Educational Science

Daily Aspirin Is Most Beneficial in Your 50s, Panel Says

People in their 50s or 60s may benefit from taking aspirin daily, but those who start during their 50s get the most benefit from its use in preventing a heart attack, stroke and colon cancer, according to new recommendations from a government-appointed panel of independent experts. Daily aspirin is also...

Why Hope Remains for Saving the World's Largest Gorillas (Op-Ed)

Andrew Plumptre is a senior conservationist in the Uganda Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Stuart Nixon is a conservationist at Chester Zoo in the U.K. who was working with Fauna & Flora International at the time these surveys were made. Radar Nishuli is chief park warden for the...

A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck southern Japan today, less than two days after a 6.2-magnitude temblor rocked the same region, triggering tsunami advisories in the area. The most recent earthquake struck the Kumamoto region on Japan's Kyushu Island early Saturday (April 16) at 1:25 a.m. local time (12:25 p.m. ET on...

Women with Migraines More Prone to Heart Disease

Women who suffer from migraines may be more likely than other women to develop heart problems, a new study suggests. Researchers found that women who have migraines were at greater risk of having a heart attack and angina (chest pain), and of needing to undergo heart-related procedures such as coronary...

Collider Unleashed! The LHC Will Soon Hit Its Stride

Don Lincoln is a senior scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermilab, the United States' biggest Large Hadron Collider research institution. He also writes about science for the public, including his recent The Large Hadron Collider: The Extraordinary Story of the Higgs Boson and Other Things That Will Blow...

One Question Could Help Spot Drinking Problems in Teens

One simple question may reveal a lot about a teen's risk of developing an alcohol problem, a new study finds. The study focused on teen alcohol screening, or questions that doctors can ask to flag those who may be at risk for problem drinking. Results showed that one question —...

Concussions and Cognitive Skills: What's the Impact?

NEW YORK — Concussions may have lasting and widespread effects on a person's cognitive abilities, according to two new studies presented here at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society's annual meeting. In one study, presented on Sunday (April 3), researchers found that a concussion's effect on visual working memory — the ability...

Why Does Asparagus Make Your Pee Smell Funny?

Ah, the aromas of spring. The clean scent of freshly mown grass. The sweet fragrance of lilacs in bloom. But what's causing that sulfurous smell from your urine after eating one of the season's earliest vegetables? It's asparagus, of course. Just what is it that gives asparagus pee that pungent...

The true story behind the 1st Memorial Day

Here's a trivia question for armchair historians: Was the first Memorial Day celebrated in Columbus, Georgia, or Columbus, Mississippi? According to strict calendric interpretation, Columbus, Mississippi, celebrated the holiday first, on April 25, 1866, but only because newspaper editors fudged the date, said Richard Gardiner, an associate professor of history...

Fitbit Helps Doctors in Man's ER Visit

For one New Jersey man, wearing a fitness tracker paid off in a big way: Doctors in the emergency room used the gadget to help determine the best way to treat his heart problem, according to a new report of the case. The 42-year-old man went to the ER after...