Stories by Melinda Wenner Moyer

Child development researchers are investigating whether the pandemic is shaping early brain development and behavior

The huge number of Omicron infections could add a lot more people with disabling long-term symptoms. Vaccinations could blunt the impact

Although children are prime targets, educators cannot figure out how best to teach them to separate fact from fiction

The new normal this winter is longer drives for kids’ tests, multiday waits for results, drug-store restock alerts and social media tips

Microbe types in older people’s intestines are different and are linked to disease

Multiple causes underlie a disturbing trend. The increase for girls is more than double that for boys

The effects of sex hormones, X chromosomes and different gut microbes may be parts of the answer

Pharmaceutical companies are starting clinical trials in young children and adolescents, but they must balance speed and safety

Deaths are surging, and mental health is strained. But coping strategies people use amid other catastrophes can help

Some of the most solid evidence to date shows that President Trump’s cornerstone immigration policy was built on a wholly false premise

Hospital workers who got vaccinated were significantly less likely to develop COVID than those who did not

Tiger mosquitoes thrive in abandoned urban buildings

A controversial theory holds that one immunization, given properly, can protect against many diseases besides its target

Baseless theories threaten our safety and democracy. It turns out that specific emotions make people prone to such thinking

A study tries to find whether slaughtering zombies with a virtual assault weapon translates into misbehavior when a teenager returns to reality

As Lyme and other tick-borne diseases worsen in the U.S., new efforts seek to fill in the gaps

A study seeking new drug targets for the disease unexpectedly implicates two types of herpes

Resurgent outbreaks of infectious diseases are sickening thousands, and the causes are societal

A study pokes holes in the idea that experienced firearm users are less likely to injure themselves

Of U.S. gun owners, white males hit by economic setbacks were most likely to feel empowered by weapons, a new study shows

Medications can change body chemistry to make it more hospitable to invading microbes

Pro-gun advocates claim new laws will not make us safer. But here is evidence the right laws will do exactly that

Eggs used to grow viruses for flu shots trigger changes that leave people vulnerable

More firearms do not keep people safe, hard numbers show. Why do so many Americans believe the opposite?