Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 30, 2013

Kissing May Be Evolution's Matchmaker

You've got to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince, as the saying goes. New research suggests the cliché is true on an evolutionary level. Kissing might have evolved as a way to assess the quality of potential mates, according to two new studies. Women, who tend to...

Sep 30, 2013

11 Surprising Facts About the Endocrine System

The endocrine system (Image credit: Alila Sao Mai | Shutterstock)The body's hormones, and the glands that produce them, make up the endocrine system. There are eight major glands, and their job is to regulate the body's metabolism, reproduction, growth and sleep. Like the nervous system, the endocrine system is an...

Sep 30, 2013

Possible Treatment for Marijuana Abuse Found

Boosting levels of a naturally occurring compound in the brain could prevent people who abuse marijuana but are trying to quit from relapsing, a new study suggests. Researchers studying drug-addicted rats and monkeys found that a substance called kynurenic acid blunted the rewarding effects of THC, the active ingredient in...

Sep 30, 2013

Oreos As Addictive as Cocaine? Not So Fast

Oreos as addictive as cocaine? A new study purports to draw a link, but don't check into a treatment center for your Double Stuf addiction just yet. Following a Connecticut College press release on an undergraduate student research project, a number of headlines have blared warnings such as Oreos May...

Sep 30, 2013

How Many Calories Am I Burning? (Infographic)

People who classify housework as exercise tend to be heavier than those who perform traditional exercise, a new study has found. It could be that some people overestimate how many calories they burn doing chores. Calories burned in 30 minutes by an individual weighing 196 pounds / 164 pounds Running,...

Sep 30, 2013

Why is a Common Hip Problem So Frequently Misdiagnosed? (Op-Ed)

Dr. Thomas Ellis is an orthopedic surgeon at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Ellis contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Femoral acetabular impingement. You may not have heard of it, but it's a hip problem many people across the United States are dealing with....

Sep 30, 2013

Sexercise? Getting Busy Burns Calories, Study Finds

Updated on Monday, Oct. 28, at 11:17 a.m. ET. Does sex count as exercise? Good news: It might. A new study finds that, in young people, sex burns an average of 4.2 calories a minute for men and 3.1 calories a minute for women. That intensity is moderate, the researchers...

Sep 30, 2013

DIY Projects Linked with Lower Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke

For older adults, gardening and do-it-yourself home activities like fixing up the house may cut the risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study from Sweden suggests. In the study, adults ages 60 and over who engaged in high levels of home and garden activities were 27 percent less...

Sep 30, 2013

Excessive Added Sugar Clogs Americans' Diets (Infographic)

Sugar contains calories but zero nutrients (such as vitamins and minerals). Sugar is naturally occurring in dairy products (lactose) and fruits (fructose), but many processed foods and beverages contain added sugar in excessive amounts. One sugar cube is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of granular sugar or 4 grams. It contains...

Aug 31, 2013

Infected and Hunched: King Richard III Was Crawling With Roundworms

William Shakespeare depicted King Richard III as a crooked ruler, due to the monarch's supposed ruthless demeanor and his curved spine. A new study suggests that in addition to scoliosis, Richard III suffered from a roundworm infection. Interest and research into the monarch has spiked since scientists found Richard III's...

Aug 31, 2013

Chromosome Miscounts: Findings Offer Potential Therapies

For many women who are pregnant, the early weeks bring joy — and worry. Although most pregnancies lead to fully developed little sweeties, nearly a quarter of them end in miscarriage. In some cases, this is due to the embryos having the wrong number of chromosomes. An extra or missing...

Aug 31, 2013

Spicy Solution? Cinnamon May Help Diabetes Patients

Cinnamon might improve not only the taste of apple pie and oatmeal but also the health of people with diabetes, a new review study suggests. Researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes who took cinnamon supplements had lower fasting plasma glucose levels compared with people who didn't take cinnamon....

Aug 31, 2013

What Is Molasses?

Thousands of fish have been reported dead in the waters around Honolulu after a massive spill of molasses. On Monday (Sept. 9), a pipeline from a molasses tank near Honolulu Harbor was loading the heavy, sweet liquid onto a ship when a leak in the pipeline dumped hundreds of thousands...

Aug 31, 2013

What is Known, and Unknown, About Parkinson's Disease? (Op-Ed)

Dr. Punit Agrawal is a neurologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. This fall, Michael J. Fox is back in the spotlight again, making his return to primetime television with a new show on NBC. Two decades...

Jul 31, 2013

Why Are Industrial Chemicals in Food Not Safety Tested? (Op-Ed)

Jennifer Sass is a senior scientist with the NRDC. This article is adapted from her post to the NRDC blog Switchboard. Sass contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Processed foods, which so many Americans eat every day, typically contains industrial chemical additives to preserve, flavor, thicken...