Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2019

Why Do We Bend Our Arms When We Run?

When you're walking or running, your legs are doing most of the work, but your arms are involved, too. And how they move depends on your gait. As we walk, our arms usually hang naturally at our sides and are mostly straight. But when we run, our arms typically swing...

Jul 31, 2019

A Doctor Tested a New Treatment on Himself. Now, It May Help Others with This Rare Disease.

A doctor's quest to understand his own rare disease led him to test an experimental treatment on himself, and it may have worked. The physician, Dr. David Fajgenbaum, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, has been in remission ever since he first used himself...

Jul 31, 2019

Muscle Spasms and Cramps: Causes and Treatments

Muscle spasms are the sudden, intense and uncontrollable contraction of muscles. They're painful and frustrating, and can stop athletes in their tracks or jolt someone awake in the middle of the night. Also called a muscle cramp or charley horse, a muscle spasm happens when the muscle is fatigued and...

Jul 31, 2019

Why Is Mold Fuzzy?

Editor's Note: This story was updated on Monday, Sept. 16 at 12:30 p.m. E.D.T. The green, furry tufts of mold that pop up on bread and cheddar cheese aren't very appetizing. Their mere presence raises the questions: Why is mold so fuzzy, and is this fuzz dangerous? The short answer...

Jul 31, 2019

What Is HPV?

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 80 million people — about 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. — are currently infected with HPV, and 14 million people become newly...

Jul 31, 2019

Doctors Find Bizarre Mass of Bone, Teeth & Hair in Teen's Stomach. It Was Her Own Twin.

A teenager in India was discovered to have a bizarre mass of bone, teeth and hairy cheesy material in her abdomen, according to a new report of the case. It was her own twin growing inside her, the result of an extremely rare condition called fetus in fetu. The 17-year-old...

Jun 30, 2019

Woman Contracts Horrifying Leg Infection from a Hot Tub

An Indiana woman's vacation took a grim turn when she developed a serious leg infection after spending time in the hotel's hot tub, according to news reports. The woman, 26-year-old Taylor Bryant, went on vacation with her family to Tennessee over spring break, according to local news outlet RTV6. After...

Jun 30, 2019

2 Teens Hospitalized with Kidney Damage After Doing 1,000 Squats Apiece

Two teenagers in China ended up in the intensive care unit after doing too many squats, chinapress.com reported. That's not a euphemism; squats are not a new designer drug you're unaware of (at least we don't think they are?). The two teen girls were literally squatting over and over again,...

May 31, 2019

Woman Had a Huge Tapeworm 'Egg' Encased in Her Brain. Why She's Super Happy About It.

When is it a huge relief to hear you have a parasite lurking in your brain? When it's not a cancerous brain tumor. That was the recent experience of a woman in New York, 42-year-old Rachel Palma, who had gone to the doctor's office for some odd symptoms. For example,...

May 31, 2019

American Tourists Die Suddenly from Mysterious Illness in Fiji

A husband and wife vacationing in Fiji died within days of each other from a mysterious illness, according to news reports. The Texas couple, Michelle and David Paul, arrived in Fiji around May 22, according to NBC News. Although the Pauls were in good health before leaving, they soon began...

May 31, 2019

White Meat Can Raise Cholesterol As Much As Red Meat, New Study Shows

White meat, such as chicken, may raise blood cholesterol levels as much as red meat does, a new, small study details. The finding surprised researchers, who didn't expect that eating large amounts of poultry would lead to higher blood cholesterol levels. Of the three diets in the study — red...

May 31, 2019

Pregnant Women Who Eat More Fiber May Lower Child's Celiac Risk

Mothers who eat a high-fiber diet in pregnancy may lower the risk of celiac disease in their children, a new study suggests. The study researchers analyzed information from more than 88,000 Norwegian children and their mothers, who gave birth between 1999 and 2009. The mothers were asked about their fiber...

May 31, 2019

Dirty Surgical Instruments Tied to Hundreds of Infections at Colorado Hospital, Lawsuit Alleges

Dozens of people are suing a hospital in Colorado, alleging that improper cleaning and sterilization of surgical instruments at the facility led to hundreds of infections, according to news reports. The lawsuit was filed this week by 67 patients who underwent surgery at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver between 2015...

May 31, 2019

Why So Many Bacteria Live on the Surface of Your Eye

You may be familiar with the idea that your gut and skin are home to a collection of microbes — fungi, bacteria and viruses — that are vital for keeping you healthy. But did you know that your eyes also host a unique menagerie of microbes? Together, they're called the...

May 31, 2019

Are Humans Growing Smartphone 'Skull Spikes'? Study That Made the Claim Under Fire.

Editor's Note: On Sept. 18, the authors of this “skull spikes” research published corrections to their study in the journal Scientific Reports. Read more about them at the journal's website. The journal that published the so-called skull spike study is now taking a second look at the research that went...