Drs. Richard Rupp and Megan Berman provide a timely overview of bird flu in their latest Vaccine Smarts column. “While H5N1 is a virus to watch, there is no immediate cause for alarm,” they write. “Continued vigilance, research, and preparedness are crucial.”

While being cold and wet is an uncomfortable feeling, there is no evidence that cold exposure causes infections, Dr. Samuel Mathis writes in the Daily News. In fact, cold exposure can improve your health.

A recent study sheds light on the way women’s brains change and reorganize during and after pregnancy, write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel in their Medical Discovery News column.

Dr. Jochen Reiser, president of UTMB and CEO of the health system, was among the 100 included in the Houston Business Journal’s list of impactful Texans who are likely to make headlines in the coming year. This news was also shared by the Greater Houston Partnership.

“The more you get out in nature, the more you experience better moods and less stress,” says UTMB’s Dr. Kimberly Gushanas. She provides tips and tricks to get the most out of your time in nature. “Explore the world around you, allow your brain the space and time to connect with nature,” she said. “In the process, you’ll likely reconnect with yourself.” This news also reported in Outdoors.

One way to keep your brain healthy is by making plans with others explains UTMB’s Dr. Agenor Limon for this Good House Keeping article on staying mentally sharp. Everything from planning where and when to meet to making conversation and learning new things feeds your brain, Limon tells the magazine.

Studies have shown that individuals who have meaning and purpose in their lives live longer and are healthier than those without, writes Dr. Samuel Mathis for the Daily News. Mathis encourages his readers to come up with their own values and guiding principles that help guide and define their meaning and purpose.

Painting in the 17th century was a risky business write Drs. Norbert Herzog and David Niesel. Research has found a number of different toxic compounds including arsenic, sulfur, tin and lead in the paint used at that time.

Joy is an inside job, not based on external achievements, material goods, fame, power or wealth, writes Dr. Victor S. Sierpina in his column for the Daily News. Gratefulness and joy have scientifically demonstrated health benefits and it’s something Sierpina says he will be focusing on in 2025.