"The Dry Season," Febos’ new memoir, is an account of the 90 days she spent abstinent, followed by the next 90, which eventually turned into a year.

Despite being the first pope from America, a country where the Catholic Church is known for its relative conservatism, Pope Leo XIV — who spent much of his adult life working in Peru — is expected to largely continue his predecessor’s progressive reforms

University of Iowa dentistry professor Steven Levy is interviewed about how fluoride affects children's health.

A new training program teaches aides to stop baby talk and address older people as adults.

Pope Francis will be remembered for modernizing Catholicism with a viewpoint of empathy. His is a legacy that deserves a more considered resting place, as many on the internet have pointed out an unfortunate reality: The kerning on Pope Francis’ tomb is objectively awful. Cheryl Jacobsen, a calligrapher and adjunct assistant professor at the Center for the Book at the University of Iowa, calls the engraving “horrifically bad,” noting that “there is no historical reason for spacing that bad.”

Since early 2024, a different kind of flu called bird flu, formally known as avian influenza, has been spreading in birds as well as in cattle. The current bird flu outbreak has infected 70 Americans and caused two deaths as of April 8, 2025. Public health and infectious disease experts say the risk to people is currently low, but they have expressed concern that this strain of the bird flu virus may mutate to spread between people. The viruses that cause seasonal flu and bird flu are distinct but still closely related. Understanding their similarities and differences can help people protect themselves and their loved ones.

Meet author and University of Iowa professor Rachel Yoder whose recent novel is now a feature film.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that results when the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain and spinal cord. It affects nearly one million people in the U.S. and over 2.8 million worldwide. While genetics play a role in the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, environmental factors such as diet, infectious disease and gut health are major contributors. The environment plays a key role in determining who develops multiple sclerosis, and this is evident from twin studies. Among identical twins who share 100% of their genes, one twin has a roughly 25% chance of developing MS if the other twin has the disease. For fraternal twins who share 50% of their genes, this rate drops to around 2%.

A seemingly small question has shifted how scientists understand the relationship between the brain and the body.

To be sure, the size of the U.S., its relatively low density, its wealth, its affordable suburbs, and — to be fair — the appeal of the automobile, are all key factors. But policies and lobbies have played an outsized role in the shift of available transportation options toward cars, said University of Iowa law professor Greg Shill.