Health

Chilean president declares state of catastrophe as wildfires kill at least 15

Fires blaze through 8,500 hectares, forcing 50,000 people to evacuate as firefighters struggle to extinguish flames

The Guardian view on microplastics research: questioning results is good for science, but has political consequences

Errors in measuring microplastic pollution can be corrected. Public trust in science also needs to be shored up

‘It’s unforgiving’: California park officials grapple with recent deaths on Mount Baldy

Calls are renewed for permitting to hike the Los Angeles-area mountain that looks deceptively accessible

‘It felt amazing to be on the start line again’: the rugby pro who became paralysed

Aged 20, Taylor Gough had a car accident. Five years later, he’s hoping to compete in the 2028 Paralympics. How did he do it?

Simple blood test can predict which breast cancer treatment will work best, study finds

Exclusive: DNA test means patients could be offered most effective treatment first, boosting their chances of beating the disease

Shark attacks boy swimming in Sydney Harbor, leaving him in critical condition

January 18, 2026 / 10:09 AM EST / CBS/AFP

My week avoiding ultra-processed foods: ‘Why is it this hard?’

Ultra-processed foods have been linked to various health issues, but are a ubiquitous part of the modern western diet. Can Emma Joyce avoid them for a whole week?

The pitfalls of perfectionism – and why ‘good enough’ should be your goal

Healthy striving – a flexible wish to improve – accepts limits and understands that error is integral to mastery

The sudden rise of scabies: ‘I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy’

These microscopic mites, which burrow under your skin and cause ferocious itching, are incredibly hard to get rid of – and cases in the UK have soared. What is causing the outbreak, and is there anything we can do about it?

Why am I a vegan? I do it for my mental health

Vegan restaurants are closing, RFK Jr is sounding the drum for carnivores, and the protein cult is bigger than ever. But eschewing animal products helps me ward off a sense of impotence – and despair

I've studied over 200 kids—here's the No. 1 'magic phrase' that truly teaches kids emotional intelligence

Parents often ask “What’s wrong?” when a child is upset. But Reem Raouda, a child psychologist who has studied more than 200 child-parent relationships, says parents who raise the most emotionally intelligent kids use one key phrase.

Why the Trump Administration Is Obsessed With Whole Milk

Milk is mundane in most contexts, but you can’t help noticing when it is smeared across the upper lips of America’s government officials. An image of Donald Trump sporting a milk mustache and glowering over a glass of milk was just one of many dairy-themed posts shared by government accounts on X during the past week, all of which made clear that the milk was whole. In one video, a seemingly AI-generated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes a sip and is transported to a nightclub, suddenly milk-mustachioed; in another, former Housing Secretary Ben Carson raises a glass of full-fat and sports a white ’stache. The upper lips of the former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines and the former NBA player Enes Kantor Freedom, among other personalities embraced by the right, also got the whole-milk treatment.