Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2008

Fear: Hobbyists Will Create New Life Forms

Amateur biologists are goofing around with genetics in garage-based labs that some fear could unleash new and dangerous life forms. The new effort, dubbed biohacking, harkens to revolutions in infotech hatched by individuals that founded Apple, Hewlett Packard and Google. While, individual kitchen-counter chemists may become biohackers, the field has...

Nov 30, 2008

5 Tips: How to Keep Your New Year's Resolution

Whatever you resolve to do differently in 2009, vow also to develop a strategy to make it happen. Otherwise, expect failure. So says John O'Neill, director of Addiction Services for The Menninger Clinic in Houston. Whether it's to eat better, exercise more or stop smoking, O'Neill offers this advice: Before...

Oct 31, 2008

Teen Pregnancies Blamed on TV Shows

THE CLAIM: Teenagers who watch 'sexy' television programmes are being led into early pregnancies, RAND researchers have claimed. The show Sex and the City is fingered. THE TRUTH: Teen pregnancies in the United States had declined for 15 years before rising in 2006 — the most recent year tabulated and,...

Oct 31, 2008

Icy Slush Chills Blood to Save Lives

A bio-compatible ice slurry created by scientists in the Nuclear Engineering Division at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory can be injected directly into the body. The ice slurry can be used to lower the temperature of an organ, reducing its need for oxygen, giving doctors extra time...

Oct 31, 2008

Don't Freak Out: Paranoia Quite Common

LONDON (AP) _ If you think they're out to get you, you're not alone. Paranoia, once assumed to afflict only schizophrenics, may be a lot more common than previously thought. According to British psychologist Daniel Freeman, nearly one in four Londoners regularly have paranoid thoughts. Freeman is a paranoia expert...

Oct 31, 2008

Maggot Therapy Gains in Popularity

Maggots, the larval stage of certain flies, are already a federally approved treatment for people with nasty bed sores, chronic post-surgical wounds and diabetic foot ulcers. Now, maggot therapy has received a boost from the medical establishment that could make it easier for patients and doctors to get insurance reimbursement...

Oct 31, 2008

Fore! Here Comes the Ultimate Golf Ball

When it comes to improving your golf game, you can spend thousands of dollars buying the latest titanium-induced, Tiger-promoted golf clubs; taking private lessons from the local I used to be on the Tour pro; or trying every slice-correcting, swing-speed-estimating, GPS-distance-guessing gadget. But, in the end, it's about getting that...

Oct 31, 2008

Breakthrough: Eye Cells Regenerated in Live Mice

Scientists have for the first time regrown retina cells in live mammals. The mouse study offers hope for similar success in human eye cells. Located in the back of the eye, the retina's role in vision is to convert light into nerve impulses to the brain. Previous work had shown...

Oct 31, 2008

5 Surprising Turkey Facts

Some 271 million turkeys will be raised in the United States this year, according to the National Turkey Federation, and a good number of them will be consumed on Thanksgiving, after which many Americans will loll about, overstuffed, sleepy and in many cases intoxicated. This is not what the Pilgrims...

Sep 30, 2008

Animal Instincts: Main Street Seeks Revenge on Wall Street

The outrage expressed by many so-called Main Street folks over the proposed Wall Street bailout is based on more than a sense of injustice. It's about revenge, a basic animal instinct shared by humans, chimpanzees and even blue-footed boobies. And Washington politicians would be wise to listen up and stick...

Sep 30, 2008

Narcissists Tend to Become Leaders

Narcissists like to be in charge, so it stands to reason that a new study shows individuals who are overconfident about their abilities are most likely to step in as leaders, be they politicians or power brokers. However, their initiative doesn't mean they are the best leaders. The study also...

Sep 30, 2008

Death Rituals Reveal Much About Ancient Life

Cultures around the world and through time have had wildly varying ways of dealing with the dead. And since death weighs so heavy on a culture and is ultimately so mysterious, records of these practices, or deathways, are often more abundant than other ancient cultural accounts and provide illuminating windows...

Sep 30, 2008

Premature Ejaculation: It's Not in Your Head

Guys, if you're trying to lay blame for your pitiful mid-life crisis, some good news: Scientists have found that premature ejaculation is not all in your head. In fact, the propensity is genetically determined. Neuropsychiatrist Marcel Waldinger and pharmacological researcher Paddy Janssen at Utrecht University studied 89 Dutch men who...

Aug 31, 2008

Study: Zen Meditation Really Does Clear the Mind

The seemingly nonsensical Zen practice of thinking about not thinking could help free the mind of distractions, new brain scans reveal. This suggests Zen meditation could help treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (so-called ADD or ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, major depression and other disorders marked by distracting thoughts....

Aug 31, 2008

Urban Surprise: More Bicyclists Means Fewer Accidents

In a study that at first glance seems counterintuitive, researchers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, reviewed safety studies from 17 countries and 68 cities in California and found that the more people bike in a community, the less they collide with motorists. It appears that...