Health, features and articles | Educational Science

May 31, 2014

How Marijuana Affects Health

Many people think that smoking pot is harmless, but there's good evidence that the drug has at least some negative effects on health, a new review says. Some people who smoke marijuana can become addicted, and use of the drug in the teen years has been linked with abnormalities in...

May 31, 2014

Ambitious Brain-Mapping Project's Science Goals Revealed

In April 2013, President Obama launched an initiative to develop new technologies to create a picture of the brain in action. Today, a group of scientists released a roadmap highlighting the specific goals for the project over the next five to 10 years. The priorities of the BRAIN Initiative (short...

May 31, 2014

New Exercise Perk: Healthier Gut Bacteria

Exercise is good for the heart, lungs and mind, and now we can add gut bacteria to the list, a new study from Ireland suggests. Researchers looked at professional rugby players and found that these elite athletes had a more diverse collection of bacteria in their digestive systems than other...

May 31, 2014

Gay Men Who Use Hook-Up Apps Have Higher STD Risk

Gay men who hook up by using smartphone apps may be at higher risk for some sexually transmitted infections than men who find sexual partners through online dating, or in bars and clubs, a new study suggests. In the study, which involved gay and bisexual men, those who used smartphone...

May 31, 2014

5 Ways Fatherhood Changes a Man's Brain

Fatherhood can change a man's life. It also changes his brain, in ways that it seems to equip dads with the very same baby sense that's often attributed to moms. From an animal kingdom perspective, human dads are unusual. They belong to a group of less than 6 percent of...

May 31, 2014

Pregnant Women May Lack Info on Household Toxins

Pregnant women could be missing out on information about how environmental toxins may affect their unborn babies, new research suggests. A nationwide survey of U.S. obstetricians found that few discussed toxins with their patients in depth, although many considered counseling their patients about environmental health hazards to be important. OB/GYN's...

May 31, 2014

Why Eating Fruits and Veggies Won't Make You Thin

Eating more fruits and vegetables is a generally a good idea, but this alone isn't likely to help you lose weight, a new review of studies suggests. Researchers analyzed previous research on weight loss and increased fruit and vegetable intake, which included data on more than 1,200 people. The investigators...

May 31, 2014

Lose Weight and Boost Nutrition with This Common Grain

How often do you eat rice? It could be time to add some more of this grain to your diet. People who eat white or brown rice daily are more likely to have adequate levels of potassium, magnesium and other nutrients, according to a recent study in the journal Food...

May 31, 2014

Cancer-Fighting Diet: 6 Tips to Reduce Your Risk

Following six diet guidelines can reduce your cancer risk, researchers say. The advice is a combination of what foods to limit or avoid, and which ones to eat. The recommendations, which appear in the June 30 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, were spearheaded by the...

Apr 30, 2014

Deaths Decline after Massachusetts Healthcare Reform

Massachusetts' near-universal health coverage has resulted in reduced death rates in the state, particularly lowering the death rates among people with diseases, such as stroke and cancer, who benefit from timely health care, a new study has found. During the four years after Massachusetts instituted a health care overhaul in...

Apr 30, 2014

Frequent Family Spats Linked to Risk of Early Death

People who frequently argue with family and friends, or worry too much about their loved ones, may have triple the risk of dying early in middle age, compared with those who are less argumentative, a new Danish study suggests. The researchers found that unemployed men in particular seemed most vulnerable...

Apr 30, 2014

Why the World Still Faces a Threat from Polio

Polio, the devastating disease that had been nearly vanquished due to widespread public health efforts to vaccinate children in recent decades, is now spreading to countries that had been polio-free. The re-emergence of polio is not a surprise to experts, because although the disease has been brought under control in...

Apr 30, 2014

Circumcision Complications Are Very Rare, Study Finds

The percentage of boys in the United States who develop complications related to circumcision is less than 0.5 percent, according to a large new study. The risk is the lowest for newborns, but increases 10 to 20 times for boys who are circumcised after age 1, the researchers also found....

Apr 30, 2014

Magellan Echo: Smartwatch Review

The Magellan Echo is a relatively stripped-down, sports-focused smartwatch that pairs with a growing list of apps for running, cycling, golf, hiking and other activities. A few of the basics: The Echo is currently compatible only with iPhone. At a retail price of $149, or $199 with a heart rate...

Apr 30, 2014

3rd MERS Virus Infection in US Reported in Illinois Man

A man in Illinois is the third person in the U.S. now confirmed to have been infected with the relatively new and deadly virus known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today (May 17). The man is reported to be feeling well,...