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YOUR WEEKLY CHECKUP

This week: The science behind your shower thoughts; how exercise keeps your brain healthy; the CDC's new relaxed guidelines for COVID-19; why smallpox vaccines fell out of favor; why the monkeypox outbreak keeps getting worse; and the "disease of discovery" that eluded doctors for centuries.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ELIZABETH CECIL, THE NEW YORK TIMES VIA REDUX

Why do your best ideas come to you in the shower? It's science.

Research from the past 15 years suggests that people may be more likely to have creative breakthroughs or epiphanies when they're doing a habitual task that doesn't require much thought—an activity in which you're basically on autopilot. Now we're beginning to understand why these clever thoughts occur during more passive activities and what's happening in the brain.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY FRITZ HOFFMAN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

New clues are revealing why exercise can keep the brain healthy

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY NATALIE KEYSSAR, THE NEW YORK TIMES VIA REDUX

How your brain perceives time may depend on your income

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY LAB OF MISFITS

The amazing ways your brain determines what you see

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK

How the human brain makes, remembers, and forgets memories

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAHI CHIKWENDIU, WASHINGTON POST/GETTY IMAGES (LEFT) AND SMITH COLLECTION, GADO/GETTY IMAGES (RIGHT)

Why smallpox vaccines fell out of use—and what that means for monkeypox

Smallpox was eradicated in 1980, meaning the young adults of today weren't alive when smallpox vaccines were routine. Although monkeypox is far less dangerous than smallpox, the two viruses are related—and there is some evidence that the smallpox vaccine provides protection from monkeypox. But experts warn that many questions remain about the protection they provide.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

HISTORY: How a smallpox epidemic nearly derailed the American Revolution +

PHOTOGRAPH BY CDC

How did the monkeypox outbreak get so bad, so fast?

The U.S. had diagnostic tests available to contain this virus—along with two vaccines. So how did a disease that's far less contagious than COVID-19 turn into a public health emergency?

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

IN THE NEWS: There's just one drug to treat monkeypox. Good luck getting it. (New York Times) +

THE FACTS: How contagious is monkeypox—and should you get a vaccine? +

PAINTING COURTESY ROBERT MCGINNIS

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌

The nightmare disease that haunted ships during the Age of Discovery

Today we know that scurvy—which ravaged both body and mind and killed more people than the American Civil War—was caused by chronic vitamin C deficiency, brought on by lack of fresh fruit and vegetables. But that diagnosis eluded doctors and explorers for centuries.

THE DISEASE OF DISCOVERY

A MODERN-DAY HEALTH RISK? Fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than they used to be +

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

NG STAFF

CDC: It's time to 'live with the virus'

The agency's relaxed guidelines put a greater onus on individuals to make decisions about their risks and safety as the pandemic continues.

TRACKING COVID IN THE U.S.

COVID rebounds aren't definitively linked to Paxlovid. Here's what we know.

Want to be sure you don't have COVID? FDA now says you'll need to pass 3 home tests (USA Today)

School vaccine mandates for COVID-19 are not happening (Vox)

How do you manage Omicron BA.5 symptoms, including a sore throat? (New York Times)

MORE HEALTH NEWS

PHOTOGRAPH VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ FROM THE ARCHIVES‌ ‌ ‌

How 'Salk Hops' helped make vaccinations cool

The dances in the 1950s were part of a five-year war on polio vaccine hesitancy, a campaign that brought together the scientific know-how of public health experts with the burgeoning energy, creativity, and even sexuality of a powerful new presence in American society—teenagers.

THE BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN TEEN

IN THE NEWS: Polio found in New York City wastewater, indicating a silent spread (Politico) +

The next pandemic could be fungal. We are not prepared.

How you should dispose of unused or expired medications

Blood type matters more than we give it credit for (CNET)

A vaccine for Lyme disease is in its final clinical trial (NPR)

New Langya virus that may have spilled over from animals infects dozens (Washington Post)

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