Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2009

Powerful Ideas: Cars Could Run on Watermelons

Editor's Note: This occasional series looks at powerful ideas — some existing, some futuristic — for fueling and electrifying modern life. Watermelon juice could become the newest renewable energy source for vehicles, scientists now suggest. Each year, about 1 out of 5 watermelons are left behind in fields because they...

Aug 31, 2009

Ancient Chinese Remedy May Work for Flu

Scientists at the Kaohsiung Medial University in Taiwan have discovered that the roots of a plant used in 1918 to fight the Spanish influenza pandemic produces natural antiviral compounds that kill the swine flu virus, H1N1. Ferula asafetida is commonly known as Dung of the Devil because of its foul-smelling...

Aug 31, 2009

The Science (and Art) of Depression Medication

Did you know that as much as some doctors and researchers like to think that medicine is a science, it is very much an art too? You can see that no more clearly than in the decision process doctors use to prescribe a specific psychiatric medication. Ask a psychiatrist what...

Aug 31, 2009

What Seniors Need to Know about the Flu

Flu season in the northern hemisphere can range from as early as November to as late as May. The peak month usually is February. However, this coming season is expected to be unpredictable because of the emergence of the H1N1 influenza virus or swine flu. The H1N1 has caused the...

Jul 31, 2009

Pneumonic Plague: Should We Worry?

An outbreak of pneumonic plague in Ziketan, China has killed three people, leading officials to seal off the town, according to news reports that are getting a lot of play this week. But what is the pneumonic plague, and how is it different from other types of plague? Plague is...

Jul 31, 2009

Discovery Really Scratches an Itch

The urge to scratch a mosquito bite or skin rash can be maddening. Now, scientists have pinpointed a group of neurons that signal it's time to relieve the itch. Disabling the neurons eliminated itching in mice, which are thought to be a good analogue to humans for neurobiology studies. The...

Jul 31, 2009

Study: Machismo Cuts Men's Lives Short

Tough guys who buy into ideals of masculinity are much less likely to seek preventive healthcare services, such as a prostate exam, compared with other men. The new finding, based on survey data, reveals that such manly beliefs could help to explain the lower life expectancy of men compared with...

Jul 31, 2009

Babies' Brains Churning With Activity

The look of amazement in the eyes of an infant suggests the wheels are churning away inside that noggin. New research confirms they are. Scientists have shown that when 9-month-olds watch people reach for objects, the motor region in their brains gets activated, as if the babies were doing the...

Jul 31, 2009

How to Know if You Have Alzheimer's

This Week's Question: I've been forgetting names of people lately and I have this dread that this is an early symptom of Alzheimer's. How can I tell? I don't know a geezer who hasn't asked this question. Once you hit 60, you begin to wonder if your lost keys have...

Jul 31, 2009

The Truth About Record-Setting U.S. Life Expectancy

Life expectancy in the United States rose to an all-time high, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today. But that's only half the story. The country is behind about 30 others on this measure. Though the United States has by far the highest level of health care...

Jul 31, 2009

What You Should Know About Arthritis

This Week's Question: I'm pretty sure I have arthritis in my knee. Is there any danger this will spread? First, anyone who thinks they may have arthritis should see a doctor. Self-diagnosis is hazardous to your health. Now for some information about arthritis all geezers should know. Arthritis, which comes...

Jul 31, 2009

Human Lifespans Nearly Constant for 2,000 Years

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, often the harbinger of bad news about e. coli outbreaks and swine flu, recently had some good news: The life expectancy of Americans is higher than ever, at almost 78. Discussions about life expectancy often involve how it has improved over time. According...

Jul 31, 2009

Bonding with a Captor: Why Jaycee Dugard Didn't Flee

Why didn't she try to escape sooner? is the question on many people's minds in reaction to the Jaycee Dugard story. Dugard was recently reunited with her family after being held captive for 18 years. She was apparently kidnapped at a bus stop near her home in South Lake Tahoe,...

Jun 30, 2009

Like Sex? Thank a Parasite

It's long been a mystery why sex become so hot back when life evolved beyond simple creatures that reproduced asexually by simply dividing in two. Asexual creatures do not even need to find a partner. While that might not sound like much fun, it certainly is efficient, working out to...

Jun 30, 2009

Can't Sleep? Log On

It is estimated that as many as one American in ten meet the criteria for an insomnia disorder; if effective treatment can be offered in an inexpensive automated form, many more people could be helped. SHUTi (Sleep Healthy Using the Internet) is an automated online treatment system to help people...