Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 31, 2017

How Good Posture May Help with Depression Symptoms

People with symptoms of depression may see temporary improvements to their mood by following the age-old advice to sit up straight, a new study from New Zealand suggests. However, the researchers cautioned that the findings are preliminary; it's not yet known whether an upright posture could actually aid in treating...

Jan 31, 2017

Super Bowl 2017: Is a Turf or Grass Field Riskier for Players?

This Sunday, the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons will face off in the Super Bowl, battling for the championship on a turf field at Houston's NRG Stadium. Does the field's surface type — grass or turf — affect players' injury rates? One of the benefits of artificial turf...

Jan 31, 2017

Immunotherapy: Could the Human Body Be Trained to Fight Cancer?

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The human immune system is powerful and complex. It can identify and destroy invaders of nearly infinite variety, yet spare the more than 30 trillion cells of the healthy...

Jan 31, 2017

Why Exercise Is Not Enough to Prevent Weight Gain

Exercise on its own — without also following a healthy diet — isn't enough to help people lose or even just maintain their weight, a recent study suggests. The new results run counter to the idea that the obesity epidemic in the U.S. is caused by a lack of physical...

Jan 31, 2017

Climate Change Is Transforming the World's Food Supply

ATLANTA — Climate change is poised to affect the world's food supply in three key ways, experts say. There will be impacts on the quantity, quality and location of the food we produce, said Dr. Sam Myers, a medical doctor and senior research scientist studying environmental health at the Harvard...

Jan 31, 2017

Beyoncé Cancels Gig: What Work Is Safe in Pregnancy?

Singer Beyoncé has cancelled her performance at the upcoming Coachella festival in April because she is pregnant. But how much work is safe during pregnancy, and what kind of work is risky? In early January, Coachella organizers announced that Beyoncé would be one of the festival's headline performers. But several...

Jan 31, 2017

Are viruses alive?

Viruses are infectious, tiny and nasty. But are they alive? Not really, although it depends on what your definition of alive is, two infectious disease doctors told Live Science. Living beings, such as plants and animals, contain cellular machinery that allows them to self-replicate. In contrast, viruses are free forms...

Jan 31, 2017

Are Any Fad Diets Actually Healthy? What the Research Shows

With so many diet fads around these days, how do you know which ones are actually good for you? In a new review of studies covering about 40 years, researchers attempted to dispel the hype surrounding some popular diet trends and to outline what experts really know about a heart-healthy...

Jan 31, 2017

Unusually Hot or Cold Weather Could Affect Babies' Weight

Unusually hot or cold weather may affect the birth weight of babies, a new study suggests. Researchers found that women who experienced unusually hot or cold weather during pregnancy were at increased risk for having babies with a low birth weight, even when the baby was not born prematurely. Given...

Oct 31, 2018

Why You Shouldn't Worry About the New Study Linking Cellphones to Cancer

Concerns over whether cellphones can cause cancer have been around for years. Now, the issue is being raised yet again, as government researchers release the results of a major study that found evidence linking high levels of cellphone radiation exposure to certain types of cancer in rodents. But you probably...

Oct 31, 2018

College Athlete Dies of Rare Bacterial Illness Called 'Forgotten Disease'

A college student-athlete in Kansas died suddenly from a rare bacterial infection after thinking her symptoms were due to tonsillitis, according to news reports. The 23-year-old, Samantha Scott, was a top coxswain on the rowing team at Kansas State University, according to a statement from the university. But about two...

Oct 31, 2018

Who Were the 1st Americans? 11,000-Year-Old DNA Reveals Clues

People genetically linked to the Clovis culture, one of the earliest continentwide cultures in North America, made it down to South America as far back as 11,000 years ago. Then they mysteriously vanished around 9,000 years ago, new research reveals. Where did they go? It appears that another ancient group...

Oct 31, 2018

'Move More and Sit Less': These Are the New Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

CHICAGO — After a decade, Americans have new physical activity guidelines to aim for — and officials hope the changes will get more people encouraged to get moving. That's because the new guidelines, released today (Nov. 12) by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), say that any...

Oct 31, 2018

How the Midnight Sun Gave This Man 'Rotten Zombie Skin'

A midnight sun can evoke many images, including those of an endless night and a beautiful, soft light — but a really awful sunburn probably isn't one of them. A man, a 29-year-old tourist from Australia, learned just that while hiking in Greenland for several weeks. He didn't think much...

Oct 31, 2018

What Are CT Scans and How Do They Work?

Whether you're visiting the emergency room after a rough spill from your mountain bike or visiting your health clinic for a routine cancer screening, it's likely that the doctor will request internal images to accurately assess your health. One of the most common ways to capture internal body images is...