Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 30, 2016

Should Marijuana Be Legal? 60 Percent of Americans Now Say Yes

As the question of whether marijuana should be legal comes up for a vote in several U.S. states in this upcoming election, support for legal pot is at its highest in nearly 50 years, according to a new poll. The poll, from Gallup, found that 60 percent of Americans now...

Sep 30, 2016

High Spot: Brain's Marijuana Center Imaged in 3D

The receptor in the brain involved in the high people feel after smoking marijuana is revealed in a new, detailed, 3D image today, according to a new study. This provides scientists with their clearest picture yet of this receptor, the study said. The new image shows how molecules such as...

Sep 30, 2016

High-Potency Pot Doubles Risk of Marijuana Dependence

The more potent the pot is, the more likely a person who uses it is to become dependent on it, a new study from the United Kingdom finds. People in the study who used high-potency marijuana were twice as likely to become dependent as those who used lower-potency forms of...

Sep 30, 2016

Deadly Measles Complication More Common Than Doctors Thought

NEW ORLEANS — A deadly complication of the measles, which can occur years after a person is infected with the virus, is more common than researchers previously thought, according to a new study. The complication, called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), is a progressive neurological disorder that involves inflammation in the...

Sep 30, 2016

Would You Use Pot If It Were Legal? Here's What Americans Say

DENVER — Exactly how many people might start smoking marijuana in states where it becomes legal could vary widely depending on the specifics of each state's laws, such as whether employers can fire someone for smoking it, according to a new study. In fact, more than 50 percent of Americans...

Aug 31, 2016

Why a 4-Day Workweek May Not Be Good for Your Health

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Many employers and employees love the thought of a four-day workweek. Supposedly, a four-day work schedule allows workers extra time to pursue leisure activities and family togetherness. Spurred on...

Aug 31, 2016

How a Hidden TB Infection Caused One Woman's Infertility

A woman living in New England who had trouble getting pregnant eventually discovered that her infertility was due to a cause not typically seen in this country: tuberculosis. The 31-year-old woman had been trying to get pregnant for a year and a half, but had not been able to conceive....

Aug 31, 2016

Childhood Cancer Deaths: Brain Cancer Overtakes Leukemia as Top Cause

Leukemia is no longer the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in children, but brain cancer has taken it's place, according to a new report. All pediatric cancer death rates have been dropping since the mid-1970s, according to the report released today (Sept. 16) from the National Center for Health...

Aug 31, 2016

Still Good? 5-Second Rule a Myth, Study Finds

If you're tempted to eat food you've dropped on the floor, you may want to think again: A new study disproved the 5-second rule, or the idea that food is safe to eat off the floor if you pick it up fast enough, the researchers said. Turns out, bacteria from...

Aug 31, 2016

America's Opioid-Use Epidemic: 5 Startling Facts

Introduction (Image credit: Pills photo via Shutterstock)America is in the midst of an opioid-abuse epidemic, which has caused a startling rise in overdoses and deaths from these highly addictive drugs. Here’s a look at the epidemic by the numbers. The increase in overdose deaths The number of people who have...

Aug 31, 2016

Rate of Opioid-Dependent Babies Doubles in US

There continues to be a rise in the number of U.S. babies born who are dependent on opioid drugs, according to a new study. Researchers looked at the rate of babies diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome, a condition in which newborns experience withdrawal symptoms as a result of being exposed...

Aug 31, 2016

New Therapy Helps You Lose Weight Despite Feeling Tired & Hungry

A new weight loss therapy that involves, in part, teaching people how to accept feelings of discomfort may help patients shed more pounds than standard therapies, a new study finds. The therapy, called Acceptance-Based Behavioral Treatment (ABT), teaches people skills to help them better adhere to their diet and exercise...

Aug 31, 2016

Donald Trump's Sniffling: What Causes Sniffles When You Don't Have a Cold?

Many watchers of Monday night's presidential debate noted that Donald Trump kept sniffling. The presidential candidate later said that he didn't have a cold, so what else might have caused the sniffling? During the debate, Trump's frequent sniffling was a widely discussed topic on social media, giving rise to the...

Aug 31, 2016

'The Terrorist Inside My Husband's Brain': Robin Williams' Widow Details His Disease

It was only after actor Robin Williams' death in August 2014 that doctors found the true cause of the symptoms that had plagued him for years, according to Williams' widow, Susan Schneider Williams. Writing in an editorial published Sept. 27 in the journal Neurology, Schneider Williams detailed the intense difficulty...

Jul 31, 2016

Why Amish Kids Get Less Asthma: It's the Cows

One way to reduce children's rates of asthma may come from dairy farms, a new study finds. And not just any dairy farms — Amish dairy farms, to be exact. Kids who grow up in Amish communities have much lower rates of asthma than the general population, potentially thanks to...