(By Bonnie Berkowitz and Patterson Clark / The Washington Post)

The health hazards of sitting

GRAPHIC | What exactly goes wrong when we park ourselves for nearly eight hours per day, the average for a U.S. adult?

Smithsonian preserves lost and dying languages

Native American languages in particular have been preserved in old letters, grammars, documents.

Study: How to survive a nuclear explosion

A new study calculates how much time you’ll have to find shelter. Take a watch.

More Health and Science news

Ex-EPA official in CIA scam says he was driven by ‘greed’

A House committee released a transcript of John C. Beale’s deposition from last year.

Bird watchers at rush hour: A snowy owl descends on D.C.

Bird watchers at rush hour: A snowy owl descends on D.C.

The sight of the rare bird stops pedestrians in their tracks, and it doesn’t seem to mind the attention.

FDA drug approvals based on varied data, study finds

FDA drug approvals based on varied data, study finds

A third of new drugs between 2005 and 2012 got the go-ahead on the basis of a single clinical trial.

People who stay in existing plans won’t disrupt exchanges

A study finds that President Obama’s pledge will have little effect on the new health insurance marketplace.

With health-care lawsuit, nuns step into the spotlight

With health-care lawsuit, nuns step into the spotlight

The Little Sisters of the Poor are challenging the new law’s contraception mandate.

What to do when there’s a charge for ‘free’ preventive care

What to do when there’s a charge for ‘free’ preventive care

Some consumers face out-of-pocket charges due to coverage exceptions under the new law.

Researchers look to connect diabetes and cleanliness

Researchers look to connect diabetes and cleanliness

In Finland, children are diagnosed with the disease at a surprising rate. Why?

W.Va. chemical spill poses a new test for lawmakers

W.Va. chemical spill poses a new test for lawmakers

It has been 38 years since Congress passed a major piece of legislation regulating toxic chemicals.

Out West, ‘big solar’ is booming

Out West, ‘big solar’ is booming

High-tech plants that use the sun to generate electricity are coming online, but a smaller future looms.

Multimedia

Watch the spread of the flu across the U.S. each week.

Tracking the flu week by week

The Centers for Disease Control measures the level of flu-like illness in each state and tracks hospitalizations nationwide. This map shows the flu rates each week of the season, which lasts from October to April. To see how the flu virus spreads this season, play the week-by-week timelapse below, or look back at the 2012-2013 flu season map.

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Other news

A positive outlook may keep you healthier physically

Study showed those with greater optimism developed fewer impairments over 8 year time span.

Letter writer says the type of Omega-3 is important

HELetters0121

Letters about Health and Science story on nutrients to improve mood.

Tapping the power of protein

HECuHealth0121

Some forms of the nutrient must be acquired through diet, but there may be no benefit to getting more.

How a successful editor worked through his anxieties

He tried therapy, drugs, too. His story is a hilarious cautionary tale. Also: A cookbook on using ancient grains.

A great tale of animal rescue

Baby chimpanzees chew sticks as an adult chimpanzee watches at the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 11, 2006. After lifetimes spent in barren cages and forced servitude, chimpanzees at the sanctuary can finally enjoy a more natural way of life. The facility was established in 1997 on 200 acres in Florida. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

New book details how Carole Noon saved chimps used in research and took them to a 200-acre sanctuary.

COLUMNS

AnyBODY

Are computer screens worse for your eyes than print?

HEAnybody0121

Yes and no. Your eyes may get more dry and tired, but you can make adjustments to help.

How to fire your doctor

Sethoscope on book. All text created by photographer. It is copyright free.

First, make sure you have another one lined up — and get all your prescriptions and records.

How to keep your kids warm in the deep freeze

HEanybody0107

The science behind temperature-rated parkas.

How & Why/EcoLOGIC

Unlocking the secrets of amber

HANDOUT PHOTO:   Peter Vransky of the Slovak Academy of Sciences unearthed these amber-entombed cockroaches in modern-day Lebanon. His research, published late last year, explored the prehistoric roach's role in cleaning up dinosaur droppings. (Courtesy of Peter Vrsansky/ geological institute slovak academy of sciences)

How do living things become encased in these golden tombs? Can they be revived?

Is Rainbow Loom harmful to the environment?

This photo provided by courtesy of Choon's Design shows Rainbow Loom bracelets. In a market glutted with craft products marketed specifically to girls, Rainbow Loom is a rare gender-neutral craft kit, helping boys develop fine motor skills and longer attention spans while they create gifts to share with friends and family. (AP Photo/Choon's Design)

Those little synthetic rubber bands, if not discarded properly, can hurt small animals.

Is a ‘Silent Night’ possible?

An aerial view at night of the downtown Chicago skyline is seen Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013. An Arctic air mass is expected to chill much of the Central Plains and the East Coast through Monday with wind-chill temperatures dropping into the single digits overnight in some places. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Not really. It’s pretty hard to escape sound, even in outer space.

Urban Jungle

The cardinal and the tuliptree

The cardinal and the tuliptree

As winter advances, choice foods become scarce and eating grows riskier and less efficient.

Medical Mysteries

Intractable depression — or something else?

HEMedMysteries1224

Drugs and shock treatments failed to treat a woman’s worsening mental illness.

A wasting-away mystery

MedMysteries 1119

Why did a 14-year-old girl develop sudden weakness and apparent anorexia?

Dripping wet

Janet Ruddock Medical Mystery 1015

A woman couldn’t stop sweating, and the problem wasn’t hot flashes. What was going on?

Read more Medical Mysteries

Health, Science & Environment Videos

Obamacare's silver lining?

Obamacare's silver lining?

For all of the issues surrounding the rollout of the President's signature health care law, one part seems to be working pretty well—the expansion of Medicaid. Close to 400,000 Americas have learned they are now eligible to enroll, but some states haven't embraced the expansion.
Can a November surge help Obamacare?

Can a November surge help Obamacare?

The Affordable Care Act saw a surge in the month of November with 173,000 people signing up in their state-run marketplaces. But will young people sign up in the numbers needed to support the program?
Three Obamacare fixes explained

Three Obamacare fixes explained

Wonkblog’s Sarah Kliff breaks down three proposals that would help Obama make good on his promise.
Obamacare’s uniting number

Obamacare’s uniting number

Do Americans think the government can recover from Obamacare's disastrous rollout, or is it too late?
Kliff Notes: How did Obamacare change?

Kliff Notes: How did Obamacare change?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains how Obamacare is changing after many insurance policies were canceled, and how the president plans to un-cancel some of them.
Kliff Notes: Will Obamacare cancel my plan?

Kliff Notes: Will Obamacare cancel my plan?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains why a lot of people's health insurance policies might get cancelled.
Kliff Notes: HealthCare.gov's 3 problems

Kliff Notes: HealthCare.gov's 3 problems

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff walks through the three main problems bogging down the Affordable Care Act's online marketplace.
Kliff Notes: Obama's health care speech

Kliff Notes: Obama's health care speech

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff shares her "Kliff Notes" for President Obama's remarks defending his signature health care law.
Obamacare Q&A: Are all marketplaces created equal?

Obamacare Q&A: Are all marketplaces created equal?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains why the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces are different from state to state.
Obamacare Q&A: Who doesn't have to enroll?

Obamacare Q&A: Who doesn't have to enroll?

Wonkblog's Sarah Kliff explains the exceptions to the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate.