Depression is highly treatable. So why are rates soaring, particularly among young people? We need to acknowledge the scope of the problem, shake the stigma, and embrace solutions known to work, experts say. — This article is part of a Wise & Well Special Report: The United States of Depression. After suffering a stroke last year, US Senator John Fetterman, a man who’d long seemed sad to those around him, plunged into deep depression. In the pit of his despair, he lost the motivation…

The case for a maxim that fosters productivity, sanity and outright enjoyment of life — My late father worked as hard as anyone I know throughout his 85 years on this planet. As a small-business owner, self-taught engineer and hands-on builder of his own manufacturing equipment, he put in long hours and worked weekends when needed, while somehow spending a crazy amount of time racing…

We are more resilient than we think, science shows, and through hardship and some intention, we can face the harsh realities — Kieran Setiya has suffered severe pain off and on since age 27. His condition, chronic pelvic pain, was diagnosed by his fifth urologist only after years of zero help from four others. When it flares up, the pulsing, burning pain makes sleep impossible. There’s no cure. Yet Setiya, now 47…

The modern quest for immortality, which began 30 years ago, aims to cure aging. But are we any closer after billions of dollars of research? And is there an upper limit to how long we can live? — Thirty years ago, scientists found a genetic quirk that doubled the lifespan of a lowly worm. The discovery, announced on Dec. 2, 1993, kickstarted the modern quest for human immortality or, at the very least, extreme longevity. The effort, championed by serious scientists and hype-prone futurists alike, has accelerated dramatically…

If your sleep suffers, so does your health, in what becomes a circle of negative effects. Here’s what to do. — Good sleep is vital to better health. It cleans out the physical brain, processes emotions and memories, and repairs the body’s cells — all to give you a fighting chance at facing tomorrow. Sufficient, quality sleep also helps protect against numerous chronic diseases and helps ensure a longer, healthier life…

We tend to underestimate serious risks and let minor threats loom ridiculously large — If you fear dying in a plane crash, a shark attack, a bombing or a violent home invasion — or some other statistically unlikely event — join the crowd. People all over the world harbor irrational or at least outsized fears over numerous ways of departing this world that are…

The newsletter helping you make tomorrow a little better than today — Welcome back to your weekly dose of wisdom and wellness, with science-backed insights you can use to improve your physical, mental and emotional well-being. We’ve streamlined the format slightly this week in an effort to be more useful to you. If you like what you see, please follow Wise &…

New research predicts an even wetter future and extreme threats for coastal areas all over the planet — Extreme wet events like the unexpected storm that flooded the New York City area Friday are no surprise to climate scientists, who have long predicted just such downpours as a result of global warming. At John F. Kennedy Airport, 8.65 inches of rain fell, more than any September day in…

Not only is it OK to admit you don’t know much, it’s a prerequisite for better writing — This article first published in my Writer’s Guide newsletter on Substack. Many moons ago, covering what would be the first of many American Astronomical Society meetings for Space.com, I sat in a press conference with perhaps two dozen other reporters, covering some new finding or other. I’d been reporting on…