Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2014

Why Is Symmetry So Sexy? It Has Nothing to Do with Health

Facial symmetry is sexy, but perhaps not for the reasons scientists had long thought. Humans have such a strong preference for faces and bodies that are symmetrical that evolutionary psychologists and other researchers who study human behavior have long theorized that symmetry might be a signal of good health. But...

Jul 31, 2014

Sodium Guidelines 'Need to Be Rethought,' Experts Say

People whose diets contain moderate levels of sodium may have healthier hearts and live longer than those who consume too much or too little of the mineral, new research suggests. In a large international study, researchers found that men and women who ate between 3,000 and 6,000 milligrams of sodium...

Jul 31, 2014

How Will Chikungunya Virus Spread? DARPA Announces Challenge

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, is challenging innovators to build models to predict how the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus could spread across countries in the Americas. Whoever makes the best model will take home $150,000. The chikungunya virus causes fever and debilitating joint pain, and until recently...

Jul 31, 2014

Liberal and Conservative States Equally Clueless About Abortions

Americans living in politically liberal states and those living in conservative states have an equally low understanding of abortion's health effects and the laws regarding the procedure, a new national survey finds. Just 74 out of the 569 people who took the survey answered at least four of the five...

Jul 31, 2014

Drone Pilots Suffer PTSD Just Like Those in Combat

Although drone operators may be far from the battlefield, they can still develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study shows. About 1,000 United States Air Force drone operators took part in the study, and researchers found that 4.3 percent of them experienced moderate to severe PTSD. In...

Jul 31, 2014

No Dietary Supplement Treats Concussions, FDA Warns

Consumers should beware of dietary supplements that claim to treat a concussion, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations said today. Exploiting the public's rising concern about concussions, some companies are offering untested, unproven and possibly dangerous products that claim to prevent, treat or cure concussions and other traumatic brain injuries,...

Jul 31, 2014

MERS Virus Doesn't Spread Easily in Households, Study Suggests

The deadly virus called Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS-CoV, spreads among people within households at a lower rate than seasonal flu viruses, a new study suggests. The researchers tested the family members of 26 MERS patients, and found that only 12 of the 280 relatives living with the...

Jun 30, 2014

Ecstasy Leads to Rare Aneurysm in College Student

A college student who took Ecstasy was fortunate to survive a ruptured aneurysm in an artery near his spinal cord, but his case is a reminder of the dangers of using this street drug. Florida neurologists diagnosed the young man with a posterior spinal arterial (PSA) aneurysm, which is a...

Jun 30, 2014

How Justin Bieber's Bangs Could Save Teens' Skin

Bangs that sweep across the forehead may be more than fashionable — the hairstyle that celebrity Justin Bieber brought back can provide doctors with a unique opportunity to talk to teens about sun protection, experts say. Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital recently made in interesting discovery in some of their...

Jun 30, 2014

Could Smallpox Come Back?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now running tests on the six forgotten vials of smallpox that were recently discovered in an unsecured laboratory, to see if any live virus remains in them. The sealed vials were found in a lab at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)...

Jun 30, 2014

Harsh Thoughts: Cynicism Linked to Stroke Risk

Middle-age and older people who are highly stressed, have depression or who are perhaps even just cynical may be at increased risk of stroke, according to new research. In the study, more than 6,700 healthy adults ages 45 to 84 completed questionnaires about their stress levels, depressive symptoms, feelings of...

Jun 30, 2014

Ten Things You Didn't Know About Fat

Understanding fats (Image credit: Yukari, CC BY-SA)This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Our understanding of fats – including which ones are actually good for us – is evolving. We know for example that red meat...

Jun 30, 2014

Your Skin Can Heal by 'Sniffing' Aromas

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Humans have about 350 different types of olfactory receptors in the nose, which detect odors and start a signalling process that then messages the brain. These receptors work together...

Jun 30, 2014

Natural Arm Swing Saves Runners' Energy

Swinging your arms when you run helps save energy, researchers say. People naturally swing their arms back and forth while running. Prior research suggested that swinging the arms helps keep the body balanced during running by counteracting the motion of the swinging legs. However, it was unclear whether swinging the...

Jun 30, 2014

What is Bikram Yoga?

Bikram yoga is a form of yoga popularized by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970s in California. The patented practice involves repeating the same 26 poses in set cycles over a 90-minute class. Bikram yoga instructors go through a nine-week training program in which they learn the set practice and dialogue....