In the days and months following the 2016 presidential campaign, Sarah Stocco of St. Paul threw herself into civic activities: calling her congressional representatives, attending postcard-writing parties, joining a neighborhood political action committee. Since the election of Donald Trump, volunteering and civic engagement have increased both in the Twin Cities and nationwide, says Mark Snyder, director of the Center for the Study of the Individual and Society at the University of Minnesota.

Black-legged ticks in forests of the Northeast and Midwest have a variety of options for the three blood meals they consume in their lifetime: In their earlier stages, the ticks feed on at least 41 species of mammals, from chipmunks to black bears, plus 57 species of birds and 14 species of lizards. In adulthood, they will hop onto at least 27 species of mammals and one type of lizard.

How public health and religion are teaming up to save waistlines—and lives—through a novel approach to eating. Two years ago, Jason Jordan-Griffin had a health concern, one that afflicts some 70 percent of his fellow Americans. He was overweight. The pastor at Union Memorial United Methodist Church in Baltimore felt the burden not just of these extra pounds but also of the mixed message he was sending from the pulpit.

It is one of the great mysteries in recent American pop culture: the death of Prince almost one year ago and the circumstances that led him to be found crumpled on the floor of an elevator at his sprawling residence Paisley Park outside of Minneapolis. How did he come into possession of the powerful opioid fentanyl, which killed him in what the coroner ruled was an accidental overdose?

In a darkened room in the heart of a vibrant Minneapolis neighborhood, eight people walk in a circle, immune to the honking and flashing lights of cars and buses outside. A faint scent of roasted kale chips permeates the space, the last slide of a PowerPoint presentation glows on a screen, and a blood-pressure machine hums quietly.

Getting psychological help from an unfamiliar healthcare system comes with serious challenges. When Ahmed Hassan decided to major in psychology at Southwest Minnesota State University, his Somali-born community assumed he was training to be a psychic. Not an unexpected reaction, given the popularity of psychic hotlines in the early 2000s—and the lack of anything equivalent to psychotherapy in Somalia.

In 2009, Kevin Pearce was considered to be one of the best snowboarders in the world. Then, while training to compete against rival Shaun White in the 2010 Olympics, Pearce collided with the half-pipe wall, shattering his left eye socket and causing bleeding to his brain. He suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury that almost killed him, and after a six-day coma and years of recovery, his competitive snowboarding career was over.

How do we protect ourselves from increased air pollution, contaminated water, the spread of Lyme disease, and other health effects of climate change? That’s just one question a new consortium of doctors is trying to answer. What’s the first image that pops into your mind when you hear the phrase “climate change”?

Even a rudimentary interest in art can help to shift a researcher's perspective.

Thirty-five minutes before a Minnesota Lynx game in July, head coach Cheryl Reeve was entrenched in a passionate discussion that had nothing to do with the opposing Dallas Wings’ threatening backcourt.

A local doctor who had treated Prince twice in recent weeks showed up at the musician’s estate near here on the morning he died, only to discover that he had just been pronounced dead after being found collapsed in an elevator of his home, according to a police affidavit. The doctor, Michael T. Schulenberg, had seen Prince the previous day, April 20, according to the affidavit, which was filed in connection with a search warrant for Prince’s medical records.

As an emergency room physician in Washington, D.C., it didn’t take long for Leana Wen to notice a pattern: Patients making repeat visits to the ER, wheezing and coughing from asthma exacerbations or suffering from lead poisoning, conditions that most often afflict those living in low-income neighborhoods.

Mosquitoes are as much a part of Minnesota summers as a trip to the cabin or a dip in one of our more than 10,000 lakes. Typically they’re just an annoyance, but as the mosquito-borne Zika virus spreads north from tropical climates—potentially causing severe brain damage to unborn children—should we be alarmed?