LAURA UNGAR

AP Science Writer

A vaccination that includes a polio dose is prepared for a child at the Dallas County Health and Human Services immunization clinic in Dallas, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Takeaways from AP’s report on how flat funding set stage for Texas measles outbreak, might fuel more

The measles outbreak in West Texas didn’t happen just by chance. The easily preventable disease, declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, ripped through Texas communities in part because health departments were starved of the funding needed to run vaccine programs, officials say.

Cesar Acevedo, left, holds his infant son, Adriel Acevedo, as as nurse Tracey McElroy, right, prepares to give him a vaccination that included a polio dose at the Dallas County Health and Human Services immunization clinic in Dallas, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Measles exploded in Texas after stagnant vaccine funding. New cuts threaten the same across the US

The measles outbreak in West Texas didn’t happen just by chance. Health officials say the easily preventable disease has ripped through communities sprawling across more than 20 Texas counties in part because health departments were starved of the funding needed to run vaccine programs.

This photo provided by researchers at UCSF and UC Berkeley shows Ann, a participant in a study on speech neuroprostheses, in California in 2023. (Noah Berger/UCSF, UC Berkeley via AP)

A stroke survivor speaks again with the help of an experimental brain-computer implant

Scientists have developed a device that can translate thoughts about speech into spoken words in real time. Although it’s still experimental, they hope the brain-computer interface could someday help give voice to those unable to speak.

Mifepristone tablets are seen in a Planned Parenthood clinic Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Debate over the abortion pill mifepristone resurfaces after Makary is confirmed to head the FDA

Trump administration says it will pull back billions in COVID funding from local health departments

Federal health officials said Tuesday they are pulling back $11.4 billion in COVID-19-related funds for local public health departments and other health organizations throughout the nation.

An attendee at Planned Parenthood's Bans Off Our Bodies rally for abortion rights holds a sign reading outside of the Idaho Statehouse in downtown Boise, Idaho, on May 14, 2022. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP, File)

Trump has dropped a high-profile abortion case in Idaho. Here’s what that means

A yearslong legal battle over the right to an emergency abortion in Idaho has been abruptly upended now that President Donald Trump has moved to drop the high-profile case.

Alexander Daniel, DDS, left, demonstrates fluoride treatment on resident Cameron Onken, right, at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Do you need fluoride treatment after a teeth cleaning? Dental experts weigh in

Dentists and hygienists often propose fluoride treatments after teeth cleanings or dental work. The relatively simple procedure involves applying a varnish, gel or foam directly to the teeth. It’s designed to prevent decay by strengthening enamel.

FILE -A sign is seen outside of Seminole Hospital District offering measles testing, Feb. 21, 2025, in Seminole, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez), File)

Measles is popping up in the US. Here’s how to avoid one of the world’s most contagious viruses

Measles is rarely seen in the United States, but Americans are growing more concerned about the preventable virus as cases continue to rise in rural West Texas.

President Donald Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Pool via AP)

Trump has signed an executive order on IVF. Here’s what you should know about the procedure

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to help families hoping to expand their families through in vitro fertilization by reducing costs for the procedure. These costs can now range from $12,000 to $25,000 per cycle.

Casts of skulls are seen inside an exhibit of early human species inside the Smithsonian Hall of Human Origins, Thursday, July 20, 2023, at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Researchers link a gene to the emergence of spoken language

Why did humans start speaking? Scientists suggest genetics played a big role. They say the evolution of this singular ability has been key to our survival. A new study links a particular gene to the ancient origins of spoken language.

This microscope photo provided by the McLean Hospital's Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center in January 2024 shows cells in the caudate nucleus structure of the brain in a person with Huntington's disease. (McLean Hospital's Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center/NIH NeuroBioBank via AP)

Surprise finding sheds light on what causes Huntington’s disease, a devastating fatal brain disorder

Scientists are unraveling the mystery of what triggers Huntington’s disease, a devastating hereditary disorder that strikes in the prime of life.

Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Elon Musk says a third patient got a Neuralink brain implant. The work is part of a booming field

Elon Musk says a third person has received an implant from his brain-computer interface company Neuralink. He talked about the development during a recent interview at an event in Las Vegas that was streamed on his social media platform X.

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a worker of the China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) company during a round of COVID-19 tests in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province, Aug. 5, 2021. (Chinatopix via AP, File)

5 things we know and still don’t know about COVID, 5 years after it appeared

Five years after the virus that causes COVID emerged in China it still holds some mysteries. The disease has killed an estimated 20 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization, and thousands are still dying every year.

This undated electron microscopic image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows two Influenza A (H5N1) virions, a type of bird flu virus. (Cynthia Goldsmith, Jackie Katz/CDC via AP, File)

Bird flu virus likely mutated within a Louisiana patient, CDC says

A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the first severe case of the illness in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the finding this week.

Tatayanna Johnson carries a box of diapers for her child from the Pharmalife Community Pharmacy, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Johnson participates in the states TennCare Diaper Benefit, which provides free diapers for children under the age of two. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Takeaways from AP’s report on social safety nets in states that ban abortion

Recent research and an analysis by The Associated Press found states with restrictive abortion laws have more porous safety nets for mothers and young children.

