Researchers have all kinds of sophisticated ways of tracking antibiotic resistant bacteria. Like biological CSI investigators, they use the bugs’ genetic fingerprints and knowledge of their favorite host haunts to learn more …
Spend Too Much For Those Shoes? Blame Your Genes
Science has yet to isolate the Godiva Chocolate or Prada gene, but that doesn’t mean your weakness for pricey swag isn’t woven into your DNA. According to a new study of identical twins, it’s less TV ads or Labor Day sales that …
The Misunderstood Psychology of Fake Tanning
As summer comes to a close and we all fade back to our winter shades of pale, two studies offer conflicting information about the impact of fake tanning — using sunless tanning lotion, spray or even airbrush — on cancer risk.
Clinical Trial Dilemma: Save Lives Now — or Later?
An excellent front-page story by Amy Harmon in Sunday’s New York Times told a heart-rending tale of two cousins. Thomas McLaughlin, 24, was given a promising experimental drug to fight his life-threatening skin cancer in a clinical trial.
‘Caffeine Intoxication’ as Mental Disorder and Legal Defense
On Monday, a lawyer for a 33 year-old Kentucky man who allegedly strangled his wife with an extension cord used “caffeine intoxication” as his client’s defense.
Teen Girls Should Stick With Pediatrician for Pelvic Exam
Adolescence is awkward, no doubt, and there are few places where that’s as obvious as the pediatrician’s office.
Don’t Choke: 5 Tips for Performing Under Pressure
Does your mind go blank every time the boss calls your name in a big meeting? Ever bombed a test you spent weeks studying for, or botched a simple play that cost your team the game? If so, University of Chicago psychologist Sian …
Why Americans Are Fat: We Literally See More Food as Less
One of the most peculiar findings in obesity research is that exercise — even if vigorous and regular — doesn’t reliably lead to weight loss. The reason, as I wrote last year, has to do less with physiology than psychology: …
Stalling On Food Safety
Breaches on food safety are so common these days, my eyes glaze over looking at the FDA’s recall list. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 16,112 confirmed cases of foodborne illness, which amount to …
Why Being Poked and Prodded Is a Good Thing
Richard Knox had a great story on NPR today looking at how technologies are replacing the oldest form of doctoring – the physical exam. Knox’s reporting focuses on how modern medical training doesn’t emphasize the …
In the Battle Over Breast or Bottle, Guilt May Play a Role
Ah, guilt. Such a useful emotion in so many varied ways. As women, we’re made to feel guilty if we don’t want to become mothers. When we do have children, we feel guilt if we don’t read to our children fresh out of the womb, if we don’t pick the perfect preschool, if we don’t puree our own organic baby food. Yet those and …
The Tau of Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention
Following a series of disappointments in Alzheimer’s drug research, scientists report they may have found a clue to predicting a more aggressive form of the disease.
6 Genetically Modified Foods That Changed the World
As the FDA gets ready to vote on an application to bring the first genetically modified (GM) food animal — a salmon — to market, Healthland pauses to consider the social contribution of genetically modified crops throughout …