Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Mar 13, 2024

Best dehumidifiers 2024: Fight damp, mold and condensation

Investing in one of the best dehumidifiers is an easy and effective way to improve the air quality in your home or workplace. These smart appliances can rid your living spaces of damp, mold and dust mites, simply by sucking out excessive moisture from the air. As Wei-Ning Wang, an...

Mar 13, 2024

Humans inhale a staggering amount of microplastic every week. Here's where it ends up.

Editor's Note: The headline and lede of this story were updated on March 13, 2024 at 1:40 p.m. E.S.T. to remove reference to the total amount of plastic inhaled by humans every week. Researchers originally estimated that humans ingest a credit cards' worth, but this was a miscalculation; it's actually...

Mar 15, 2024

One of our favorite smart scales for measuring body fat just got its price slashed in a Walmart deal

If you want to lose weight and gain muscle, having bathroom scales that provide precise measurements of your body fat percentage and muscle mass can be invaluable. One set of smart scales that does just that has been slashed by $70, now costing just $29.99 at Walmart. In our 2023...

Mar 18, 2024

8-hour intermittent fasting tied to 90% higher risk of cardiovascular death, early data hint

Intermittent fasting — a dieting strategy that limits when someone can eat each day — has been linked to a 91% higher risk of heart-related death in a large study. This risk was tied to eating in an eight-hour or shorter window in the 24-hour day, compared with a more...

Mar 18, 2024

Ice-cold plunges and breath-holding: Does the 'Wim Hof method' do anything?

Can breathing exercises and ice baths make you a better, healthier version of yourself? Scientists have found there may be some benefits — but ultimately, the jury is still out. A new review of research focuses on the Wim Hof method, a regimen of breath-holding and cold exposure promoted by...

Sep 26, 2023

Rat 'lungworm' that can invade the human brain found in Georgia rodents

A parasite that normally lives in the lungs of rats can infect the human brain if accidentally ingested in contaminated food — and now, the worm has claimed new territory in Georgia. But don't freak out. The parasite, called rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), mostly infects people in Southeast Asia and...

Sep 27, 2023

Strange purple lump on infant's head is rare case of protruding brain tissue, case report says

A boy who was born with a purple lump on his head had a rare skin defect and a bit of brain tissue spilling out of his skull, a new case report says. The lump, which was on the right top of the boy's head, measured around 0.5 square inches...

Sep 29, 2023

Woman is 1st to survive infection with deadly 'blackleg' bacteria she caught while gardening bare-handed

A woman in Australia has become the third known person to be infected with a species of bacteria that normally causes deadly blackleg disease in cattle and sheep — and she's the only one to survive, according to a new case report. After gardening without gloves, the 48-year-old woman experienced...

Sep 29, 2023

Prenatal RSV vaccine protects newborns from the virus, CDC says

There's now another way to protect newborns from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, the leading cause of hospitalization for infants in the U.S. The tool is a new vaccine, called Abrysvo and made by Pfizer, which is given in late pregnancy to send protective antibodies across the placenta to the...

Oct 2, 2023

Inexpensive new malaria vaccine is a 'vital tool' to protect tens of millions of people

The World Health Organization (WHO) has just recommended a second vaccine to prevent malaria in children, almost exactly two years after it recommended the world's first. When given seasonally, the vaccine, called R21/Matrix-M or just Matrix-M, is as effective as the previously recommended vaccine, known as RTS,S or Mosquirix, Tedros...

Oct 11, 2023

Skeletons from 1918 flu dispel myth that young, healthy adults were more vulnerable to the virus

The 1918 flu was one of the deadliest pandemics in history, killing at least 50 million people worldwide. It was long believed that young, healthy adults were just as likely to die from the illness as those who were older, sick or frail — but a new study has turned...

Oct 16, 2023

Man gets rare 'shiitake dermatitis' from undercooked mushrooms

A man ended up in the emergency department with a painful rash that crosshatched his entire back after he ate a very common edible mushroom. The 72-year-old man had prepared and eaten a meal containing shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes). In the two days after this meal, the man developed a...

Oct 19, 2023

Tropical parasite gains a foothold in the US, especially in Texas

The parasitic disease leishmaniasis used to crop up in the U.S. mostly among people who had traveled to tropical regions. But now, a unique, local strain of the parasite may be gaining a foothold in the country, a new study suggests. In addition, there are potential concerns that imported dogs...

Oct 20, 2023

Why is it hard to hear when you have a cold?

The common cold can leave you with a stuffy nose, sore throat and phlegmy cough, but along with these main symptoms, you may also struggle to hear properly. So why does your sense of hearing falter when you have a cold or another respiratory infection? The answer lies in the...

Oct 26, 2023

What does it look like when your sinuses are clogged?

Respiratory infections like the common cold often start with a stuffy nose, and this minor ailment is sometimes followed by pain and tenderness around the cheeks, eyes and forehead — a telltale symptom of blocked sinuses. But what do clogged sinuses actually look like? To paint this mucus-filled picture, let's...