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Vox's coverage of all things health, including personal health, public health, mental health, and more.

The world’s emotional status is actually pretty good, a new global report finds
Future Perfect

But which country comes first in happiness completely changes depending on how you measure.

By Oshan Jarow
What two years without Roe looks like, in 8 chartsWhat two years without Roe looks like, in 8 charts
Explainers

Americans are confronting a whole new reality of patchwork abortion access after the Dobbs decision.

By Nicole Narea
Will AI ever become conscious? It depends on how you think about biology.Will AI ever become conscious? It depends on how you think about biology.
Future Perfect

The debate that will steer the future of consciousness — and us.

By Oshan Jarow
MDMA’s federal approval drama, briefly explainedMDMA’s federal approval drama, briefly explained
Future Perfect

MDMA looked like it was on a fast track for PTSD treatment. Now, an FDA committee is advising otherwise.

By Oshan Jarow

The latest in Health

What the Labour Party’s big win in the UK will actually meanWhat the Labour Party’s big win in the UK will actually mean
World Politics

The UK is getting a new government. What is it promising to do?

By Ellen Ioanes
If it’s 100 degrees out, does your boss have to give you a break? Probably not.If it’s 100 degrees out, does your boss have to give you a break? Probably not.
Future Perfect

The US doesn‘t have federal heat protections. A standard would save lives. As a heat dome suffocates much of the East, it‘s becoming more apparent that we need better standards in the face of climate change.

By Sam Delgado
America’s international public health plan is too focused on AmericansAmerica’s international public health plan is too focused on Americans
Future Perfect

I spent years in Africa as an epidemiologist. Here’s what I saw.

By Jess Craig
How dangerous is it really to have a baby in America?How dangerous is it really to have a baby in America?
Health

The debate over maternal deaths, explained.

By Anna North
TikTok is full of bad health “tricks”TikTok is full of bad health “tricks”
Even Better

Beer for a tan? Garlic cloves for sinuses? Don't fall for the firehose of health BS online.

By Keren Landman, MD
I’m pregnant. I’m traveling. I’m terrified.
Life

My family reunion is in South Carolina. Essential care for my high-risk pregnancy is not.

By Aubrey Hirsch
Pregnancy in America is starting to feel like a crimePregnancy in America is starting to feel like a crime
Health

The ripple effects of the fall of Roe extend far beyond abortion.

By Anna North
What to do (and avoid) in extreme heatWhat to do (and avoid) in extreme heat
The Vox guide to extreme heat

Tips for keeping kids, adults, and the elderly cool and safe — even without air conditioning.

By Allie Volpe
This number can measure how dangerous a heat wave is for youThis number can measure how dangerous a heat wave is for you
Climate

What is the wet bulb temperature? And why is it so important?

By Umair Irfan
Drug-resistant bacteria are killing more and more humans. We need new weapons.Drug-resistant bacteria are killing more and more humans. We need new weapons.
Future Perfect

Scientists are testing futuristic tools to dismantle antibiotic resistance.

By Cecilia Butini
The biggest unknown in psychedelic therapy is not the psychedelicsThe biggest unknown in psychedelic therapy is not the psychedelics
Future Perfect

Why critics call the company pushing to legalize MDMA a "therapy cult."

By Sigal Samuel
What a social media warning label can’t doWhat a social media warning label can’t do
Technology

What the surgeon general wants to do for kids safety leaves the rest of us behind.

By Adam Clark Estes
Do we have Alzheimer’s disease all wrong?Do we have Alzheimer’s disease all wrong?
Future Perfect

Retracted studies and new treatments reveal the confusing state of Alzheimer’s research.

By Dylan Scott
How to get the sexual health care you deserveHow to get the sexual health care you deserve
Even Better

Advocating for yourself might not be as awkward as you think.

By Keren Landman, MD
Korean sunscreen is all the rage. If you’re American, you might be out of luck.
Culture

Lighter, less greasy, more effective sunscreen exists. So what’s the hold up stateside?

By Alex Abad-Santos
How Inside Out 2 tackles the science of teenage emotionsHow Inside Out 2 tackles the science of teenage emotions
Culture

Talking with the psychologists who brought the real science of emotion to the Pixar film.

By Allie Volpe
What your sibling birth order does — and doesn’t — explainWhat your sibling birth order does — and doesn’t — explain
Family

Are you destined to always be the "eldest daughter"?

