Over the last 8,000 years, the human jaw has been getting smaller due to an increasingly soft diet and a lack of jaw exercise. The result is an epidemic of crooked teeth and serious health consequences, as two experts explain.

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 24, 2020 including: Scientists come up with a blood test that screens for a panel of biomarkers for pancreatic cancer that's nearly 92% accurate. Then, a new study shows that heart valve blockages in men and women may be caused by completely different factors. And finally, doctors and nurses can’t go back and forth like they used to, and that can create communication problems. One solution at some hospitals? baby monitors.

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 17, 2020 including: People with heart attacks and other health emergencies are avoiding the emergency room for fear of contracting COVID-19. Then, a study showing that artificial intelligence can predict with about 80% accuracy which moderately-infected COVID-19 patients will get worse and which ones won’t. And finally, men, if your wife says she needs just a little more sleep, believe her.

The COVID-19 lockdown has triggered increased alcohol use in many people, and an alcohol use disorder in some. Help can be difficult to access, as face-to-face counseling and group sessions have been halted. For women, it can be even more difficult, as they are much more comfortable in more rare single-sex sharing situations. Two experts discuss today’s dangerous alcohol triggers and how to seek help.

Spring is the season of rituals—prom, graduation, commencement and weddings. Social distancing has taken most of these rituals away. An expert discusses the importance of rituals in our mental health and why it’s OK to grieve their loss. She also discusses how changing rituals can be successful save for the tragic loss of funerals.

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 10, 2020 including: A number of new treatments for COVID-19 are showing promise and could be fast-tracked. Then, another trial of 53 severely ill patients found that 68 percent showed clinical improvement with Remdesivir. Then, viruses like COVID-19 that jump from animals to people are going to become more common. And finally many people are concerned about getting COVID-19 from food they buy, but scientists say the risk of that is very, very low.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a quicker economic crash than we’ve ever seen. Opening the nation too fast will likely trigger a “W” shaped recovery with wide swings of growth then decline. Either way, the effects will last for years. Experts discuss likely scenarios.

Doctor’s appointments via smartphone have been available for some time but were little used except in remote areas due to insurance reluctance. Now telemedicine has been forced on us and on insurers by COVID-19 restrictions, and many providers swear by them. Three experts discuss.

A look at the top medical headlines for the week of May 3, 2020 including: By now, most of us are familiar with the main symptoms of a COVID-19 infection—fever, cough, and respiratory distress. But doctors are learning that the virus may also attack the heart and brain. And finally, last year we told you about a “smart toilet seat” that could diagnose congestive heart failure. Now scientists at Stanford University have put diagnostic tools in the toilet itself.

Mental health is difficult to maintain when people are required to stay inside at home. In fact, we’re asked to engage in activities that normally would indicate mental distress. A noted psychologist with the NIH discusses ways to stay mentally healthy during the pandemic lockdown.