Public-health experts have warned for months that the COVID-19 virus isn’t gone—and, far from waning, SARS-CoV-2 has mutated yet again into a new variant. Called NB.1.8.1, it’s causing a spike in infections in China. A few cases also recently appeared in the U.S. when people arriving at airports tested positive, according to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The World Health Organization has also designated it as a “variant under monitoring.”

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Here’s what to know about the new variant.

Where did NB.1.8.1 come from?

Data from GISAID, a global database of genetic sequences of major disease-causing viruses, show the first known cases of NB.1.8.1 toward the end of April, appearing in travelers from China, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

NB.1.8.1 is now the dominant COVID-19 strain in China, where it is contributing to spikes in emergency room visits and hospitalizations..

Sometimes the most important relationships are the hardest to maintain. If you fall off track—and many people who were once close do—it’s possible to find your way back to each other with time and effort. “I have so many clients who have strained emotional relationships,” says Jenny Shields, a psychologist and bioethicist in Houston. One of the most common refrains she hears: “I used to be so close with mom or dad, and now I don’t even know how to talk to them in a happy, healthy way.”

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If you want to rebuild and reconnect, Shields suggests starting by asking the other person these five questions.

1. “What kind of relationship do you want us to build from here?”

Shields recalls clients who thought their parents were perfectly content with the widening chasm between them—only to discover that mom or dad didn’t know how to express they actually longed for a closer bond. Until you talk about what you both want out of your relationship, hold off on any a..

When you get invited to a wedding or a party, “yes” might feel like the only socially acceptable response. If your RSVP is something short of that, you might put off responding at all—or stumble into a response that’s unintentionally rude.

“We’re raised to be polite or not rock the boat and to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, and yet in trying to be nice, we end up being vague and unclear and often more hurtful than if we were just candid,” says Priya Parker, a conflict resolution facilitator and author ofThe Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters. “There are so many ways to decline with grace, but instead of saying we’d rather not, we flake, or we’re ambivalent and say ‘maybe,’ which is horrible for the host.”

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When opting out of a gathering, Parker recommends following this formula: acknowledge the invitation; honor something about it, like the host’s creativity or vision; express gratitude for the fact that they thought of you; and then..

Vitamin D does a lot for your body, supporting strong bones, muscle movement, your immune system, and more. Taking a vitamin D supplement may seem like a quick and easy way to boost these benefits—but doctors say there are a few things to know first.

“There’s no question that vitamin D is essential for good health,” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who researches vitamin D supplementation. “The question is: Do we really need to take supplements?”

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Vitamin D supplements are mostly recommended when you’re deficient. In the U.S., 35% of adults are vitamin D deficient, according to the National Library of Medicine. People who are obese, over 65, or have darker skin may be more at risk for deficiency—and about 50% to 60% of nursing home residents and patients in hospitals are vitamin D deficient.

Here’s what experts say about taking vitamin D.

The many sources of vitamin D

Vitamin D ..

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is no longer recommending the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women and healthy children, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a video on his X account on May 27. “We’re now one step closer to realizing President Trump’s promise to Make American Healthy Again,” said Kennedy, who was flanked by Dr. Martin Makary, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, head of the National Institutes of Health.

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The announcement reverses previous CDC advice. At the time of the announcement, the CDC’s webpage still contained its earlier recommendation that everyone ages six months and older get vaccinated, and that “getting the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine is especially important if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future.”

Public-health experts immediately pushed back ..

Amino acid supplements have soared in popularity in recent years. Social-media influencers peddle them with promises that they’ll build muscle, enhance athletic performance, promote weight loss, boost metabolism, and improve mental focus. But they’re not right for everyone. Here’s what to know about the trendy supplements.

What are amino acids?

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and there are a total of 20. Nine essential amino acids—histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine—are available only through foods or supplements. “You can’t store amino acids in your body, so if you have a diet that’s unhealthy, you’re not going to get all the amino acids your body needs,” says Joan Salge Blake, a clinical professor of nutrition at Boston University and host of the nutrition and health podcast Spot On!

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There are also 11 non-essential amino acids—alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic ..