Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 31, 2012

Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Smokeless Tobacco

A chemical in smokeless tobacco products has been found to cause cancer, according to a new study in animals. The chemical was a strong inducer of oral tumors, the study showed. While use of smokeless tobacco products has been strongly linked to the development of cancer, no specific chemical in...

Mar 31, 2012

Better Sleep May Help Improve Schizophrenia

Sleep problems and schizophrenia may have common roots, raising hopes that the devastating mental disorder could be improved by helping patients overcome insomnia. In a new study monitoring the sleep and circadian rhythms of people with schizophrenia, researchers found many more sleep problems in the schizophrenia patients versus mentally healthy...

Mar 31, 2012

Specific Genes Linked to Big Brains and Intelligence

Brain size and smarts are, to some extent, genetic — and now, a team of more than 200 researchers has uncovered specific genes that are linked to both brain volume and IQ. Though scientists have suggested bigger brains are smarter, this study is the strongest case yet for a genetic...

Mar 31, 2012

Cause of Brain Freeze Revealed

Most people have likely experienced brain freeze — the debilitating, instantaneous pain in the temples after eating something frozen — but researchers didn't really understand what causes it, until now. Previous studies have found that migraine sufferers are actually more likely to get brain freeze than people who don't get...

Mar 31, 2012

Study: Unplanned Pregnancies Common in Women in their 20s

More than two-thirds of pregnancies in unmarried 20-something women between 2001 and 2008 were unplanned, a new study finds. In 2008 alone, nearly 10 percent of unmarried women ages 20 to 29 experienced an unintended pregnancy. About half of unintended pregnancies in this age group end in abortion, according to...

Mar 31, 2012

Super-Fast DNA Analysis Now Just a Click Away

Tomorrow's personalized medicine — health care tailored for each person — will need a cheap, easy way to make sense of huge amounts of DNA sequences. Now the world's largest genomics institute has launched an online service that can crunch DNA sequencing data within hours for researchers or physicians around...

Mar 31, 2012

Parkinson's Personality: Disease More Likely to Strike Cautious People

Some personality traits appear to be linked with the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a new study suggests. The results show patients with Parkinson's disease are more likely to be cautious and avoid taking risks compared with people who don't have Parkinson's. Moreover, the tendency to avoid taking risks appears...

Feb 29, 2012

Women Shoulder Infertility Worries, Survey Suggests

Women who are trying to get pregnant do more than their fair share of worrying about infertility, a new survey finds. In fact, 42 percent of women surveyed who had conceived in the past five years said they became obsessed with getting pregnant once they started trying. Only 10 percent...

Feb 29, 2012

How Chlamydia Evolves into New Strains

The bacteria that cause Chlamydia, the world's most common sexually transmitted disease, seems to be sneakier than once thought, as a new study suggests it frequently exchanges DNA between different strains to form entirely new strains. Chlaymydia is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, and though its symptoms are often...

Feb 29, 2012

Daily Aspirin Linked to Reduced Cancer Risk

Taking aspirin once a day may help prevent cancer, and perhaps even in some cases treat it, a growing body of research suggests. A new study finds that people who took a low-dose aspirin daily for at least three years were 25 percent less likely to develop cancer than people...

Feb 29, 2012

Fatty Diet May Cause New Brain Cells to Sprout

Eating too many burgers and fries? Your brain might show the effects, if new mouse research holds true in humans. Researchers have discovered that a high-fat diet causes new brain cells to sprout in an area of the brain that seems to regulate eating. Interestingly, if the researchers stopped new...

Jan 31, 2012

Want to Climb Kilimanjaro? Gene Tests Predict Altitude Sickness

On his 27th birthday, David Hillebrandt and his wife Sally began to climb Mount Kenya, the second-highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro. Instead of gearing up and heading straight for the mountain's tallest peak—which reaches 5,199 meters—the couple started their journey more leisurely, trekking through scenic ridges and valleys around...

Jan 31, 2012

7 Sweet Facts About Chocolate

Chocolate hearts have long been a staple of Valentine's Day, and while the best part of the delectable may be its heart-warming taste, many steps and technologies are involved in bringing that yummy to your tummy. Here are 7 facts about chocolate's journey from tree to heart box. 1. Chocolate...

Jan 31, 2012

Treatable STD Scarier Than Fatal Flu, Study Finds

Passing someone a sexually transmitted infection is viewed as worse than giving them the flu — even if the flu turns out to be fatal, a new study finds. The research points to an irrational stigma of sexually transmitted diseases, according to study researcher Amy Moors, a graduate student in...

Jan 31, 2012

Racing Nature: H5N1 Research Explained

To head off the possibility of a flu pandemic, scientists in two labs hit fast forward on the H5N1 virus, giving the virus a newfound ability to spread, something it lacks in nature, but could evolve. Their results offered a glimpse into a possible future for the virus. Details on...