Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2011

Doh! Top Science Journal Retractions of 2011

Bad science papers can have lasting effects. Consider the 1998 paper in the journal the Lancet that linked autism to the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. That paper was fully retracted in 2010 upon evidence that senior author Andrew Wakefield had manipulated data and breached several proper ethical...

Nov 30, 2011

Aging Brains Match Youth in Some Mental Tasks

Since physical abilities decline as people age, many people think the elderly are also less able to perform mental jumping jacks as they age. New research indicates this might not be true with all brain-powered tasks: In some ways the elderly are fit to compete with their younger counterparts. Both...

Nov 30, 2011

Mosquitoes Pick Out Human Meals With Help from Microbes

Mosquitoes like some people better than others, and differences in the microbes living on our skin may help explain the bloodsuckers' dining preferences. It turns out men with a large variety of microbes living on their skin make for less attractive meals for the African malaria-carrying mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu...

Nov 30, 2011

Top 10 Health & Happiness Lessons of 2011

A lengthy job search promotes worry, stress and anger, but a bad job is worse for happiness than no job at all. Those findings are on the Gallup polling agency's list of most compelling findings about health and happiness in 2011. The agency queries tens of thousands of Americans every...

Oct 31, 2011

Students Love Sweet Soda (Infographic)

7 Diet Tricks That Really Work10 Easy Paths to Self Destruction7 Foods Your Heart Will Hate ...

Oct 31, 2011

Sexual Seniors Are Happiest, Survey Finds

Older married couples who engage in sexual activity are more likely to be happy both with their relationship and their lives than those who have more infrequent sex, according to new research. The find reveals the importance of sexuality in adults ages 65 and older, said study researcher Adrienne Jackson,...

Oct 31, 2011

Inside the Brains of Psychopaths

Differences in psychopaths' brains may help explain their anti-social behavior, according to new research. Psychopaths are identified as highly selfish, and lacking in emotion and conscience. Experts estimate that about 1 percent of the general population and as many as 25 percent of male offenders in federal correctional settings are...

Oct 31, 2011

Americans Continue to Pack on the Pounds

We have stuffed ourselves with turkey, and even before the leftovers are gone, it's time for a reality check. American men and women, on average, report weighing nearly 20 pounds (9 kilograms) more than they did in 1990, according to the annual Health and Healthcare survey conducted by Gallup in...

Oct 31, 2011

Life's Extremes: Supertaster vs. Nontaster

In this weekly series, LiveScience examines the psychology and sociology of opposite human behavior and personality types. During the gustatory celebrations this holiday season, not everyone enjoys the feast's foods in the same way. Although the roast turkey is generally a hit, side vegetables such as Brussels sprouts or broccoli...

Oct 31, 2011

Creative Thinkers More Likely to Cheat

When it comes to money, creative people are more likely to cheat to get it than the less-imaginative crowd, a new study suggests. The reason? Creative types may be more skilled at coming up with reasons for their less-than-ethical actions, according to the researchers. In the new study, scientists measured...

Oct 31, 2011

The Hidden Potential of Autistic Kids

When I was in fifth grade, my brother Alex started correcting my homework. This would not have been weird, except that he was in kindergarten—and autistic. His disorder, characterized by repetitive behaviors and difficulty with social interactions and communication, made it hard for him to listen to his teachers. He...

Sep 30, 2011

Alzheimer's May Be Transmissible, Study Suggests

In some cases, Alzheimer's disease may in fact be the result of an infection, and may be even be transmissible, a new study in mice suggests. In the study, mice injected with human brain tissue from Alzheimer's patients developed Alzheimer's disease. The mice developed brain damage characteristic of Alzheimer's disease,...

Sep 30, 2011

Seeing Double: 8 Fascinating Facts About Twins

Science Times Two Twin girls sit in a park eating. (Image credit: Alexander Gitlits | Shutterstock)They are often difficult to tell apart and can use this fact to their advantage, tricking everyone from parents to teachers or dates. Besides pulling pranks, twins have a lot to tell us about human...

Sep 30, 2011

How to Survive Falling From a Plane

Falling from or being sucked out of an airplane come under the rubric of improbable but intriguing terrors, the favored fodder of dime novels and breathless action flicks. Like being lost in the Sahara, cast adrift at sea or bitten by a deadly exotic creature, they are fascinating, if incredibly...

Sep 30, 2011

Excessive Drinking Costs US $224 Billion a Year

Excessive alcohol consumption costs taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars a year, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2006, binge drinking, underage drinking and drinking by pregnant women cost U.S. taxpayers $223.5 billion, the CDC study showed. That breaks down to $746...