Humans
- Health & Medicine
Dogs carry a grab bag of flu viruses
Dogs carry a mix of flu viruses, including some that came from pigs. But there’s no reason to worry just yet.
- Archaeology
Putting hats on Easter Island statues may have required some rock and roll
Fitting huge stone hats on 3-story-high Easter Island statues may have required only a small workforce armed with ropes and ramps.
- Health & Medicine
Teens with eating disorders can find themselves bullied
In some kids, unhealthy eating behaviors may heighten their risk of being bullied and developing depression.
- Environment
Analyze This: Beauty products are big sources of urban air pollution
In cities, a larger share of urban air pollution comes from the use of bath products, cleansers and more than does the burning of fossil fuels.
- Plants
Ouch! Lemons and other plants can cause a special sunburn
These are among a host of plants (many found in the refrigerator vegetable drawer) that produce chemicals that will kill skin cells when activated by sunlight. The result can be a serious, localized sunburn — sometimes with blistering.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Melatonin
Levels of this hormone rise at night when we are asleep and drop during the day. This helps to control when we sleep and wake up.
- Health & Medicine
Worms in the gut keep mice from getting plump on high-fat food
Parasites kept mice from gaining weight on a high-fat diet. But receiving transplants of immune cells from these wormy mice also halted weight gain in mice without worms.
- Health & Medicine
Many women take unnecessary risks with sky-high heels
A teen’s study confirms that women wearing high heels are more likely to fall than when wearing flats. She also found — surprise — that men tend to prefer women in flats.
- Health & Medicine
Catching sports cheaters with a doping detector
Doping athletes often don’t get caught until after the competition is over. These two teens decided to come up with a faster test.
- Brain
Belly bacteria can shape mood and behavior
Our guts and our brains are in constant communication with the goal of managing a whole lot more than food digestion. Their conversations can affect stress, behaviors — even memory.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: What is the vagus?
The vagus nerve runs from the brain all through the body. It controls many basic functions, including how fast the heart beats.
- Psychology
Your window to learn new languages may still be open
Results from an online grammar quiz suggest that people who start learning a second language at age 10 or 12 can still learn it well.