By Allie Volpe
Common sunscreen myths, debunkedCommon sunscreen myths, debunked
Even Better

Bottom line: Wearing it is still good advice.

By Keren Landman, MD
This is your kid on smartphonesThis is your kid on smartphones
Audio
The Gray Area

A Q&A with Jonathan Haidt on smartphones, kids today, and what the skeptics get wrong about his argument.

By Sean Illing
What if absolutely everything is conscious?What if absolutely everything is conscious?
Science

Scientists spent ages mocking panpsychism. Now, some are warming to the idea that plants, cells, and even atoms are conscious.

By Sigal Samuel
What if colon cancer screening didn’t involve poop?What if colon cancer screening didn’t involve poop?
Science

Blood-based biopsies could make screening less icky — if we can make them more accurate.

By Charlotte Hu
This is the world’s best investmentThis is the world’s best investment
Today, Explained newsletter

A new study finds that combating malaria, TB, and HIV pays for itself 405 times over.

By Dylan Matthews
This changed everything
Life

The turning points that defined the last 10 years.

By Vox Staff
10 big things we think will happen in the next 10 years
Future Perfect

Obesity will go down, electric cars will go up, and a nuclear bomb might just fall.

By Bryan Walsh, Dylan Matthews and 4 more
The last 10 years, explained
Life

The (wild! scary! surprising!) moments that mattered.

By Vox Staff
How the self-care industry made us so lonely
Even Better

The commodification of an activist concept turned a revitalizing practice into an isolating one.

By Allie Volpe
How to care for people in your life with intellectual disabilitiesHow to care for people in your life with intellectual disabilities
Even Better

A practical guide to navigating a fractured support system.

By Keren Landman, MD
The bizarre link between rising sea levels and complications in pregnancyThe bizarre link between rising sea levels and complications in pregnancy
Climate

Exposure to salty water can rob women of their reproductive organs and pregnancies.

By Mahadi Al Hasnat and Zoya Teirstein
Expecting worse: Giving birth on a planet in crisis 
Climate

How climate change transforms our reproductive lives, from menstruation to fertility to pregnancy.

By Paige Vega
Heat waves increase the number of risky, premature birthsHeat waves increase the number of risky, premature births
Climate

Extreme heat is dangerous when you're pregnant — particularly for those in underrepresented communities.

By Virginia Gewin
Why pregnancy triples your chances of getting severe malariaWhy pregnancy triples your chances of getting severe malaria
Climate

How to protect mothers and babies as warming temperatures expand the risk of contracting the disease.

By Zoya Teirstein
They spent years trying for a baby. Then the hurricane hit.They spent years trying for a baby. Then the hurricane hit.
Climate

Climate disasters are threatening access to IVF and other forms of fertility treatment.

By Jessica Kutz and Zoya Teirstein
The science of near-death experiencesThe science of near-death experiences
Audio
The Gray Area

What happens when we almost die?

By Sean Illing
Birth control is good, actuallyBirth control is good, actually
Politics

Experts say a flood of social media posts about side effects don't tell the whole story.

By Anna North
Why are whole-body deodorants suddenly everywhere?Why are whole-body deodorants suddenly everywhere?
Even Better

Maybe you actually smell fine.

By Keren Landman, MD
The known unknowns about Ozempic, explainedThe known unknowns about Ozempic, explained
Audio
The Gray Area

Ozempic has become hugely popular. Researchers are racing to learn more about what it does to us.

By Sean Illing
Why do Americans keep drinking raw milk?Why do Americans keep drinking raw milk?
Public Health

With bird flu affecting multiple dairy farms, unpasteurized products are more dangerous than ever — but some people are reluctant to heed government guidance.

By Keren Landman, MD
Teletherapy can really help, and really hurtTeletherapy can really help, and really hurt
Technology

From privacy breaches to bad providers, teletherapy services often come with a hidden cost.

By A.W. Ohlheiser
Psychedelics could treat some of the worst chronic pain in the worldPsychedelics could treat some of the worst chronic pain in the world
Future Perfect

Decades of citizen science are finally translating into clinical trials for psychedelic pain treatments.

By Oshan Jarow
Why aren’t we vaccinating birds against bird flu?Why aren’t we vaccinating birds against bird flu?
Future Perfect

It’s not as complicated as it seems, but there’s one key hurdle.

By Jess Craig