How your body beats the heat

(Bonnie Berkowitz and Alberto Cuadra / The Washington Post)

GRAPHIC | Those first hot days of the year test our bodies’ coping methods that have been on a three-season break. But changes can happen in as little as two weeks, says a bioenergetics expert who has studied heat’s effect on the body since 1982.

Government study sounds warning on hormone replacement therapy

Task force finds no evidence that hormones reduce the most probable threat — heart disease.

Coffee’s delicious little secrets

Coffee’s delicious little secrets

Making good coffee requires finding a careful balance of bitterness, acidity and body.

Prostate cancer test is still popular

Prostate cancer test is still popular

Experts say a test for prostate cancer does more harm than good, but a lot of men aren’t buying it.

Experts debate labels for addiction and other substance-use problems

Experts debate labels for addiction and other substance-use problems

Alcohol and drug problems would be categorized differently in revised manual of mental disorders.

Exercise can ease chronic conditions

Exercise can ease chronic conditions

Consumer Reports | Many with cancer, diabetes and heart disease think exercise is unsafe.

Diet program uses language of combat

“Warrior Cardio” diet and exercise program uses the language of combat to show how to get fit.

Va. doctor just wants to have fun

Va. doctor just wants to have fun

Dr. Emory Lewis still makes house calls and doesn’t have any interest in assembly-line medicine.

Virtual colonoscopy after virtual cleansing shows good results

Virtual colonoscopy after virtual cleansing shows good results

Image-cleansing method was nearly as good as the traditional in detecting larger polyps.

Minister reflects on aging and dying

Minister reflects on aging and dying

The Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, 80, former head of top religious groups, still preaches and teaches.

Month spent in a nursing home gives young woman inspiration

She entered a nursing home at 34 but emerged with a new appreciation of the beauty of everyday life.

Supercomputer should improve climate and weather forecasts

Supercomputer should improve climate and weather forecasts

A supercomputer called Yellowstone will help researchers map climate change down to the local level.

Book describes building of android

Book tells of roboticist who made an android replica of sci-fi author; article describes “designer flu.”

Medical, nursing students honor those who donated their bodies for study

Medical, nursing students honor those who donated their bodies for study

Anatomical donor Mass helps students say thank you to families who donated loved ones’ bodies.

Astronauts enter the Dragon

Astronauts enter the Dragon

SpaceX capsule brings supplies, hope for more commercial ventures for the international space station.

The Checkup

NYC's big-soda ban: What do you think?

Does the city government have any business telling people how big their Coke bottles can be?

The Checkup

Study: Old people smell different, but not bad

A study published Wednesday suggests that the body odor of old people is neither particularly strong nor particularly unpleasant.

The Checkup

Good news on soy-based baby formula

New study finds that soy-fed babies develop on par with babies who are fed milk-based formula.

Health, Science & Environment Videos

Urban Jungle

Privet’s perfume

Privet’s perfume

A heavy scent for the launch of summer vacation.

Medical Mysteries

A serious malady required only a simple fix

HANDOUT PHOTO: Peter Dawson, subject of 5/22/12 Medical Mystery. ONE-TIME USE ONLY for Medical Mystery of 5/22/12 (online OK in conjunction w/story)

MEDICAL MYSTERY | Because of his rare ailment, Peter Dawson travels with boxes of white powder and a gram scale. Airline security officials have noticed.

Read more Medical Mysteries

How & Why

What’s the better bulb: CFL or LED?

Light bulb comparison.

The incandescent light bulb is being replaced by CFLs and LEDs. Which is better for the environment?

Special Reports

Obesity in America 2010

One-third of U.S. children are overweight, leaving the health and productivity of an entire generation at risk.

AIDS/HIV

Virus that causes AIDS passes between U.S. and Mexico.

Inside Your Body

Find graphics, galleries and more that explain what’s happening in your body.