Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2012

Spray-on Powder Uses Nitric Oxide to Fight Deadly Bacteria

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. A new compound that releases nitric oxide when exposed to light offers a treatment to help those infected by the potentially lethal bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii. Resistant to most antibiotics, A. baumannii enters the body...

Jun 30, 2012

Batman on the Couch: Psychologist Analyzes Comic Book Character

He wears a caped bat costume in public and funds an alter ego out of his personal fortune. As a child he witnessed his parents' murders; as an adult, he puts his own life on the line, practicing a personal brand of vigilante justice. He may be a comic book...

Jun 30, 2012

You Gave Me What? 5 Crummy Conditions We Inherit

We can't blame all of life's misfortune on our parents, but the range of less-than-ideal physical issues we can pin on them run from the unfortunate to the downright deadly. Many diseases and conditions result from various factors, often including both the genes we inherit to the food we eat...

Jun 30, 2012

Chemicals in Nail Polish, Hair Spray May Increase Diabetes Risk

A group of chemicals found in personal care products may raise the risk of diabetes, a new study suggests. Women in the study with highest concentrations of these chemicals, called phthalates, in their bodies were more likely to have diabetes than women with lowest concentrations, the researchers said. Phthalates are...

Jun 30, 2012

Bath Salts May Be as Addictive as Cocaine, Study Suggests

Recreational drugs called bath salts, which have gained popularity recently and have been in the news for their bizarre effects on users, have the potential for abuse and addiction, similar to that of cocaine. Bath salts, which, despite their name, have no use in the tub, are different variations of...

Jun 30, 2012

Club Drug Ecstasy Harms Memory, Study Reveals

Recreational use of the club drug Ecstasy could cause memory problems, new research finds. The research is the first study of Ecstasy users before they begin to use the drug regularly, which helps rule out alternative causes for the memory loss, said study leader Daniel Wagner, a psychologist at the...

Jun 30, 2012

Chocoholics, Take Note: Cravings Don't Increase Before Menstruation

Lay the blame for your chocolate habit wherever you want, but a new study suggests that women's cocoa cravings do not increase before menstruation. In the study, college women were no more likely to say they had an intense desire for chocolate during the days leading up to their period...

May 31, 2012

Why Being Touched Can Inflame Emotions

It's clear touch and emotion can be closely tied: The brush of a hand can provoke excitement, comfort or repulsion — all depending on who's delivering the touch and when. But new research indicates the emotional connection shows up early as the brain processes a social touch. Using brain scans...

May 31, 2012

More Money Can Mean Less Happiness for Neurotics

Add one more item to the things that torture neurotics: a pay increase. While more money doesn't guarantee more happiness for anyone, increasing income is actually associated with less happiness among neurotic people who already earn a good salary. In fact, as pay increased, well-off neurotics are less happy than...

May 31, 2012

Living Brain Image Wins Photography Prize

Bright-red blood vessels and thick purple veins meander across the surface of a living human brain in the winning image in this year's Wellcome Image Awards contest. A rare peak inside the skull beat out a plethora of other gorgeous shots for first prize, including a colorful caffeine crystal and...

May 31, 2012

New Moms Reveal the Truth About Postpartum Sex

Starting up sex again after the birth of a child can be a fraught issue for new parents. Now, a new study finds that much of what drives women's desire in the postpartum period are not physical factors, but psychological ones. In many cases, social factors such as spousal support...

Mar 31, 2012

How to Use Light to Control the Brain

In the film Amèlie, the main character is a young eccentric woman who attempts to change the lives of those around her for the better. One day Amèlie finds an old rusty tin box of childhood mementos in her apartment, hidden by a boy decades earlier. After tracking down Bretodeau,...

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...