From the sun’s ultraviolet rays to the weak cosmic exposure we get on plane flights to the screening tests that doctors recommend, our bodies are constantly bombarded with small but relatively consistent doses of potentially …
Lungs Have Bitter Taste Receptors That May Help Treat Asthma
Most people aren’t wild about things that taste bitter, and there may be an evolutionary reason for that: bitter taste receptors on the tongue may have developed to help warn people away from eating toxic plants. So imagine the …
Fired for Taking Legal Drugs? Why Drug Tests Don’t Always Work
Should people who take legally prescribed painkillers on the job be fired for failing a drug test? A story in Monday’s New York Times examines the case of a woman who is part of a lawsuit against her employer for doing just that.
Study: What the Risky Sex Lives of NYC Teens Reveal
A study of the sexual behavior of New York City high school students found that at least 9% of sexually active teens reported having had at least one same-sex partner. Among teens who had engaged in sex with both sexes, 39% …
Family MattersCancer
Kids, Cancer and Clinical Trials: Parents Are Confused
Fifty years ago, a diagnosis of childhood leukemia meant you needed to start planning your child’s funeral. Now it’s got an 85% cure rate, largely due to advances attributed to information gleaned from pediatric clinical …
How a Scorpion’s Poison Could Help Heart Patients
There are toxins, and then there are toxins. If you’ve had bypass surgery, the powerful margatoxin — courtesy of the scorpion — might one day save your life. But don’t go hunting for the little critters yet — not until …
CommittedParenting
Girls Want to Talk About Sex — With Dad?
Mostly, the conversation that dare not speak its name, the most excruciating 25 minutes of either a parent or an offspring’s life, The Talk, is left to Mom. Make lunch, do laundry, figure out where the thing is that goes on that …
The Problem With Drop-Side Cribs: More Than 40,000 Recalled
Ethan Allen, Angel Line and Victory Land Heritage Collection have recalled a total of 40,650 cribs, all 3-in-1 convertible models that are also referred to as drop-side cribs. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) …
Marathon Running Can Damage the Heart — But Only Temporarily
As grueling — and potentially painful — as running a marathon can be, most people assume that completing one is a good thing overall, for your heart and your health.
CommittedDivorce
And You Think Your Kids Are Expensive
Kirk Kerkorian agreed on Oct. 22 to pay $100,000 month in child support, which sounds like a lot, although it’s not even $140 an hour. While Kerkorian is—forgive the business jargon—feculently, filthily rich, that’s still a …
A Formula to Help Marathoners Avoid Hitting the Wall
When the weather turns crisp and farmer’s markets are lousy with pumpkins and apples, there’s a bounty of another sort: marathon runners.
Q&A: What It’s Like When You Can’t Recognize Anyone
Imagine being unable to recognize the faces of the most important people in your life — even your own husband. Every social interaction becomes a minefield if you can’t tell your best friend from your worst enemy.
Here’s the Secret About Long Life: It Doesn’t Come in a Pill
Good news travels fast, but dubious news travels faster, especially if it heralds a possible nostrum to vanquish age. An article in the Oct. 21 issue of the British mass-market newspaper, the Daily Mail, suggested that DHEAS, a …