Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 30, 2005

Study Finds Kids Can't Hit Slow Pitches

You're throwing a ball for a toddler to smack with a plastic bat. You toss it gently, slowly, to make it easier. He just can't hit it. It's because you throw too slowly, a new study finds. Kids' brains aren't wired for slow motion. When you throw something slowly to...

Apr 30, 2005

Study Reveals Baseball's Great Clutch Hitters

A baseball fan and statistics buff has proven that clutch hitters really do exist, putting statistics behind the obvious. The new study, by math and economics student Elan Fuld of the University of Pennsylvania, was announced by the university Thursday. Fuld defined a clutch hitter as one who hits better...

Apr 30, 2005

Rise of Deadly Superbugs should 'Raise Red Flags' Everywhere

A pair of new studies confirms recent fears that bacteria are growing increasingly resistant to drugs and that you can be infected anywhere. The number of cases of superbugs, as researchers call them, has been increasingly steadily in recent years, the reports conclude. The best medicine? Wash your hands a...

Apr 30, 2005

Monkeys Brains Alter to Work Robotic Arm

Scientists have shown in multiple studies that monkeys can manipulate robotic devices with their thoughts. Turns out the thoughts run deep. A new study finds a monkey's brain structure adapts to treat a robotic arm as if it was a natural appendage. The finding, announced Tuesday afternoon, bolsters the notion...

Apr 30, 2005

Children Beat Adults in Memory Contest

When you need to remember specific details, try thinking like a child. A new study pitted college-aged adults against 5- to 11 year-old kids in a memory contest. The younger contestants won by paying better attention to the details. Adults, it seems, get lazy. In the experiment, both test groups...

Apr 30, 2005

Study Reveals Why Raw Garlic is So Pungent

Cooks know there's a huge difference between raw and cooked garlic. If you've ever gnawed on the raw form, you know it too. What a bite. When cooked, it is mellower. A new study reveals why. Raw garlic is full of sulfurous compounds, including a chemical called alliin. When a...

Mar 31, 2005

Latest Buzz: Fly Brains Manipulated by Remote Control

Like a hypnotist who gets a man to act like a chicken when he hears a code word, scientists have genetically modified fruit flies to jump or beat their wings when flashed with lasers. This is a new approach to neuroscience, said Gero Miesenbock from the Yale University School of...

Mar 31, 2005

Serious Golf Injuries on the Upswing ... Among Children

More kids are getting head injuries as the popularity of golf rises. Falling out of a cart and getting smacked by a club are the two main causes. A review of 2,546 patients under age 19 seen by pediatric neurosurgeons at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta between 1996...

Feb 28, 2005

Finger Length Predicts Aggression in Men

Without pointing any fingers, a new study suggests a way to take the measure of tough characters. The research, done at the University of Alberta and announced Wednesday, found a connection between the length of the male index finger relative to the ring finger and the tendency to be aggressive....

Feb 28, 2005

Hospitals and Doctors Lag Behind Information Age

Health care lags behind the information age, a new study found. Fewer than a third of hospitals and only 17 percent of doctors' offices check electronic records prior to treating patients or prescribing medicine. Only 8 percent of physicians use a computerized physician order entry system. The setup, advocated by...

Feb 28, 2005

Samson and Delilah Reunited after Brain Surgery

Samson the lion, recuperating from a first-of-its-kind brain operation, is now back with his sister, Delilah, at the Hai-Kef zoo in Rishon Lezion, Israel. ? The meeting between Samson and his sister Delilah was joyous and emotional, said the director of the zoo, Bezalel Porath. Samson now has many visitors....

Feb 28, 2005

How the Brain Changes Channels

Your brain cells change channels sort of like a television, scientists say. Specific cells in the noggin can change what they allow through their membranes by swapping one kind of channel, or membrane opening, for another. This lets your brain fine-tune messages and adjust connections to control fine motor skills,...

Feb 28, 2005

Sleep Poorly? You're Not Alone

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Getting a good night's sleep is hard for many adults and that often means poorer health, lower productivity on the job, more danger on the roads and a less vibrant sex life. By 3 to 4 in the afternoon, I'm starting to feel brain-drained and I need...

Jan 31, 2005

Be Quick, Live Longer?

How quickly you react to this story could have something to do with how long you live. Unfortunately, it's not clear what you should do. A new study suggests reaction time is related to longevity. The research meshes with other studies that have found higher IQs tend to predict longer...

Jan 31, 2005

Big Brains Not Always Better

WASHINGTON D.C. - Nearly three million years ago, our ancestors had brains about as big as modern chimps. Since then the brain that would become human grew steadily, tripling in size. But this extra cranium capacity may not have resulted in smarter hominids. As far as tool-making is concerned, there...