MERT is being marketed to families of children with autism. Providers suggest the treatment has been thoroughly studied, but there is little evidence to date of its efficacy.

For parents considering autism interventions for their children, evaluating treatments can be daunting. Experts talked to The Times about what to watch for.

Dr. Mark Ghaly will be stepping down as head of the California Health and Human Services Agency, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.

'Something that Sunrise has taught me, and that I've learned from the world around me, is that hope comes through collective action but is also something that you need to practice.'

'Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question' asks: With American society feeling more socially and politically polarized than ever, is it right to bring another person into the world?

Aging infrastructure, short-term thinking and ambitions that far exceed its funding are among the problems facing NASA, according to a new report.

In his new book 'Hope for Cynics,' Stanford psychology professor Jamil Zaki explains how cynicism became an American epidemic — and how to cure it.

An obstetrician-gynecologist has been barred from practicing at Cedars-Sinai following an investigation into complaints. The doctor has denied wrongdoing.

What did you do last summer? This teenage member of the Sunrise Movement, grieving over climate disasters and unsure about his future, helped blockade the door to JD Vance's Senate office.

With the environment constantly changing due to global warming, future generations will have a chance only if the current population takes sustainable actions.

Entrepreneur Emmet Stephenson and his daughter are giving $150 million to City of Hope to fund an award for innovation research in pancreatic cancer. It's the largest single gift the center has received.

Nicholas Green's organ donation legacy lives on 30 years later.

Samples taken in the pandemic's early weeks reinforce hypothesis that coronavirus emerged from live animal market, not a laboratory, new study says.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking Californians to take actions in their daily lives to help combat climate change — from composting to taking public transit to avoid driving.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it will again make four free COVID tests available through the mail for households.

Enterovirus D68, which in rare cases can cause polio-like paralysis in children, is on the rise in California and across the nation, analyses show.

Brett Favre, 54, says he has Parkinson's disease while testifying before a House committee about welfare fraud in which he was allegedly involved in Mississippi.

A San Fernando Valley resident is the first person in L.A. County to die this year from West Nile virus, a mosquito-transmitted illness that can cause lethal inflammation in the brain.

A new study found that as Central Valley residents go about their day, they regularly breathe in pesticides, including one banned in California.

New data from Southern California children, teens and young adults show that rising rates of depression and anxiety increased further during the pandemic.

As the range and incidence of valley fever grows, public health officials are struggling to warn visitors of the risk.

Research suggests that the patients of female physicians' fare better on average. But old-fashioned sexism is still a barrier to their success in the profession.

The CDC plans to knock on the doors of randomly selected homes in the Tijuana River Valley later this month to ask them about how the sewage crisis has affected their wellbeing.

People hospitalized for COVID-19 early in the pandemic suffered an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and other serious "cardiac events," researchers say.

Recent research suggests that the disease can diminish intelligence even years after symptoms resolve. It's one more reason to get the latest vaccinations.

The politics of reproductive health aren't just about abortion and aren't limited to younger women.

Although California dairy farmers had heard about the H5N1 bird flu before it hit, none was prepared for the devastation it would cause in some herds.

Berkeley chemists have created a reusable material that pulls carbon dioxide from the air and holds onto it until it can be stored.

The safety of mass-produced food has improved dramatically in recent decades, but listeria, a common type of bacterium, presents unique hurdles.

Here are the key takeways from The Times' yearlong investigation into the science behind magnetic resonance therapy, or MERT, as a therapy for autism.

In under-resourced parts of Los Angeles, people develop life-altering, preventable diabetes complications related to obesity. These patients rarely live to grow old.

H5N1 bird flu has been discovered in a pig in Oregon, a development that has sparked new concerns among infectious disease experts.

Few drugs are available to treat heavy metals that enter the body, either from lead poisoning or nuclear fallout. A UC Berkeley startup hopes to change that.

Public health officials maintain the risk of H5N1 bird flu infection remains low. They are searching for the source.

Two Los Angeles Police Department officers were injured early Sunday morning in South L.A. when their vehicle overturned after being struck by a car.

Gas prices could rise after vote by California regulators

USC professor Berislav Zlokovic is on leave after whistleblowers cast doubt on his published work and derailed trials for an experimental stroke treatment.

When you think of football on television, music might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, from the famous classical music used by NFL Films to Hank Williams Jr. singing, "Are you ready for some football?" music plays a big role in all broadcasts.

NBC and the NBC Sports Network have taken over Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for extensive coverage of the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. There will be no shortage of coverage of the Kentucky Derby winner Orb, who many think is a legitimate Triple Crown threat.

Sunday is the single biggest motorsports day in broadcast television history. NBC has the Grand Prix of Monaco at 7 a.m., coverage of the Indianapolis 500 starts at 11 a.m. on ABC and the nightcap at 6 p.m. will be the Coca Cola 600 from Charlotte on Fox. That means over 18 hours of live Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR action, making the Memorial Day weekend must-see TV for motorsports fans.

In the long storied history of the French Open, few men or women has been more successful on the red clay of Roland Garros than Chris Evert. She holds a record nine French Open titles: seven singles championships and two in doubles. Evert's 94-15 record at the French Open is the best winning percentage in the history of the event.

The U.S. Open Championship returns to the iconic Merion Golf Club in suburban Philadelphia this week and expect the scores to soar. This an old-school golf course designed in 1910 by Hugh Wilson.

Five Washington Nationals players will miss Thursday's opening game after one player tested positive for COVID-19.

Authorities are seeking help from the public on obtaining information regarding a vehicle involved in the shooting incident near Nationals Park on Saturday, during which three people were shot and wounded near the baseball stadium.

The federal Office of Personnel Management ordered federal employees to leave the office early on Monday amid Washington, D.C., area storm warnings. The severe storms covered most of the area with a tornado watch through 9 p.m., causing many places in the Beltway area to close early or adjust hours.

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to make a visit with House Republican leadership on Capitol Hill before meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday morning, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters on Tuesday.  Although the details have not been finalized, Johnson said they have “preliminary plans” to meet with the president-elect […]

The United States lowered El Salvador’s travel advisory to Level 2 after protests from the Congressional El Salvador Caucus. The United States had previously refused to lower the country’s travel designation from Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” the second-highest rating possible, despite the transformation of the country’s crime situation. Over the past decade, the country had […]

Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) believes there should be more than one person in the race for House speaker to avoid a “Soviet-style” election following reports that hardline conservatives are hoping to find a challenger for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). So far, Johnson is the only person seeking the speaker’s gavel after alerting his […]

Republican senators emerged Tuesday night from a candidate forum largely tight-lipped on which of their colleagues they would support to replace Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on the eve of a secret ballot vote and President-elect Donald Trump’s visit to Washington. Two hours of huddling behind closed doors with the trio of contenders fielding […]

1. So here we are again. Last year the Capitals and the New York Rangers were tied 2-2 in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series and Washington was moments away from securing Game 5. Instead, a late Joel Ward penalty led to a game-tying goal by Brad Richards with just seconds remaining. Madison Square Garden exploded and Washington wilted in a devastating overtime loss. The Caps survived Game 6 at home, but ultimately were dispatched in a bitter Game 7 loss in New York.