientists studying thousands of rats discovered that gut bacteria are shaped by both personal genetics and the genetics of social partners. Some genes promote certain microbes that can spread between individuals living together. When researchers accounted for this social sharing, genetic influence …

331

FDA approves Wegovy pill, the first prescription pill for weight loss

The FDA has approved the pill version of the weight loss drug Wegovy, the first oral medication of its kind. The new pills are expected to be available in a few weeks. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook has more.

313

Illinois Health Officials Report First Dog Rabies Case in 31 Years

The affected dog, less than one-year-old, was euthanized last week.

217

War-weary Ukrainians seek ‘green’ healing in their vast national parks

With mental health resources in short supply, the traumatized children, wounded veterans and grieving widows turn to Ukraine’s national parks for solace.

220

Christmas can be a nightmare for misophonia sufferers like me

Christmas is a difficult time if you suffer from a reduced tolerance to sounds, but there are ways to make it easier.

232

Tattooing may trigger localised damage to the immune system

There is relatively little information on the long-term health effects of tattooing, but a couple of recent studies suggest the art form might trigger prolonged inflammation

210

IVF success may depend on how long men abstain from ejaculation

Ejaculating within 48 hours of providing a sperm sample for IVF seems to lead to greater success rates than abstaining from ejaculation for longer

218

The potential of GLP-1 drugs to transform medicine exploded in 2025

We knew that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy did more than just help control type 2 diabetes and aid weight loss, but the extent of that potential really came to light in 2025

220

How I learned to keep my brain in better repair this year

Neuroscience columnist Helen Thomson on how she discovered a host of evidence-based ways to keep her brain healthier in 2026

218

Chronic fatigue syndrome seems to have a very strong genetic element

The largest study so far into the genetics of chronic fatigue syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis, has implicated 259 genes – six times more than those identified just four months ago

218

Deaths of despair were rising long before opioids

Long before opioids flooded communities, something else was quietly changing—and it may have helped set the stage for today’s crisis. A new study finds that as church attendance dropped among middle-aged, less educated white Americans, deaths from overdoses, suicide, and alcohol-related disease bega…

220

He ate a hamburger and died hours later. Doctors found a shocking cause

A rare tick-borne allergy linked to red meat has now been confirmed as deadly for the first time. A healthy New Jersey man collapsed and died hours after eating beef, with later testing revealing a severe allergic reaction tied to alpha-gal, a sugar spread by Lone Star tick bites. Symptoms often app…

221

Human challenge trials have never been more popular

The ethics of clinical trials that deliberately infect people with a disease aren't clear-cut – but there's a strong case for doing more of them

219

Former GOP Sen. Ben Sasse says he has terminal stage-four pancreatic cancer

Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse announced Tuesday that he has terminal stage-four pancreatic cancer.

222

Study revives debate about unpopular diet for cancer patients

The neutropenic diet, which calls for nearly all food to be cooked at high heat to decrease infection risk, was waning in cancer care. A new study could change that.

219

STAT+: We’re reading about new TrumpRx deals, Samsung Biologics’ first U.S. plant, and more

And other pharma news from the Pharmalot campus via the Pharmalittle newsletter

221

An advocate who offered a window on the experience of living with brain cancer dies at 43

Adam Hayden, a patient advocate and the subject of an earlier profile in STAT, has died at age 43.

212

FDA approves Wegovy pill for weight loss

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a pill version of the weight-loss drug Wegovy.

208

4 reasons Americans aren’t drinking as much alcohol this holiday season — or any at all

The growing use of weight-loss drugs is one factor behind the decline in alcohol consumption.

209

Sitting by a window may improve blood sugar levels for type 2 diabetes

Our cells follow 24-hour circadian rhythms that regulate our blood sugar levels and are heavily influenced by light exposure. Scientists have harnessed this to show that just sitting by a window improves blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes