Household dust is everywhere, and its contents are nastier than you might know -- think lead, arsenic and even DDT

The 2009 H1N1 pandemic may be dwindling, but a new pandemic could arise at any time, perhaps even from an existing virus that many of us have forgotten about: the deadly H5N1 bird flu

Far more broken wrists are being treated with surgery today than in the past. But are the outcomes better?

Decoding the full genome of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu reveals the breadth of human diversity

A new study says old-school, low-tech predictors of heart disease -- blood pressure, cholesterol, family history -- are still the best around

DNA analysis of royal Egyptian mummy King Tut suggests that he died of malaria and had clubfoot and curvature of the spine

By spending billions to back the Republican-friendly nuclear industry, will the White House get some GOP support for the floundering climate-and-energy bill?

Research on biological aging could clear the way to new treatments for diseases like cancer, though we're still a long way from pinpointing a "Peter Pan" gene

The Year of the Tiger begins Feb. 14. In Chinese astrology, tigers are known as bold and independent, good luck against fire and thieves. But in the real world, they are being threatened toward extinction.

The rhyme and reason behind the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders have always been murky; the book, like our brains, is a huge, complicated beast.

It's reasonable to expect that plants and animals will respond to global warming, but how do you measure the change of an ecosystem that consists of hundred, maybe thousands of species?

Former President Bill Clinton, 63, was treated successfully on Thursday for chest pains at a New York City hospital

Scientists in Europe are doing what was once thought impossible: bringing an extinct species of cattle known as the aurochs back to life through breeding and genetics

Some mental-health advocates are pushing to have orthorexia, an obsession with eating only healthy foods, classified as a new disorder in the diagnostic manual for psychiatric illness

A new study indicates that the balance of the world's ice may be shifting faster than scientists thought, which may have consequences in a warming world

Studies suggest that depression during pregnancy may not only predict postpartum depression in mothers but also lead to long-term changes in babies' health and behavior

A major blizzard is hitting the mid-Atlantic region. There is evidence that climate change could make such snowstorms more common, even as the world continues to warm

Time to toss those Corvette brochures. According to Professor Carlo Strenger, the middle-aged man's panic attack is an outdated concept; today, people are living longer and flourishing later in life

The American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement on Feb. 22, 2010, recommending the labeling and possible redesign of hot dogs to prevent dozens of choking deaths among children every year. Here's a look at 10 risky foods

Invasive species of Asian carp may be infiltrating the Great Lakes. If they establish themselves in Midwestern waterways, scientists say, they will destroy the existing ecosystem

Simple changes in lifestyle habits are associated with a lower risk of obesity in children, a long-term study finds

Two decades' worth of careful measurements of hardwood forests in Maryland show their growth has accelerated significantly over the past two decades. Is it good for global warming?

Increasingly, President Obama's new clean economy seems to rely on old sources of energy. The plan may reduce oil dependence and create jobs, but carbon reduction is another matter

With the Lancet's formal retraction of a flawed study linking childhood vaccines and autism, the question is whether the vaccine theory of autism may finally be put to rest

The steady rise in the percentage of overweight and obese adults and children appears to have finally leveled off

A study finds that poker players who win the most hands end up losing the most money

Astronomers may have figured out why small planets like Earth can survive and not get sucked into the nearest star

Seashell relics show that Neanderthals, our extinct human cousins, wore jewelry -- perhaps making them more intelligent than we've realized

The new field of epigenetics is showing how your environment and your choices can influence your genetic code -- and that of your kids

Baseball slugger Mark McGwire's admission that he used anabolic steroids for nearly a decade comes as little surprise. Use of performance enhancers goes back millenniums

Bluestreak cleaner wrasses like to fight one another, providing insight into the evolution of human aggression

Free online checkup programs can often have as dramatic an effect in reducing drinking as face-to-face counseling

Research in mice increases our understanding of how addiction works -- and could lead to new treatments

Do you use a spoon to measure the quantity of cough or cold medicine? If so, you may be taking the wrong dose

A new study find that calories are often understated in both restaurants and in supermarkets' prepared foods

The controversial and popular drugs, from their accidental discovery to a new study that suggests many patients may not benefit from them

Nothing quite like Earth yet, but for the NASA mission, it's still early

Scientists are gaining new insight into how the psychological experience of childhood neglect causes physical effects like obesity, heart attack and stroke

The website HealthyWage will pay obese members $100 if they slim down and up to $1,000 if they put some of their own money on the line

Surgeon and best-selling author Atul Gawande talks to TIME about how something as simple as a checklist can prevent medical errors

For years, practitioners of alternative medicine have been touting the benefits of ginkgo, but a new study finds it does little to slow the cognitive decline of aging

The alleged Northwest Flight 253 bomber is said to have used PETN, a stable, powerful explosive that has long been a weapon of choice for terrorists

New research over the past several years suggests that running and other vigorous physical activity are not bad for your joints after all

Whether species can survive climate change comes down, in part, to two factors: how fast it can adjust its habitat range, and how quickly that range is moving out from under it

Why so many once-reluctant patients are now racing to sign up for surgery

In a bid to ease congestion in one of the world's most crowded countries,the Dutch will soon start levying a charge on motorists based on thedistance of their trips and the types of cars they drive

That the negotiations were excruciatingly difficult is a sign of progress: At stake were policies with real consequences

A new study finds that a larger single dose of flu vaccine may generate as many virus-fighting antibodies as two smaller vaccine doses in healthy children

Autism rates among American children have risen dramatically in just a few years. Is there truly an increased risk, or are we just looking harder for the condition?