If you happened to find yourself in 17th-century Naples, you were in for a rough time. The Plague of 1656 was in full swing and would claim an estimated 300,000 lives in Naples alone. If…
Health
Are You Over-Relying on Sleep or Anxiety Meds?
Even more so than usual, our lives are defined by stress right now, the results of which are a lot of anxious, sleepless nights. For many, this has meant turning to anti-anxiety medications or prescription…
Shuffle a Deck of Cards for a Quick Workout
For today’s classic at-home workout, we’re looking all the way back to 2011, when Lifehacker created its own workout program on a now-defunct platform called Fleetly. It offered four workouts per week, adjustable for your…
How to Set Benchmarks as a Beginning Runner
If you’ve taken up running recently, you probably find it exciting to learn what you’re capable of. But if the only goal you know is running continuously for three miles—the famous “couch to 5K”—you may…
Taking Melatonin Isn’t a Sleep Hack
Given we’re all likely suffering from an uptick in sleepless nights lately, you might be tempted to reach for a bottle of melatonin—nature’s sleep aid. Melatonin is natural! It’s available over the counter! But although…
No, Wearing a Mask Isn’t Dangerous
Myths about masks are running rampant, mixed in with and distracting from the critical advice and facts we all need to know to wear them responsibly. Many of these myths are directly tied to conspiracy…
Are There Really Little Bugs in Your Strawberries?
The internet is freaking out about a TikTok video (and accompanying Buzzfeed article) showing what appear to be little worm-like bugs crawling out of fresh strawberries soaked in salt water. Is this for real? Have we…
How to Weigh the Risks of Your Child Care Options
Employers are starting to require employees report back to work, forcing them to consider the pressing issue of how to safely arrange child care for their kids while schools remain closed. It’s a decision that…
Let’s All Try This 10-Minute Micro-Workout
We’ve been doing quick, at-home workouts for this month’s Lifehacker Fitness Challenge, and today we’re going to try one designed by the scientist who made high-intensity interval training popular. It’s just called the “Go-To Workout,”…
What Does a Contact Tracer Really Do?
Contact tracing is a technique epidemiologists and public health officials have long used in the fight against diseases like HIV and tuberculosis. It’s an important tool for identifying those who might be sick and keeping…
Snap a Picture of Your Meds When You Take Them
If you take meds on a schedule, you probably have a system for remembering what to take when, whether you use an app or something low-tech like a pill organizer. But for those occasional doses—like…
How to Respond if Your Friends Share COVID-19 Misinformation
We’ve probably all got somebody on our friends list who’s been sharing a lot of suspect information about the coronavirus. The component pseudo-facts of conspiracy theories are floating around Facebook in abundance, and it’s super…
How to Care for Your Child’s Mental Health Right Now
Among many unanswered questions right now is what effect this pandemic will have on the mental health of children. A recent paper, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, documents elevated anxiety and depression in children…
Are We Really Fighting With Each Other Over Masks?
As far as I can tell from my daily walks, masks have quietly become more common over the last month or two. Some people wear them, some don’t, and we all cross the street to…
What We Know About Serious COVID-19 Symptoms in Kids
Recently, there have been a lot of news stories about a new condition called pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which is similar to a rare childhood illness called Kawasaki disease. This new syndrome is starting to appear…
This 15-Minute Morning Workout Is a Classic for a Reason
In this month’s fitness challenge we’ve revisited the scientific seven-minute workout and Canada’s antique-but-holds-up 5BX. This week, let’s dial the time machine back just a few years to 2016, when we told you guys about…