Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 31, 2017

Are Any Fad Diets Actually Healthy? What the Research Shows

With so many diet fads around these days, how do you know which ones are actually good for you? In a new review of studies covering about 40 years, researchers attempted to dispel the hype surrounding some popular diet trends and to outline what experts really know about a heart-healthy...

Jan 31, 2017

Unusually Hot or Cold Weather Could Affect Babies' Weight

Unusually hot or cold weather may affect the birth weight of babies, a new study suggests. Researchers found that women who experienced unusually hot or cold weather during pregnancy were at increased risk for having babies with a low birth weight, even when the baby was not born prematurely. Given...

Oct 31, 2018

Why You Shouldn't Worry About the New Study Linking Cellphones to Cancer

Concerns over whether cellphones can cause cancer have been around for years. Now, the issue is being raised yet again, as government researchers release the results of a major study that found evidence linking high levels of cellphone radiation exposure to certain types of cancer in rodents. But you probably...

Oct 31, 2018

College Athlete Dies of Rare Bacterial Illness Called 'Forgotten Disease'

A college student-athlete in Kansas died suddenly from a rare bacterial infection after thinking her symptoms were due to tonsillitis, according to news reports. The 23-year-old, Samantha Scott, was a top coxswain on the rowing team at Kansas State University, according to a statement from the university. But about two...

Oct 31, 2018

Who Were the 1st Americans? 11,000-Year-Old DNA Reveals Clues

People genetically linked to the Clovis culture, one of the earliest continentwide cultures in North America, made it down to South America as far back as 11,000 years ago. Then they mysteriously vanished around 9,000 years ago, new research reveals. Where did they go? It appears that another ancient group...

Oct 31, 2018

'Move More and Sit Less': These Are the New Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

CHICAGO — After a decade, Americans have new physical activity guidelines to aim for — and officials hope the changes will get more people encouraged to get moving. That's because the new guidelines, released today (Nov. 12) by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), say that any...

Oct 31, 2018

How the Midnight Sun Gave This Man 'Rotten Zombie Skin'

A midnight sun can evoke many images, including those of an endless night and a beautiful, soft light — but a really awful sunburn probably isn't one of them. A man, a 29-year-old tourist from Australia, learned just that while hiking in Greenland for several weeks. He didn't think much...

Oct 31, 2018

What Are CT Scans and How Do They Work?

Whether you're visiting the emergency room after a rough spill from your mountain bike or visiting your health clinic for a routine cancer screening, it's likely that the doctor will request internal images to accurately assess your health. One of the most common ways to capture internal body images is...

Oct 31, 2018

Ancient Skeletons of Woman and Fetus Hint at Childbirth Death 3,700 Years Ago

Archaeologists in Egypt recently unearthed a grim discovery: the skeleton of a young woman dating to about 3,700 years ago who was in the final weeks of her pregnancy when she died. And she was buried with the unborn fetus still inside her body. The tiny skeleton was head-down within...

Oct 31, 2018

Many Kids Are Given Probiotics for Stomach Bugs. But They May Not Help At All.

When kids catch a stomach bug, they are increasingly treated with probiotics in the hopes of improving the symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. But rigorous new research finds that young children with intestinal infections don't appear to benefit from several commonly used probiotics. Two large studies — one conducted in...

Oct 31, 2018

6 Doctors Swallowed and Pooped Lego Minifigures So You Don't Have To

Earlier this year, six pediatric scientists decapitated six Lego minifigures, then swallowed the heads. The researchers did this to answer a simple, scientific question: How long does it take to poop a brick? The answer, for those of you teetering on the edges of your seats, is about two to...

Oct 31, 2018

Scary 'New' Tick Has US Officials Worried

A species of tick native to Asia is spreading across the United States, according to a new report. This tick, known as the longhorned tick, or Haemaphysalis longicornis, was first identified in the U.S. in August 2017 when it was found on a sheep in New Jersey, according to the...

Sep 30, 2018

How Bad Is Bacon for You, Really?

It's a debate that plays out in everyone's head during a weekend brunch: Should I be eating this much bacon? Researchers have been diving into the question, too, specifically as it relates to cancer. The question once again jumped to the forefront of people's minds with the recent release of...

Sep 30, 2018

The HPV Vaccine Was Just Approved for Adults Up to Age 45. Should They Get It?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last week that Gardasil 9, the HPV vaccine, is now approved for use in people ages 27 to 45. The vaccine, which protects against several strains of a sexually transmitted infection called human papillomavirus, has been on the market for 12 years; however,...

Sep 30, 2018

What Does Elizabeth Warren's 'Native' Ancestry Mean?

On Monday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released results from DNA testing, suggesting she has Native American ancestry and thrusting the issue of genetic testing and Native American identity into the spotlight. The DNA report comes after years of political back-and-forth exchanges between Warren and Republican opponents, who accuse her of...