Anika Chillis spends time with her children, Makhi 2, and Myla 9, at a playground Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families

Tennessee has a nearly total abortion ban and a porous safety net for mothers and young children. GOP state leaders in Tennessee and other states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v.

A doctor performs an ultrasound scan on a pregnant woman on Aug. 7, 2018, at a hospital in Chicago. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File)

Maternal mortality review panels are in the spotlight. Here’s what they do

Efforts to reduce the nation’s persistently high maternal mortality rates involve state panels of experts that investigate and learn from each mother’s death. These maternal mortality review committees usually do their work quietly.

This image provided by Ana-Maria Cujba shows blood vessels in a portion of the human small intestine, March 21, 2024. (Ana-Maria Cujba/Wellcome Sanger Institute via AP)

Scientists map out the human body one cell at a time

Researchers have created an early map of some of the human body’s estimated 37.2 trillion cells. Each type of cell has a unique role, and knowing what all the cells do can help scientists better understand health and diseases such as cancer.

FILE - Mifepristone tablets are seen in a Planned Parenthood clinic July 18, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Birth control and abortion pill requests have surged since Trump won the election

Doctors say requests for permanent sterilizations and long-term birth control like IUDs have surged across the nation since Donald Trump was elected president last week.

Members of the Get Healthy Walking Club walk the paths past the animal enclosures during the morning at the Louisville Zoo in Louisville, Ky., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

What makes walking so great for your health and what else you need to do

Health experts say walking is an easy way to improve physical and mental health, bolster fitness and prevent disease. Getting steps in also helps lower the risk of heart problems, high blood pressure, dementia, depression and many types of cancer.

This image provided by the Archeological Park of Pompeii shows cast number 25, made in 1929, from Villa dei Misteri in Pompeii. (Courtesy of MIC, Archaeological Park of Pompeii via AP)

New DNA evidence rewrites long-told stories of people in ancient Pompeii

When a volcanic eruption buried the ancient city of Pompeii, the last desperate moments of its citizens were preserved for centuries.

This microscope image provided by Osaka University and the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in October 2024, shows the fertilization of a mouse egg marked in red and green. DNA is marked in blue, showing in the egg at the top and in a sperm cell at the bottom left. (Yonggang Lu/Osaka University/IMP via AP)

Scientists show how sperm and egg come together like a key in a lock

Scientists have pinpointed how sperm and egg fuse together across the animal kingdom, from fish to people. New research by scientists in Austria shows that fertilization works like a lock and key.

FILE - Bottles of abortion pills mifepristone, left, and misoprostol, right, are displayed at a clinic in Des Moines, Iowa, Sept. 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

Abortion pills will be controlled substances in Louisiana soon. Doctors have concerns

Louisiana will become the first in the United States on Tuesday to categorize two widely used abortion-inducing pills as “controlled dangerous substances.”

FILE - A patient prepares to take the first of two combination pills, mifepristone, for a medication abortion during a visit to a clinic in Kansas City, Kan., on, Oct. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Two Georgia deaths are tied to abortion restrictions. Experts say abortion pills they took are safe

The deaths of two women in Georgia have been tied to a state law that bans most abortions after roughly six weeks. The news organization ProPublica reported that both women had taken abortion pills.

In this photo provided by Liz Chrastil, a neuroscientist with the University of California, Irvine, she her holds her newborn son in May 2020. (Courtesy Liz Chrastil via AP)

Scientists show how pregnancy changes the brain in innumerable ways

A new study offers the first detailed map of the human brain throughout and after pregnancy. It was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience on Monday.

FILE - A dentist holds a model of teeth and a toothbrush in Seattle on Aug. 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Menopause can bring on dental problems, but you can protect your mouth

Menopause is well-known for causing hot flashes and night sweats for many women. But the list of menopause maladies can also include dental problems.

FILE - A group gathers to protest abortion restrictions at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, May 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

More women had their tubes tied after Roe v. Wade was overturned

A new study shows that more women chose to have their tubes tied after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. The study also shows the biggest increases were in states that ban abortion. It was published Wednesday in JAMA.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a presidential debate with Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept.10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Kamala Harris gives abortion rights advocates the debate answer they’ve longed for in Philadelphia

When President Joe Biden had given bumbling remarks about abortion on the debate stage, it was widely viewed as a missed opportunity — a failure, even — on a powerful and motivating issue for Democrats at the ballot box.

A cardiotocograph measures Denise Jones' contractions and her baby's heart rate during a prenatal appointment at the Oklahoma State University obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Tulsa, Okla., on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)

Takeaways from AP’s report on government programs tackling the US maternal death crisis

All levels of government are striving to reduce maternal mortality and erase the race gap in the United States. The Associated Press examined programs that looked at individual patient needs and programs that seek to improve medical care generally.

Areana Coles receives an ultrasound during a prenatal visit at the Oklahoma State University obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Tulsa, Okla., on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)

America is trying to fix its maternal mortality crisis with federal, state and local programs

Federal, state and local governments are all trying to reduce maternal mortality rates across the United States and eliminate racial disparities. No one has all the answers, but many of the programs are making headway in their communities.