Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Jun 30, 2016

Brain Zapping May Sharpen Vision

Stimulating the brain's vision center with electricity may improve people's vision for a short period of time, according to a new, small study. In the study, researchers used a mild electrical current to stimulate an area of people's brains that processes visual information. The people either had normal vision, or...

Jun 30, 2016

Prenatal Multivitamins Don't Help Much, Study Says

For pregnant women, taking prenatal vitamins may be a waste of money, a new review of previous research suggests. Instead of taking multivitamin and mineral supplements, pregnant women should focus on improving the overall quality of their diets, and should take just two vitamins: folic acid and vitamin D, according...

Jun 30, 2016

Brain-Eating Amoeba Infections: Causes & Symptoms

A brain-eating amoeba is just as horrific as it sounds: It's a parasite that can enter the brain and lead to deadly inflammation of the brain. There have been several reports of brain-eating amoeba infections. For example, an 18-year-old Ohio woman died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba while white-water rafting...

Jun 30, 2016

Healthy Kids: Homemade Meals Not Always Best

Parents who prepare homemade baby food and meals for their toddlers can not only save money, but may also provide their kids with more nutrients, a new study suggested. The study, led by researchers in Scotland, found that home-cooked foods made based on recipes in cookbooks for infants and preschoolers...

Jun 30, 2016

Silk Road Gave Infectious Disease a Route, Ancient Poop Shows

Silk, tea and spices weren't the only things that travelers carried on China's legendary Silk Road: Ancient poop shows that infectious diseases were also transported along this network of trade routes, according to a new study. Researchers excavated 2,000-year-old feces from a latrine along the Silk Road in northwestern China,...

Jun 30, 2016

Juicy, Exotic, Decadent: Food Porn Is Actually Centuries Old

Chocolate cake that oozes fudge; a big, juicy burger dripping with cheese; or decadent sushi displayed oh-so-perfectly: If your social media feeds are overflowing with beautiful images of foods that make you salivate, you're not alone. And in fact, that so-called food porn existed long, long before social media. It...

Jun 30, 2016

Here's How You Can Keep Sitting from Killing You

Exercising for an hour a day may be enough to counteract the harmful effects of sitting for long periods, a new study from Norway finds. The results show that people who sit for more than 8 hours a day, but who also exercise for 60 to 75 minutes a day,...

Jun 30, 2016

What Your Pee and Poo Color Says About Your Health

Out of the blue I passed bright red pee. I freaked, thinking it was a sign of terminal disease. Then I remembered the roasted beetroot tarts served at the party the night before – so delicious I’d eaten three! Beetroot, artificial colours, vitamin supplements and medications can change the colour...

May 31, 2016

Flour Recall: Do You Really Need to Throw It Out?

General Mills is recalling 10 million pounds of flour that may be linked with an outbreak of E. coli. And even though baking would kill the E. coli pathogen, experts say it's still wise to throw out the recalled flour if you have it in your kitchen. I wouldn't want...

May 31, 2016

Eating Fat Doesn't Make You Fat, Study Finds

It seems logical to think that eating a high-fat diet would tip the scale upward, but a new study suggests that might not be the case. What's more, eating more of certain types of fats may help move the scale in the other direction. Men and women in the study...

May 31, 2016

Are 'Hands-Free' Phone Calls Really Safer for Drivers?

Talking on your phone while driving — even if you use a hands-free connection — is still dangerous, a new study from England finds. Conversations of any kind can be distracting if they require a driver to use mental imagery, according to the study. A popular misconception is that using...

May 31, 2016

How Accurate Are Fertility Tracking Apps?

Fertility-focused apps and websites that aim to figure out which days a woman is most likely to conceive may not be very accurate, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed more than 50 popular websites and smartphone apps that offer to predict a woman's fertility window, or the days during...

May 31, 2016

2 Teens Die After Drinking Racing Fuel & Soda Mix

Two teens in Tennessee died in January after drinking a mixture of racing fuel and soda at a party, which appears to have been concocted as a substitute for alcohol, according to a new report. Before the party, one of the teens took a bottle of racing fuel from the...

May 31, 2016

Brain Tumor Risk Linked with Higher Education, Study Finds

People with higher levels of education may be more likely to develop certain types of brain tumors, a new study from Sweden suggests. Researchers found that women who completed at least three years of university courses were 23 percent more likely to develop a type of cancerous brain tumor called...

May 31, 2016

How Long Does Sunscreen Last Before It Expires?

Next time you're heading to the beach, remember to check whether your sunscreen is still effective. Although sunscreen may last longer than milk and restaurant leftovers, it still has an expiration date, experts told Live Science. That date depends on how the sunscreen is stored, said Georgios Imanidis, a professor...