A mysterious giant virus buried for 30,000 years in Siberian permafrost has been resurrected. The virus only infects single-celled organisms and doesn't closely resemble any known pathogens that harm humans. Even so, the new discovery raises the possibility that as the climate warms and exploration expands in long-untouched regions of Siberia, humans could release ancient or eradicated viruses. These could include Neanderthal viruses or even smallpox that have lain dormant in the ice for thousands of years. "There is now...

A 26.2-mile race? Easy. A 20-mile training run? Easy. So says Antoinette Mendoza, 45, one of the first two women with Down Syndrome to finish a marathon. This Sunday, Mendoza is set to run her third ASICS Los Angeles Marathon with her coach, Jennifer Davis, and a team of more than 20 runners from The ARC, a North Hollywood organization that assists people with developmental disabilities that’s also an official charity of the marathon. Nine of The ARC’s runners have...

You might want to cut down the protein-packing part of your winter fitness plan while you try to get buff for summer. A diet that revolves around protein, especially from animals, could greatly increase your cancer risk and reduce your lifespan, according to two new studies published in the journal Cell Metabolism. (MORE: Do You Live in the Most-Obese State?) The first study examined 6,381 adults over the age of 50. Researchers found that diets with high in protein (20...

As if people didn’t already hate mosquitoes enough, a warming climate could make those annoying pests even worse. Climate change could cause the mosquito-borne disease malaria to spread to higher elevations, potentially putting millions of people at risk, according to a new study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University of Michigan published in the journal Science. (MORE: 10 Diseases Spreading Due to Climate Change) The study represents more than 20 years of research into...

Sean Swarner went from the brink of death — twice — to the world’s tallest peak. “I honestly collapsed to my knees, put my head in my hands and cried like a little baby,” he told weather.com of his experiencesummiting Mount Everest. He then went on to scale six more record-breaking peaks, the highest on every continent. After that, it was triathlons (including an Ironman) and ski races and marathons — and an annual trip up Mount Kilimanjaro with his...

Forty-three years after the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine hit the mainstream, the diseases are still flaring up across the country. Although vaccines exist to prevent these diseases, outbreaks still occur, and in some spots the frequency of these outbreaks is increasing, according to this infectious disease map from the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. With this map, America’s problem with preventable outbreaks becomes clear. For example, within only a few years, the number of whooping...

Many people think of multiple sclerosisas a disease for adults — but thousands of the nearly 300,000 Americans living with MS are teens, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Kayla Montgomery, 18, was diagnosed with the condition at 15. During the past three years, however, she’s used the disease to push forward, not slow down. Montgomery is a state champion runner for Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, N.C., according to a recent profile of the athlete in The...

((Thinkstock/Digital Vision)) Researchers have long noted that air pollution appears to damage the heart health of nearby residents, although the exact cause was unclear. New research might have part of the answer: Exposure to air pollution from traffic alters the right ventricle of the heart, a possible contributing factor to the increased risk of heart disease associated with air pollution, according to a study from the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Previous research has...

It might not feel like it, but warmer weather really is just around the corner. If your winter body isn’t exactly beach ready, there is still hope — with the right tools in your wheelhouse. The secret to shedding fat fast is exercise intensity, study after study has found, including a recent one from the American Journal of Health Promotion. In the study, investigators tracked 4,511 adults ages 18 to 64, assigning participants to four workout groups: high-intensity long bouts,...

50. Vermont: Residents of Vermont appear to be pros at healthy living, with 66.5 percent saying they exercise regularly and eat their five-a-day servings of vegetables, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Click through to find out how your state fares. (Comstock/Thinkstock) Vermont has had a long, cold winter like the rest of the Northeast, but that hasn’t prevented residents of this lush, mountainous state from eating well and exercising all winter long. Those who live in the Green Mountain...

A teenage girl in the Netherlands is a living example of what can happen when humans and Mother Nature collide. The 17-year-old rescued a kitten from drowning and fell ill shortly thereafter, according to an article published in BMJ Case Reports. After interacting with the cat, she quickly developed a fever and a large, black open wound on her wrist with painful red bumps all the way up her arm. The case stumped doctors, who originally prescribed her antibiotics with...

Unborn babies remain an ambient temperature, thanks to their mother’s body. But the weather conditions outside the womb can still profoundly impact infants throughout life, according to a new study published inSocial Science and Medicine. Here’s how: Being in utero during cold weather could help protect your heart against wintertime stress. Cold weather causes your blood vessels to narrow, raising blood pressure and risk for heart attack and stroke. It’s well-documented that heart-related deaths — which are the number one...