Humans

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- Health & Medicine
Is your home chilly? This might just be healthy
Feeling mildly cold (or a bit too warm) forces the body to adjust what it’s doing to maintain a healthy temperature. And that can do a body good, data now show.
- Chemistry
BPA-free plastic may host BPA-like chemical, teen finds
Something has to replace the BPA in ‘BPA-free’ plastics. A teen has been probing what that is.
- Microbes
Plant extract mutes germs to fight infections
A plant extract prevents the aggressive behavior seen in some germs. Using it could fight the development of most bladder infections, a teen’s research suggests.
By Sid Perkins - Health & Medicine
Adding ice to medics’ kits could help patients survive blood loss
Placing an ice bag on the face should increase blood pressure — and oxygen to the brain — in people who have experienced life-threatening blood loss, a new study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Cooking can alter a food’s vitamin C content
Scurvy plagued pirates and sailors on the high seas. It also inspired a teen to find out more about the vitamin C in her veggies.
- Health & Medicine
Are fidget spinners tools or toys?
Fidget spinners are all the rage. Therapists say toys such as these can help some kids calm down and pay attention.
- Environment
Tiny air pollutants inflame airways and harm heart
New studies show how tiny bits of air pollution, called particulate matter, can lead to health problems ranging from chronic runny noses to heart disease.
- Tech
Needle-free blood typing may be on the way
A teen in Kuwait presents data suggesting how, one day, it may be possible to figure out your blood type just by shining infrared light into your skin.
By Sid Perkins - Health & Medicine
A light-filled box could blast bacteria from lab coats
Doctors can pick up bacteria on their lab coats. A teen has designed a special light-filled box to keep those coats from infecting others with those germs.
- Chemistry
Cool Jobs: Counting calories
Do calories count? A nutrition label doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet three researchers working to shed light on the complex connections between food and health.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: All about the calorie
Calories are a measure of how much energy is in a food. But when it comes to powering our bodies, not all calories are equally available to the body.
- Brain
Analyze This: Sleep patterns vary widely across the world
Data on four very different groups of people show that sleep patterns vary based on the local environment, the culture and daily schedules.