A new laboratory study suggests recipients of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine may need a second dose. Experts say: We’re not sure yet.

LOS ANGELES — Wildfire season is already off to a record-breaking start, and experts are warning that smoke from the state's biggest blazes may be as dangerous as the flames themselves.

If the Summer Olympics inspire you to start working out, Mayo Clinic health experts say it's important to stay hydrated when you exercise. And a valuable term to remember is "drink to thirst."

In 50 living rooms and home offices, Delaware contact tracers arm themselves every morning with laptops and cellphones, the weapons they need to curb coronavirus outbreaks. They spend hours each day calling people who have recently tested positive for the virus. They dial each person in the …

In the dark corners of the internet hides a playlist of some of the most torturous, addictive music known to man. That's right, Spotify, SoundCloud and Apple Music all have playlists of "Baby Shark" remixes. Do doo, do do, do do, do.

OK, let’s get this straight: I have ugly feet. 

ATLANTA — When schools reopen, the American Academy of Pediatrics wants to see masks on all students over the age of 2, regardless of whether they're vaccinated, a recommendation likely to reignite the mask wars in area school districts.

A respiratory infection prevalent mostly in the winter has been increasing in parts of the U.S.

It's normal to feel nervous in some social situations. For example, going on a date or giving a presentation may cause that feeling of butterflies in your stomach. But in social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, everyday interactions cause significant anxiety, self-consciousness a…

A mysterious, unidentified contagious disease is sickening and killing birds in Middle Atlantic states, and it is breaking the hearts of bird lovers who are being told to remove feeders and bird baths from their yards.

PITTSBURGH — A yo-yo led Erik Wiesemann to a discovery that would change the course of his life and help countless Pittsburghers.

The world is facing unprecedented levels of drought.

If you stockpiled masks, hand sanitizer and toilet paper and are looking for ways to repurpose your excess, try these creative suggestions from local makers, designers and artists.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered a new way to administer heart medicine for cats.

The two were maybe 30 yards apart when I first saw them. 

I keep coming upon this statistic that states livestock are responsible for 14.5% of global gas emissions. 

LOS ANGELES — I accidentally brought a plague upon my house.

My June 9 Amtrak train was four and a half hours late before I even boarded.

The Entomological Society of America, an organization that oversees bug naming, dropped the term "gypsy moth," considered an ethnic slur to the Romani people.

Early in the pandemic, there were predictions that stay-at-home orders would spawn a baby boom.

Your body is hard-wired to react to stress in ways meant to protect you against threats from predators and other aggressors. Such threats are rare today, but that doesn't mean that life is free of stress. 

Recently I ran into a girlfriend who I hadn't seen in more than a year. I asked her how she was. Her answer: "Girl, I am thriving."

Many of us are pondering the questions du jour: Should I return to the office? If so, when? Full time or hybrid? 

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am in my early 40s. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I didn't get as much exercise and I gained some weight. I now feel like I have less energy. I was previously infected with COVID-19. Is it safe to start exercising again in a crowded gym so that I can work out, lose some w…

When a parent takes an infant to the Children’s Health Center in San Francisco for a routine checkup, a pediatrician will check the baby’s vitals and ask how the child is doing at home.

SAN DIEGO — As she typed on a laptop computer on the dining room table last month, wrapping up some work for her job at UC San Diego, Yvonne Grobe could feel the weight of a very serious stare burning into her from the next room.

If you could invest $56 billion each year in improving health care for older adults, how would you spend it? On a hugely expensive medication with questionable efficacy — or something else?

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am due to get my second dose of COVID-19 vaccine in a few weeks. I understand this is an important step for me and my community, but I'm unsure what guidelines I should follow. Some of my friends are traveling, and they seem to have thrown all caution to the wind. What ca…

Safiatou Diallo's trip back home to Guinea, West Africa, in 2019 left a lasting impression on her.

Last Saturday I woke up early to meet some whitewater rafting guides and support staff with Sierra Mac and All-Outdoors Rafting on Casa Loma Road off Ferretti Road east of Groveland.

SEATTLE — It was Alex Churchman's mother who found Beloved Arise first. She was searching for a way to help her 13-year-old, who had been questioning his gender identity and hospitalized after an attempt to harm himself.

DEAR JOAN — I discovered a hummingbird nest in the corner of my backyard on May 5, hidden in the crook of my rose tree. The two eggs hatched about 10 days later, and I enjoyed watching the mother hummer scare off the jays and the two growing larger and stronger.

While the Pacific Northwest has gotten the most attention for its heat wave a quarter of the state of California remains in an “exceptional drought,” the most severe category possible. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – One minute is not a long time.

As anyone who has attempted to move around outside in extreme heat can attest, steamy days in the mid-90s are hard on the human body.

CASTINE, Maine — For years, Louise Shackett has had trouble walking or standing for long periods, making it difficult for her to clean her house in southeastern Maine or do laundry. Shackett, 80, no longer drives, which makes it hard to get to the grocery store or doctor.

For $15, plus a 75-cent processing fee, Hannah Macintyre is telling me my destiny.

PHILADELPHIA — Any cat lover who has watched an allergic friend react to a beloved pet knows the dark powers that lurk in that luxurious feline fur. Within minutes, an allergic human exposed to a cat can begin sneezing and wheezing. Eyes water and itch. The misery is obvious.

CHICAGO –Even though she is fully vaccinated, Barbara Creed can’t yet visit her grandchildren in Texas.

LOS ANGELES – Dental hygienist Jeannette Diaz's patients sometimes cry. Lately, she's been crying with them.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – When Lana Moy would go to the Westerville Jaycee Community Pool in Westerville, Ohio, growing up, she'd typically wear shorts and a t-shirt over her bathing suit - even when she went in the water.

Ann K., who reads this column in the Monterey Herald, writes: 

CHICAGO – After 40 days without solid food, Rachelle Zola ended her hunger strike for slavery reparations with a few small bites of yogurt Saturday.

Q: We want to install a swimming pool in our backyard. How can we make it as safe as possible for our young children and their friends?

When Walter Wilkins roots through his memories, the decades between boyhood and old age, one lasting image of his older brother appears. He sees Paul walking away, up a mountain road in rural Pennsylvania.

Do you ever feel your life is going in a dead-end circle? You get up each day doing a routine that requires you to push faster and harder.

It's officially bug-biting season. While some bugs are just annoying to deal with, the bite of others can be potentially dangerous.

SACRAMENTO — California this week banned taxpayer-funded travel to five states that recently adopted measures viewed by Democratic leaders as discriminatory against transgender Americans.

MINNEAPOLIS – As we emerge from the pandemic, we're starting to see the return of an age-old ritual: the handshake.

Claire Lang-Ree was in a lab coat taking a college chemistry class remotely in the kitchen of her Colorado Springs, Colorado, home when a profound pain twisted into her lower abdomen. She called her mom, Jen Lang-Ree, a nurse practitioner who worried it was appendicitis and found a nearby ho…