For more than a century, the human appendix has been written off as a biological relic, a shrunken leftover from plant-eating ancestors that serves no real purpose. That view is now outdated. A ...

During the recent Covid-19 pandemic, the rate of serious illness and death was jarringly high in older populations. Why? Weakening immune systems — as we age, we become more vulnerable to infections, ...

Stem-cell researcher Carolina Florian didn’t trust what she was seeing. Her elderly laboratory mice were starting to look younger. They were more sprightly and their coats were sleeker. Yet all she ...

How does the same infection, say the flu or a cold, give some people mild symptoms and leave others suffering? Why do people develop autoimmune diseases? And will we ever be able to predict when—and ...

Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi were awarded the prize for research showing how the body regulates its immune responses. By Gina Kolata and Ali Watkins Mary E. Brunkow, Fred ...

Recent immunology research has unveiled the complex relationship between vitamin D and immune system function. This vital nutrient is involved in the development and function of the immune system, ...

I am lying under a blanket, feeling rough, staring at a bowl of oranges. Every fibre of my being is urging me to devour the lot. I can hear my mum – and medical friends at university – insisting that ...

The microneedle patch about the size of a quarter samples key cells often missed in routine blood samples and biopsies.

You have probably heard that loading up on vitamin C will ward off a cold, or perhaps TikTok has influenced you to take turmeric or some other supplement to supercharge your immune system. The problem ...