Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2019

Take That Back: The Top Scientific Retractions of 2019

If it disagrees with experiment, it's wrong. That's all there is to it. So said famed physicist Richard Feynman at a lecture about the scientific method at Cornell University in 1964. Feynman appears to be only half correct, though. Yes, one's proposed theory is wrong if it doesn't agree with...

Oct 31, 2019

DNA Just One of More Than 1 Million Possible 'Genetic Molecules,' Scientists Find

DNA and its cousin RNA store genetic information and enable life as we know it — but what if millions of lesser-known chemicals could do the exact same thing? A new study suggests that more than 1 million chemical look-alikes could encode biological information in the same way that DNA...

Oct 31, 2019

These Two Drug-Resistant Microbes Are New 'Urgent Threats' to Americans' Health

The U.S. faces two new urgent threats to public health: a couple of drug-resistant germs called Candida auris and Acinetobacter, health officials announced today. These microbes have built up resilience against the drugs designed to kill them, meaning they can be incredibly dangerous and difficult to treat. In fact, drug-resistant...

Oct 31, 2019

Here's What Sugar Does to Your Brain

We love sweet treats. But too much sugar in our diets can lead to weight gain and obesity, Type 2 diabetes and dental decay. We know we shouldn't be eating candy, ice cream, cookies, cakes and drinking sugary sodas, but sometimes they are so hard to resist. It's as if...

Oct 31, 2019

A Man Develops 'Feather-Duvet Lung' After Switching His Bedding

A soothing pillow and warm duvet might not always lead to better rest. A 43-year-old-man, after having switched to feather bedding, began feeling extreme fatigue and breathlessness, and was diagnosed with feather-duvet lung, according to a new case report. The patient went to his doctor after experiencing three months of...

Oct 31, 2019

Malaria: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite that gets passed into the bloodstream of humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. Only the Anopheles species of mosquito can transmit malaria, and mosquitoes pick up the parasite from biting a person already infected with the illness. People with malaria...

Oct 31, 2019

'Designer Baby' Technology to Make Smarter, Taller Kids Doesn’t Work Yet

Will parents soon have the power to decide how tall or intelligent their children will be? Probably not, new research suggests. Ethical debate surrounds the concept of so-called designer babies — offspring whose embryos are either selected for certain traits or genetically engineered to boast chosen genetic traits. Once the...

Oct 31, 2019

Is it Safe to Eat Roadkill?

Each year, vehicles kill hundreds of thousands of animals on roads in the U.S, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. That number could actually be much higher because not all accidents involving animals may be reported. Rather than seeing those animals spoil and go to waste...

Sep 30, 2019

Girl Diagnosed with Fatal Brain Disease Gets a Tailor-Made Drug within a Year

When Mila Makovec was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition at age 6, her prognosis was grim. The condition, known as Batten disease, is fatal, with death usually occurring in late childhood or the early teen years. There is no cure, and at the time of Mila's diagnosis, in 2016,...

Sep 30, 2019

Should You Eat Red Meat?

Another diet study, another controversy and the public is left wondering what to make of it. This time it's a series of studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine by an international group of researchers concluding people need not reduce their consumption of red and processed meat. Over the past...

Sep 30, 2019

Why Did This Man's Taste Buds Disappear?

When a 64-year-old man stuck out his tongue for a physical exam, doctors could immediately tell something was off: Instead of a typical, textured tongue, his was smooth and shiny. It didn't take long for them to recognize why: The man's taste buds were missing. His tongue's strange appearance would...

Sep 30, 2019

What Is Activated Charcoal?

Activated charcoal can be found almost everywhere: in toothpaste, skin care products, baked goods, beverages and water filtration systems. Here's what you need to know about this seemingly ubiquitous ingredient. What makes it activated?Activated charcoal is created from carbon-rich materials burned at high temperatures, according to the National Capital Poison...

Sep 30, 2019

Measles Wipes Your Immune System's 'Memory,' So It Can't Fight Other Infections

The notorious measles virus not only makes people sick, it also sneaks inside important immune cells in the body and wipes their memories, new research suggests. Once infected, the amnesic immune system no longer recognizes the harmful pathogens that it has fought off in the past. This means measles survivors...

Aug 31, 2019

Teen's Junk Food Diet Caused Him to Go Blind, Doctors Say

A teen who ate nothing but fries, chips and other junk food for years slowly went blind as a result of his poor diet, according to a new report of the case. The case highlights a perhaps little-known fact about poor diets: In addition to being tied to obesity, heart...

Aug 31, 2019

Tuna Steaks Recalled Because They May Cause This Weird Type of Food Poisoning

Yellowfin tuna products sold in 16 U.S. states are being recalled because they have the potential to cause an odd type of food poisoning that resembles an allergic reaction. On Sept. 6, the company Alfa International Seafood issued a voluntary recall of its refrigerated, yellowfin tuna steak products, which were...