Home Birth Is No More Dangerous Than Hospital Deliveries, Study Shows
Newborns’ mortality and morbidity are the same for low-risk pregnancies according research based on 14 studies charting some 1 million women
Health & Body
The Chutzpah That Made Dr. Ruth the Real Wonder Woman
Legendary sex therapist Ruth Westheimer tells Haaretz – in Hebrew – about the limits of the #MeToo movement, Judaism's contribution to sex theory, and the documentary about her that's now hitting Israel
Less and Less Women Are Taking the Pill, and for a Good Reason
In the Western world, the birth control pill is suffering from a serious image crisis. What made us suddenly doubt something we’ve been using all our lives?
Ebola Outbreak in Congo Declared a Global Health Emergency
More than 1,600 people have died since August in the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which is unfolding in a region described as a war zone
Tel Aviv Scientists Could Make Root Canals History
New nano-filling prevents the secondary tooth decay that takes place beneath cavities; could reach trial stage in a year or two
Researchers: Gazan Children Face Dangerous Levels of Lead
Some children living near pollution sources were found to have such high levels of the toxic substance that they were prescribed medication for lead poisoning
The Abortion Conundrum: How Far Israelis Go to Make Sure Their Babies Are Born Perfect
What do parents do if they discover the baby could be born deaf? Or sterile? Or suffer from a disease? Israelis choose to terminate such pregnancies much more frequently than in other Western countries
You’re Eating a Hamburger’s Worth of Plastic Every Year
Bottled water is a huge source of plastic particle consumption, says Australian study, but at least the halakhically observant are spared the scourge of plasticized shellfish guts
New York City Closes 10th Jewish School for Violating Vaccine Order
The city has declared a public health emergency over an outbreak that has infected 588 people, almost three quarters of them in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood
Here’s What We Know About Orthodox Vaccination Rates
New York City declared a public health emergency in April amid a serious measles outbreak. But what is the cause, and how many members of the ultra-Orthodox communities actually get vaccinated?
Your Dog Feels Your Pain — Especially if It’s a Bitch
If you’re chronically under stress, your dog is likely to be too, according to a small but perfectly informed Swedish study
I Attended an ultra-Orthodox Anti-vaccine Rally. Here’s What I Saw
While the scientific consensus supports vaccination and regards it as a historic boon to public health, the crowd and the emcee don't put much stock in that science
Who’s to Blame for Israel's Medical Marijuana Shortage?
Pharmacists blame growers and growers blame druggists. Shortfall has grown since reforms went into effect
66 Percent of Israeli Adults Inhaling Second-hand Smoke, Health Ministry Says
Ministry reports serious lack of enforcement in smoking restrictions, with vast majority of local authorities failing to enforce them at all
How 12 Hours Can Change Your Baby's Life
Patricia Kuhl's research is changing our perception of how infants communicate. To save their brain and yours, she says, put your cellphone aside
Shhh! Don’t Tell Evangelical Supporters of Israel, but Abortion There Is Legal — and Often It’s Free
Neither religious conservatives nor liberal feminists are completely satisfied with the status quo in the Jewish state, but the current system allows some 40,000 women to have abortions annually
Israeli Study Finds How Obesity Can Increase Breast Cancer Rates
Theory maps out previously unknown molecular mechanism that regulates both so-called ‘cancer genes’ and other genes that suppress cancer
Apparently, There’s a Gene That Decides the Fate of Your Siesta
Mediterranean peoples and their fruit flies take siestas, and now researchers at Rutgers have found the regulatory mechanism in the insect
California Turns to Israeli Know-how for Medical Marijuana Research
Israeli plant scientist Nirit Bernstein is helping U.S. experts make progress in a field where American researchers who wish to conduct clinical trials face federal restrictions
How Damascus and Mosul Became the Arab World's Plastic Surgery Hotspots
Conditions in Syria and Iraq pale in comparison to Turkey or the Gulf states, but appealing prices and locals looking to recover from the war against ISIS have given birth to new aesthetics hotspots
Debunked: Marijuana Munchies Don’t Make You Fatter
But no, you shouldn’t smoke pot in order to lose weight, scientist urges
Scientists Revive Some Brain Functions in Dead Pigs Hours After Death
‘Frankenpork’ did not regain consciousness, thank heaven, but the team had anesthetic in place just in case and learned more than expected about the post-mortem brain
'I’m Sick of Seeing People Dying'
This week at the Tel Aviv airport: An ex-soldier who helps people with mental issues explains what he says (and what he would never say) to people with depression
Pesticides Ban Reduces Toxins in Pregnant Women
The Israeli government's ban on several varieties of pesticides led to a 40 percent drop in concentrations of toxins in pregnant women, research shows
Auschwitz Museum Blasts Anti-vaxxers for Donning Yellow Stars in Protest
After a New York county banned unvaccinated children from public spaces, demonstrators used the Holocaust symbol; 'Who's next? The Christians who don't want to to partake in abortion?'
Guggenheim Museum Will Not Accept Gifts From Sackler Family Over Ties to Opioid Crisis
N.Y. museum joins London's Tate museums and National Portrait Gallery in decision not to accept Sackler donations due to links to OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma
Rabbis Send Healthy Women to Get Painful Fertility Treatments – and Doctors Go Along With It
More and more religious women are rejecting the strict interpretation of Jewish law that bars them from getting pregnant naturally
How Startup Nation Could Make Medical Marijuana 'The Next Coca Cola'
The Israeli government's approval of cannabis exports has spurred interest in the sector from the high-tech industry
Opioid Suits Against Sackler Family's Purdue May Cost Teva Up to $3 Billion
Purdue Pharma said to be exploring bankruptcy filing as litigation pressures mount
Hope for AIDS Cure as London Man Becomes Second Patient Cleared of Virus
HIV researchers say case is proof of concept that scientists will one day be able to end AIDS, but does not mean a cure for HIV has been found just yet