Imagine if you bequeathed your children not just your genetic material, but also the consequences of your own eating habits. A study published on Dec. 23 in the journal Cell demonstrates that your diet can indeed make a …
The New-Old Practice of Vaginal Steam Baths
Spas offer treatments for just about every body part these days, so it isn’t terribly surprising that the Tikkun Holistic Spa in Santa Monica is now offering a $50 V-Steam — literally a steam bath for their female clients’ …
Family MattersPregnancy
Do TSA Pat-Downs Work? Even Kids Know How to Blow Up a Plane
“Mama,” my young son informed me yesterday, “I know how you can sneak an explosive onto an airplane.”
Study: Earphone-Loving Teens Can Hear Just Fine
Teens aren’t always the best listeners but a new study shows that their hearing may not be to blame.
When Tragedy Strikes, Do You See Justice in the Suffering?
In the fall of 2002, I visited Christopher Reeve in his New York home. The star best known for the Superman movies had broken his neck in a riding accident seven years earlier and had barely moved a muscle below his neck since. …
CommittedCulture
Blue Valentine: The Best Worst Date Movie Ever
Usually movies are based on a pretty simple premise. Boy Meets Girl, for example. Or Enormous Ship Sinks, or We Really Can’t Tell Whether We’re Dreaming Or in Someone Else’s Dream. (O.K., that last one, Inception, was kind of …
Why Holiday Cheese Plates Aren’t All Bad For You
Everybody crowds around the appetizer table at holiday parties — baked brie and festive logs of goat cheese can be just too tempting to pass up.
Could Watching Viral Videos Enhance Creative Thinking?
Why are workers prone to sending each other pictures of cuddly animals or viral videos that elicit stifled giggles in cubicles around the world?
Can You Get High on Gingerbread? The Truth About Nutmeg
Holiday memories are often laced with the scent of spices: for me, a whiff of baking gingerbread can bring back the comforts of childhood in an instant. But a rash of recent media reports suggests that the allure of gingerbread …
Family MattersParenting
Not All Babies Have Cribs; Help Those Without Get One
Searching for the perfect last-minute gift or a worthy effort deserving of some end-of-year giving? The New York City Health Department is trying to raise $25,000 to purchase 250 cribs for babies who don’t have them.
Middle Age: It’s Not Downhill from Here — At Least in Terms of Mood
In what seems like an unrelenting year of bad news, the Economist has a lovely and uplifting feature headlined “The U-Bend of Life.”
Explaining Why Meditators May Live Longer
(Updated) The image of the ancient but youthful-looking sage meditating on a mountaintop might be closer to reality than you think, according to a new study that found that after a three-month stay at a meditation retreat, people …