People who are stressed are more likely to grind their teeth in their sleep—clenching, and working their jaws throughout the night, slowly wearing teeth smooth or even chipping them, and awakening with headaches and muscle tension. Yet, according to new research published last week in the journal, it’s not solely feeling stressed, but
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One person’s initial generosity can spark a chain reaction of benevolence, according to the latest study from prolific social contagion researchers James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis.
Administering a small magnetic pulse to the back of the head may be an effective, and drug-free, method for combating migraine pain, according to new research published online this week, and in the April issue of the journal Lancet Neurology. Previous research has suggested that this single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (sTMS)
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Sleeping too much or too little is associated with a higher prevalence of belly fat, according to a new study published this week in the journal SLEEP. The analysis of more than 1,000 blacks and Hispanics between the ages of 18 and 81 found that, in participants ages 40 and younger, sleeping fewer than five hours per night or more than
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A drug that held hope for many Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones failed a late-stage clinical trial, proving negligible benefits over placebo, the New York Times reports. The drug, called Dimebon (latrepirdine), was being developed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer together with a small new company, Medivation, but failed to meet
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As my colleague Bryan Walsh reported back in 2008, wind farms and solar panels aren’t the only places that scientists have been looking for some extra electricity. From knee braces that tap into the energy in a person’s stride to vibration harvesters that soak up energy from the buzz of a busy highway, researchers are hard at work coming
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According to the family of Mary Robbins, who died of cancer in early February at age 71, on her deathbed Robbins changed her mind about willing her body to a non-profit organization for cryogenic preservation. In 2006 Robbins signed an agreement with Alcor Life Extension Foundation—the same group that preserved the head of baseball
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Understanding what distinguishes people who battle with dementia and Alzheimer’s as they age from those whose mental acuity remains strong well into their 80s, 90s and even older, is a major focus of current psychiatric research. Previous studies have pointed to the potentially protective value of exercise, social support and even
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People like attributing human characteristics to non-human beings and things. We’ve been doing it since we first started depicting gods in our own image. In a new study, published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, psychologists Adam Waytz from Harvard University and Nicholas Epley and John T. Cacioppo from the
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Public health officials grappling with the obesity epidemic have debated a wide range of approaches to helping slim the American waistline. To some degree, everything from building more sidewalks to banning chocolate milk has been explored. Yet few tactics have been as polarizing as the possibility of introducing tariffs on treats. …
Glioblastoma brain tumors are notoriously difficult to fight: though they can be battled back with radiation and chemotherapy, within time they eventually manage to grow again. Yet, according to initial results of a study in mice, a technique that effectively starves the tumor of the blood supply it needs to regrow could eventually offer
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When you’re in a bad mood, the comfort of your home, pajamas and couch is often most appealing. Yet, when you’re feeling a bit sunnier, you might be more likely to venture out and explore the world around you. New research published in the journal Psychological Science sheds light on what is it about feeling grumpy that might make us
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Acupuncture may be an effective way to treat depression during pregnancy, and to reduce the pain of menstrual cramps, according to new research into the health benefits of the ancient Chinese practice. One study, from researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, found that women confronting depression during pregnancy
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