Everything to know about ticks—and tick bites

June 25, 2023
by RJ Hamster

This week: What to know about tick bites; how to limit your exposure to BPA; hopeful research into brain cancer; why sunglasses are just as important as sunscreen; the Ice Bucket Challenge a decade later.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROMAN WILLI, NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

This tick season will be long and nasty. Here’s how to protect yourself.

Health officials are already warning of a particularly bad year for ticks, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this year that cases of certain tick-borne diseases have been rising. This summer, here’s what you need to know about how to avoid tick bites altogether, how to identify one, what to do if you get bitten, and more.

ONCE BITTEN, TIMING IS CRITICAL

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Lyme disease is spreading fast—but a vaccine may be on the way

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You really are a mosquito magnet. Here’s what you can do about it.

PHOTOGRAPH BY REMY GABALDA, AFP/GETTYIMAGES

BPA is still everywhere. What can it do to your body—and how can you limit your exposure?

The chemical used to make plastics has been identified as an endocrine disruptor, linked to breast and ovarian cancer, as well as immune, thyroid, and metabolic issues. Still, it’s more prevalent than ever and remains unregulated in the U.S. We take a look at what it does to our bodies—and how you can limit your exposure to it.

HOW TO LIMIT YOUR EXPOSURE

IMAGE BY SHERBROOKE CONNECTIVITY IMAGING LAB, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Stopping a tumor’s ‘cellular looting’ may help treatment for brain cancers

Glioblastoma is a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor that often kills patients within a year of diagnosis. A recent study now reveals how these tumors grow so fast—and may lead to new ways of treating aggressive brain cancers.

READ ON

WHY SUNGLASSES = SUNSCREEN

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN FINKE/GALLERY STOCK

Medical understanding of the ways UV radiation can damage children’s eyes has grown over the past several years, and doctors now urge sunglasses for children just as they would sunscreen. But beware: toy or novelty sunglasses that don’t have UV protection can do more harm than good. Here’s what you need to know.

HOW TO PICK SAFE SUNGLASSES

SUNSCREEN FAQ: Does sunscreen expire? How much SPF is enough? Your burning questions, answered +

REMEMBER THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE?

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHANG W. LEE, THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX

In the summer of 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge quite literally drenched the internet. And the 9-year-old viral social media movement’s success continues to be felt today: new gene discoveries, more treatment options, and improved care. Researchers say they’re closer than ever to finding a cure for the disease.

ADVANCES IN ALS RESEARCH

HEALTH NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

PHOTOGRAPH BY AGOSTINO PETRONI

Thousands of children die in Uganda every year from vitamin A deficiency. This groundbreaking—and vitamin-packed—genetically modified “super banana” could change that. But will it matter that it’s orange?

THE SUPER BANANA

If you don’t have ADHD, Adderall and Ritalin won’t work for you

Astronauts are more likely to get sick while in space. Here’s why.

Not everyone should be taking a multivitamin

The keto diet could have serious health consequences. Here are the facts.

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RJ Hamster

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Everything to know about ticks—and tick bites

Everything to know about ticks—and tick bites

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