Science

The Trump administration’s recently updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans mark a troubling retreat from the best available science about alcohol consumption. At a time when alcohol-related fatalities have increased 30% over the last decade — now claiming approximately 178,000 American lives annually — the federal government has missed a critical opportunity to safeguard the nation’s health. Alcohol hasn’t changed, but our understanding of its risks has evolved considerably. Decades of research and federal advisory findings indicate that no amount of alcohol is truly safe for health, yet the updated dietary guidelines fail to clearly warn the public or provide sufficient information for people to make informed choices. Some omissions are stark. For example, the updated dietary guidelines fail to address the well-established link between alcohol and cancer risk. Alcohol is a known carcinogen linked to several types of cancer, including breast, colon and liver cancer. Related ...

By MIKE STOBBE, Associated Press NEW YORK — U.S. life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024 — the highest mark in American history. It’s the result of not only the dissipation of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also waning death rates from all the nation’s top killers, including heart disease, cancer and drug overdoses. What’s more, preliminary statistics suggest a continued improvement in 2025. “It’s pretty much good news all the way around,” said Robert Anderson, of the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which released the 2024 data on Thursday. Related Articles Why Silicon Valley is raising billions while Southern California biotechs struggle East Bay man blazed trail for others with pioneering back surgery Sleep-tracking devices have limits. Experts want users to know what they are Can AI help make homeless Bay Area residents healthier? Thomas Fogarty dies; innovative Stanford surgeon, Peninsula winemaker Life expectancy...

The earthquake swarm that has shaken San Ramon for more than two months appears to be over, scientists said Monday. But when it comes to earthquake swarms, nothing is set in stone. Since Nov. 9 there have been 91 earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 and above — the largest being a 4.0 on Dec. 19 — in the East Bay community. But no quake of that size has happened since Jan. 10, when a 2.3 and 2.0 both occurred there. “There’s been a gap for about two weeks,” said Sarah Minson, a research geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Science Center at Moffett Field. “It looks like the swarm may be done.” The challenge, she noted, is that scientists are still learning about earthquake swarms, which are collections of dozens or even hundreds of small, usually harmless quakes. And they don’t have strict parameters for when swarms start or conclude. “There isn’t a good way to officially define when swarms begin and end,” Minson said. “If there was more activity now we would probably ...

In an unassuming building at the San Francisco Zoo, 115 brilliantly colored baby snakes are being fattened up on a diet of worms. These are endangered San Francisco garter snakes and during a visit in early December, they were small enough to curl up in a ball in the palm of your hand. Each has a red-orange head, a turquoise belly, and vivid red and blue-yellow stripes. Jamie McNellis, a Conservation Specialist at the San Francisco Zoo, holds four-month-old garter snakes kept in enclosures at the San Francisco Zoo in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)  “They are considered by many people to be the most beautiful snake in the world,” said Jamie McNellis, a conservation specialist and lead snake care expert at the zoo. Listed as endangered since 1967, San Francisco garter snakes are found only on the Peninsula and in northern Santa Cruz County. They have been in trouble for decades, threatened by urban development, which has fragme...

By Aneri Pattani, KFF Health News NEW ORLEANS — Elyse Stevens had a reputation for taking on complex medical cases. People who’d been battling addiction for decades. Chronic-pain patients on high doses of opioids. Sex workers and people living on the street. “Many of my patients are messy, the ones that don’t know if they want to stop using drugs or not,” said Stevens, a primary care and addiction medicine doctor. While other doctors avoided these patients, Stevens — who was familiar with the city from her time in medical school at Tulane University — sought them out. She regularly attended 6 a.m. breakfasts for homeless people, volunteered at a homeless shelter clinic on Saturdays, and, on Monday evenings, visited an abandoned Family Dollar store where advocates distributed supplies to people who use drugs. Elyse Stevens, a primary care and addiction medicine doctor, and her husband, Aquil Bey, a paramedic, discuss patient cases at a community breakfast for homeless people in New...

By Kristen Rogers, CNN Summer passed Valerie Zeko by when she was 27, as she vegged out on the couch watching TV instead of seeing friends or exploring the overcast beach near her house. She later learned that period was her first episode of depression. “I felt like the fog was in my head as well as outside,” said Zeko, now 57, describing the mood disorder that would squelch her happiness, motivation and self-esteem for 28 years until she finally found effective treatment. Related Articles BTS is finally back and bringing its big world tour to the Bay Area Political expression or vandalism? High-profile Stanford felony trial opens Judge weighs whether Stanford student’s First Amendment lawsuit against Trump officials can proceed How much will views on Israel influence the Stanford felony vandalism trial? Big Tech blocks California data center rules, leaving only a study requirement “Everything in my life appeared to be perfect and wonderful, but my head was full of this r...