Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 30, 2015

How Does Salmonella Get into Sushi?

Raw tuna is the suspected source of a new outbreak of Salmonella, but how does tuna become contaminated with the bacteria in the first place? Experts say that the Salmonella probably wasn't living on the fish itself, but rather the tuna became contaminated at some point when the food was...

Apr 30, 2015

1 in 20 People Has Hallucinated

About 1 in 20 people in the general population has experienced at least one hallucination in their lifetime that wasn't connected to drugs, alcohol or dreaming, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed information from more than 31,000 people in 18 countries who were interviewed as part of a mental...

Apr 30, 2015

15 Million Cancer Cases Diagnosed in 2013

The number of new cases of cancer in the world is rising, according to a new report that looked at cancer in 118 countries. Globally, the number of new cancer cases increased from 8.5 million in 1990 to 14.9 million in 2013, the study found. (The world population rose from...

Apr 30, 2015

Contact Lenses May Alter Bacteria in the Eye

Wearing contact lenses may change the community of bacteria living in your eyes, according to a small new study. In the study, the surface of the eye in the people who wore contact lenses had triple the proportion of certain bacteria species, on average, compared with the people in the...

Mar 31, 2015

Oldest Neanderthal DNA Found in Italian Skeleton

The calcite-encrusted skeleton of an ancient human, still embedded in rock deep inside a cave in Italy, has yielded the oldest Neanderthal DNA ever found. These molecules, which could be up to 170,000 years old, could one day help yield the most complete picture yet of Neanderthal life, researchers say....

Mar 31, 2015

Marijuana Extract May Help Reduce Epilepsy Seizures

A medicine made from marijuana may provide some relief to people with severe epilepsy who don't get better after trying other treatments, according to a new study. In the study, researchers examined 137 people, ranging in age from toddlers to adults, who all had severe epilepsy, a condition that causes...

Mar 31, 2015

Are Health Apps Harmful or Helpful? Experts Debate

Increasing your anxiety, raising your risk for a misdiagnosis, maybe even turning yourself into a hypochondriac — yep, there's an app for that. Health apps are ubiquitous, but do they do more harm than good? Some doctors are beginning to ask whether these self-monitoring applications are useless — or even...

Mar 31, 2015

Rita Wilson's Cancer Diagnosis: When to Get a Second Opinion

Actress Rita Wilson attributes the early diagnosis of her breast cancer to the fact that she got a second opinion, a step that experts say is particularly important when the consequences of a medical test or treatment are serious. Wilson revealed this week that she underwent a double mastectomy as...

Mar 31, 2015

Sofia Vergara Lawsuit: Who Owns Frozen Embryos?

The fight between actress Sofia Vergara and her ex-fiancé Nick Loeb over the fate of the couple's frozen embryos may hinge on one question: whether the contract the couple signed gives one party or both parties a say in what happens to the embryos, experts say. On Thursday, news outlets...

Mar 31, 2015

What Babies Eat May Affect Leukemia Risk

PHILADELPHIA — Infants who start eating solid foods later than usual may be at increased risk for a type of blood cancer, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed information from 172 children in Texas who had been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) — a cancer of the white blood...

Mar 31, 2015

5 Not-So-Miraculous Dr. Oz Claims

Dr. Mehmet Oz has made a name for himself in part by touting miracle cures and weight-loss products, but the TV personality is now facing fire from critics for making health claims that are not supported by scientific evidence. Oz was strongly criticized for his claims about weight-loss supplements in...

Mar 31, 2015

Polygamous Marriage May Be Bad for a Man's Heart

Having more than one wife may cause some serious heartache. Men who are polygamous face more than quadruple the risk of having blocked heart vessels, compared with men married to one woman, new research suggests. We found an association between an increasing number of wives and the severity and number...

Mar 31, 2015

'Obesity Signature' Written in Pee

A person's urine could reveal whether he or she is at risk for obesity and its related harmful conditions, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed information from more than 2,000 people in the United States and United Kingdom. The subjects had samples of their urine collected over two separate 24-hour...

Mar 31, 2015

Even a Little Walking Can Improve Your Health, Study Suggests

Want to reduce your risk of dying at a young age? Try walking casually for as little as 2 minutes per hour. While it is well known that intense exercise can help you get fitter, a new study has found that even a little exercise can still go a long...

Jan 31, 2015

For Teens, Falling Asleep Gets Harder with More Screen Time

Teenagers who while away the hours on an electronic device — whether it's a computer, cell phone, tablet or TV — tend to have more problems with sleeping at night, a new study finds. The cumulative amount of screen time a teen gets throughout the day — not just before...