Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Jun 30, 2019

2 Teens Hospitalized with Kidney Damage After Doing 1,000 Squats Apiece

Two teenagers in China ended up in the intensive care unit after doing too many squats, chinapress.com reported. That's not a euphemism; squats are not a new designer drug you're unaware of (at least we don't think they are?). The two teen girls were literally squatting over and over again,...

May 31, 2019

Woman Had a Huge Tapeworm 'Egg' Encased in Her Brain. Why She's Super Happy About It.

When is it a huge relief to hear you have a parasite lurking in your brain? When it's not a cancerous brain tumor. That was the recent experience of a woman in New York, 42-year-old Rachel Palma, who had gone to the doctor's office for some odd symptoms. For example,...

May 31, 2019

American Tourists Die Suddenly from Mysterious Illness in Fiji

A husband and wife vacationing in Fiji died within days of each other from a mysterious illness, according to news reports. The Texas couple, Michelle and David Paul, arrived in Fiji around May 22, according to NBC News. Although the Pauls were in good health before leaving, they soon began...

May 31, 2019

White Meat Can Raise Cholesterol As Much As Red Meat, New Study Shows

White meat, such as chicken, may raise blood cholesterol levels as much as red meat does, a new, small study details. The finding surprised researchers, who didn't expect that eating large amounts of poultry would lead to higher blood cholesterol levels. Of the three diets in the study — red...

May 31, 2019

Pregnant Women Who Eat More Fiber May Lower Child's Celiac Risk

Mothers who eat a high-fiber diet in pregnancy may lower the risk of celiac disease in their children, a new study suggests. The study researchers analyzed information from more than 88,000 Norwegian children and their mothers, who gave birth between 1999 and 2009. The mothers were asked about their fiber...

May 31, 2019

Dirty Surgical Instruments Tied to Hundreds of Infections at Colorado Hospital, Lawsuit Alleges

Dozens of people are suing a hospital in Colorado, alleging that improper cleaning and sterilization of surgical instruments at the facility led to hundreds of infections, according to news reports. The lawsuit was filed this week by 67 patients who underwent surgery at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver between 2015...

May 31, 2019

Why So Many Bacteria Live on the Surface of Your Eye

You may be familiar with the idea that your gut and skin are home to a collection of microbes — fungi, bacteria and viruses — that are vital for keeping you healthy. But did you know that your eyes also host a unique menagerie of microbes? Together, they're called the...

May 31, 2019

Are Humans Growing Smartphone 'Skull Spikes'? Study That Made the Claim Under Fire.

Editor's Note: On Sept. 18, the authors of this “skull spikes” research published corrections to their study in the journal Scientific Reports. Read more about them at the journal's website. The journal that published the so-called skull spike study is now taking a second look at the research that went...

Apr 30, 2019

Mongolian Couple Died of Plague After Eating Raw Marmot

A couple in Mongolia who consumed raw marmot meat as a folk remedy ended up contracting the plague, according to news reports. The husband and wife ate raw marmot meat and organs, which they believed to be good for health, according to The Washington Post. But they soon developed serious...

Apr 30, 2019

How Much Do Babies’ Skulls Get Squished During Birth? A Whole Lot, 3D Images Reveal

When babies pass through the mother's birth canal, the tight fit temporarily squashes their wee heads, elongating their flexible skulls and changing the shape of their brains. Now, scientists have created 3D images that demonstrate the extent of that amazing conehead-like distortion. Babies' heads can change shape under pressure because...

Apr 30, 2019

Can Touching Fentanyl Really Kill You?

In April, the TV news program 60 Minutes aired a report about fentanyl, a synthetic opioid much more potent than heroin that's been implicated in thousands of overdose deaths in the United States. During one segment, Justin Herdman, a U.S. Attorney in Cleveland, wore gloves as he showed journalist Scott...

Apr 30, 2019

Here's How Many US Cancer Cases Are Tied to Unhealthy Diets

More than 80,000 cancer cases diagnosed each year in the U.S. may be tied to an unhealthy diet, according to a new study. The study researchers used a mathematical model to estimate the number of U.S. cancer cases tied to suboptimal intake of seven dietary components known to be related...

Apr 30, 2019

Three Cases of Brain-Infecting Parasite Recently Confirmed in Hawaii

Last December, a tourist in Hawaii ate a slug on a dare — not realizing, of course, a wiggly brain-loving parasite was along for the ride. After accidentally ingesting the larvae of the parasitic rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) that was hiding inside the slug, the person contracted angiostrongyliasis, or rat...

Mar 31, 2019

How an Injection of Tiny Beads into Stomach Arteries Might Help with Weight Loss

An experimental obesity treatment that involves injecting tiny beads into the arteries of the stomach may help some people lose weight and keep it off for at least a year, according to a new study. In the study, people who received the treatment, called bariatric embolization, lost about 11 percent...

Mar 31, 2019

How Doctors Treated the Thai Boys in the Harrowing Minutes After They Were Freed from Cave

The harrowing rescue of 12 boys and their coach from a cave in Thailand captured the world's attention last summer. But after the extraordinary feat to get them out of the cave, the work was far from over: The boys and their coach needed urgent medical care to prevent the...