Ed Cara

ScienceHealth

Reducing Air Pollution Saves Lives in Just Weeks, Report Finds

Cleaner air can go a long way in saving lives, according to a new report out Friday. It found that policies and laws aimed at curbing emissions are often linked to reductions in hospitalizations, premature births, and deaths in just a few weeks after their enactment. The review looked at past studies that evaluated major … Continued

ScienceHealth

Study of So-Called ‘Abortion Reversal’ Stopped Early After Women Went to ER With Serious Bleeding

New research out Thursday starkly highlights the dangers of so-called “abortion reversals,” an unproven practice condemned by most medical experts. Scientists were forced to prematurely end a trial of pregnant women testing out the procedure after three volunteers experienced severe hemorrhaging that sent them to the emergency room. “Abortion reversals” are alleged by anti-choice advocates and … Continued

ScienceHealth

We Have Dramatically Underestimated Our Exposure to Nasty Plastic Chemical BPA, Study Finds

Our BPA problem might be even worse than we think, according to a new study out Thursday. Researchers say they’ve devised a new test to measure levels of the common industrial chemical in our bodies—levels that might be far higher than tests endorsed by the U.S. government and others suggest they are. BPA, or bisphenol … Continued

ScienceHealth

Hair Dyes and Straighteners Might Be a Breast Cancer Risk, Especially for Black Women, Study Finds

If you’re a woman, regularly coloring or straightening your hair might come with a hidden risk, according to new government-led research. The study found a link between using permanent hair dye and straightening products and an increased risk of breast cancer in women, especially for black women. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health looked … Continued

ScienceHealth

New Study Links Birth Control Pill to Brain Differences, but Don’t Panic

Scientists this week say they’ve found preliminary evidence that women who use birth control pills have differences in their brain structure compared to women who don’t. But it’s still too way early to know whether these differences are genuine or could have a meaningful impact on someone’s health. The study’s authors enlisted the help of … Continued

ScienceHealth

Most People Experiencing Homelessness Have Had a Traumatic Brain Injury, Study Finds

A majority of people experiencing homelessness across the world have a history of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries, according to new research out this week. And often, these injuries could have contributed to or been caused by their homelessness, the authors say. The study, published in Lancet Public Health on Monday, is a review … Continued

ScienceHealth

You’d Be Surprised How Often Doctors Prescribe Placebos

Doctors in Australia commonly give their patients a placebo treatment intended mainly to ease their minds, according to a new study out Monday. But it’s not just an Australian practice—other research has found the same is true of doctors across the world. The new study, published in The Australian Journal of General Practice, surveyed more … Continued

ScienceHealth

The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants, and It Wants You to Brush Your Teeth

Part of avoiding heart disease might involve brushing your teeth, suggests a study published this week. Researchers in Korea have found a clear link between good oral health and a lower chance of heart irregularities and serious heart failure. The study, published Sunday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, looked at the health records … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Man’s Love of Hot Pot Gave Him Brain Tapeworms

A man’s love of delicious hot pot led him down a far more perilous path than he expected. His doctors in China say that the undercooked meal exposed him to a tapeworm infestation that riddled his brain with larval cysts and caused him to have seizures. Thankfully, though, he’s now on the mend. Last week, … Continued

ScienceHealth

‘Magic Mushroom’ Ingredient Inches Closer to Becoming a Depression Treatment

A future where a key ingredient of psychedelic mushrooms called psilocybin is regularly used to improve our mental health is none too far off. This month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a “breakthrough therapy” designation to a non-profit company developing psilocybin as a treatment for clinical depression. The label is intended to speed … Continued

ScienceHealth

Americans’ Life Expectancy Problem Goes Back Decades

A new study this week highlights a unique, long-spanning crisis among Americans. For decades, it suggests, the U.S. life expectancy has lagged behind similar countries. And for close to a decade, young to middle aged Americans have actually been dying more than in previous years, thanks in part to worsening rates of suicide, drug overdoses, … Continued

ScienceHealth

CBD Isn’t Just a Harmless Health Fad, FDA Warns

The Food and Drug Administration still isn’t cutting cannabidiol, or CBD, much slack. This week, the agency updated their stance on the cannabis-derived ingredient, warning the public that most products made with CBD on the market are untested, unregulated, and have the “potential to harm” users. It also issued more than a dozen warning letters … Continued

ScienceHealth

Gunshot Survivors Are Traumatized for Years, Study Finds

The findings of a new study involving gunshot survivors are unlikely to surprise you—but they aren’t any less depressing. It suggests that many survivors are left physically and mentally devastated by their experience, even years later. For their new work, published Wednesday in JAMA Surgery, the researchers conducted phone interviews with more than 180 gunshot survivors … Continued

Tech News

Consumer DNA Testing May Be the Biggest Health Scam of the Decade

At the start of this decade, the federal government called out consumer DNA testing as a burgeoning scam industry. Little did we know how it would explode in popularity. In 2010, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published an investigative report that bashed consumer DNA test companies for misleading the public. It accused them of … Continued

ScienceHealth

It’s Time to Kick Big Pharma Out of Antibiotics Research, Scientists Argue

In the wake of recent reports showing that antibiotic-resistant superbugs are on the rise, some scientists in the UK are pushing for a fix that might seem radical. They argue that the research and development of new antibiotics should be taken out of the pharmaceutical industry’s hands and publicly funded on a global scale. The … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Man Developed ‘Feather Duvet Lung’ After Getting New Bedding

A UK man’s innocent decision to change his bedding caused him to develop a strange, rare condition that left him gasping for air, his doctors say. In a new case study out Monday, they detail how the man came down with a rare form of allergy to the bird feathers that filled his new duvet … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Woman’s ‘Velvety’ Palms Revealed Her Lung Cancer

A Brazilian woman’s strangely textured palms led to the discovery of a much more serious underlying health problem: lung cancer. According to a case report published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, the 73-year-old woman had visited a local dermatology clinic with complaints of itchy and painful lesions on the palms of … Continued

ScienceHealth

Astronauts’ Exercise Programs Could Help Cancer Patients Endure Chemotherapy

In a new paper this week, researchers are making a novel argument: Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and astronauts in space suffer similar health problems—including bone and muscle loss—and as such could benefit from similar training regimens. Author Jessica Scott, a senior scientist at the NASA Johnson Space Center who’s studied how spaceflight affects the human … Continued

ScienceBiology

Scientists Need 10,000 Dog Volunteers for Very Important Research

Calling all good boys and girls: This week, researchers debuted a citizen science project that’s hoping to enlist 10,000 furry friends to better study aging in both dogs and people. And they’re asking pet owners across the U.S. to volunteer their pups to participate. The Dog Aging Project, or DAP, is a collaboration between researchers … Continued

ScienceHealth

New CDC Report on Superbugs Is Full of Bad News

The U.S. and the world continue to lose ground against antibiotic resistance, according to a new report out this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And among other things, the number of superbugs that pose a dire threat to the health of Americans has only gotten larger in the past half decade. … Continued