Health, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2004

Scientists Teach Sparrows to Sing Backward

You wouldn't think sparrows need to be taught how to whistle a happy tune, but Gary Rose wanted to try it anyway. Rose and his colleagues captured about two dozen baby sparrows -- with permission, honest! -- and separated them so they wouldn't hear any sparrow songs. When the little...

Nov 30, 2004

Roots of Graying Hair Discovered

Gray hair is all a big mistake. Some stem cells that generate the cells which make pigment -- producing blondes, brunettes and redheads -- die off with age, according to a new study that finally gets at the root of this problem. If that were it, that distinguished look might...

Nov 30, 2004

Free Food: Packaging Labels Contain Errors

Consumers are either getting ripped off or eating free food when they buy certain products. According to recent study, the labels on a sampling of single serving foods reported their true weight only about a third of the time. Free food might sound like a bonus, but scientists say that...

Nov 30, 2004

More Muscle: Why Do Workouts Work?

Most machines don't improve with use. Old pickup trucks don't gradually become Ferraris just by driving them fast, and a pocket calculator won't change into a supercomputer by crunching lots of numbers. The human body is different. As weightlifters know, the more that people use their muscles, the stronger they...

Oct 31, 2004

Huge New Virus Defies Classification

French biologists have just mapped out the genetic sequence of the largest known virus, and the complexity of the thing has them questioning what it is. The genetic code of the mimivirus, as it is called, is three times longer than that of other viruses and contains elements that blur...

Oct 31, 2004

Why Old Habits Die Hard

Despite your best intentions, you may find it hard to avoid the eating and drinking habits of the holidays. The problem, new research shows, is your brain's tendency to revert to deep-rooted memories. It may not be only the deliciousness of traditional holiday treats that makes them so hard to...

Sep 30, 2004

Gene Maps Could Save Trees

A team of scientists has mapped the key genes in a group of trees that includes poplars and aspens, a result that could enable scientific rescues of all kinds of trees from drought and pests. The group, called Populus, includes about 35 tree species worldwide and ten in North America....

Sep 30, 2004

How to Live Long and Prosper: Get Dirty?

Germs go both ways, helping our health at times and killing us at others. A new study suggests they might give the gift of a long life, at least to fruit flies. Early exposure to bacteria makes these banana-peel denizens live to the ripe age of about three months, according...

Sep 30, 2004

Virtual Athletes to Challenge the Pros

Like Garry Kasparov, Roger Federer may one day have to compete against a massive supercomputer. Technology is being developed to use computer models of tennis and other sports to formulate the best playing strategy. The idea is to create virtual athletes with software that tracks actual player movements in conventional...

Sep 30, 2004

Four-Decade Study: Americans Taller, Fatter

Americans are growing up and out, according to a new report on changes in height and weight since 1960. Both men and women in the United States are roughly an inch taller and 25 pounds heavier than they were in 1960, the study concludes. A measure of obesity has also...

Sep 30, 2004

Cola Wars Fought in the Brain

One soft drink advertisement commands, Obey your thirst, but your taste buds may get trumped by the sway of brand names. All those commercials and jingles and celebrity endorsements get stored in the brain, apparently biasing preferences, new research shows. The study probed the effect of these cultural influences by...

Sep 30, 2004

Brain Scans May Unlock Candidates' Appeal

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Applying some of the same brain-scan technology used to understand Alzheimer's and autism, scientists are trying to learn what makes a Republican's mind different from a Democrat's. Brain scanning is moving rapidly beyond diseases to measuring how we react to religious experiences, racial prejudice, even Coke...

Nov 30, 2005

Marital Spats Slow Healing of Wounds

If you've got a physical wound, you'd be wise to avoid arguments. The stress of a half-hour marital spat can add a day or more to the healing process of a wound, according to a study announced today. And if hostility in your house is routine, count on a wound...

Nov 30, 2005

Happiness in Old Age Depends on Attitude

Happiness in old age may have more to do with attitude than actual health, a new study suggests. Researchers examined 500 Americans age 60 to 98 who live independently and had dealt with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mental health conditions or a range of other problems. The participants rated their...

Nov 30, 2005

A Myth that Rocks: The Premature Death of Paul McCartney

From the January-February issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine. Did you know that Paul McCartney, the ex-Beatle, never actually left the band because . . . he died in 1966 and was then replaced by a lookalike? It sounds bizarre, and it is. The Paul is dead myth is one of...