Though diet book authors claim they have a once-size-fits-all solution for weight gain, be it giving up sugar or salt or wheat, the fact is that we have the luxury of being able to eat in excess for a very low cost. 

But 'do everything in moderation' is also ineffective for losing or maintaining weight, because the more people like a food, the more forgiving their definitions of moderation are, 

A paper in Appetite describes the relative meanings attached to moderation based on perceptions, based on surveys.

In the race towards the discovery of another planet in our solar system, the ninth or tenth depending on how seriously you take the 2 percent of astronomers who demoted Pluto, scientists are striving to calculate its potential orbit using the tracks left by the small bodies that move well beyond Neptune.  And the calculations may mean even more than 10 exist.

New calculations confirm that the orbits of the six extreme trans-Neptunian objects that served as a reference to announce the existence of Planet Nine are not as stable as it was thought.

While Greenpeace is using black hat tactics to take out companies that don't submit to their efforts at racketeering, the pro-science community recognizes that renewable wood could be used to replace oil.

Much of te present-day chemical industry is based on oil; products from plastics to detergents and to medication have their origins in oil and its constituents. Yet oil reserves are finite, so scientists have been looking for ways to manufacture these products from sustainable materials, such as wood.

If "Lucy" wasn't alone, and since there is no evidence of spontaneous generation she was not alone, who else was in her neighborhood? Fossil evidence indicates that multiple early human ancestor species lived at the same time more than 3 million years ago, at least four identified hominin species that co-existed between 3.8 and 3.3 million years ago during the middle Pliocene. 

A species of tropical fish has been shown to be able to distinguish between human faces. It is the first time fish have demonstrated this ability.

In a meta-analysis of hundreds of clinical trials involving thousands of patients, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that therapeutic approaches using precision medicine, which emphasizes the use of individual genetics to refine cancer treatment, showed improved response and longer periods of disease remission, even in phase I trials.

The findings are published in the June 6, 2016 issue of JAMA Oncology.

ITHACA, NY-- When gardeners look at a petunia, they see the vibrant and versatile blooms of the most popular bedding plant in the U.S. But when plant scientists look at a petunia, they see an important model plant species--one that just became more useful with the release of its parents' genomes.

Psychological characteristics link genes with upward social mobility, according to data collected from almost 1000 individuals over four decades. The data suggest that various psychological factors play a role in linking a person's genetic profile and several important life outcomes, including professional achievement, financial security, geographic mobility, and upward social mobility.

The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

The study, led by psychological scientist Daniel W. Belsky of Duke University School of Medicine, builds on previous research indicating a genetic continuum that predicts individuals' educational achievement.

Though they meet thousands of new people in their lifetime, what underlying psychological factors might couples use to stay committed to their partners? According to a recent study, people in relationships actually see tempting people outside of their partnership as less attractive. This perceptual bias could represent a non-conscious method of self-control that assists in overcoming temptations in order to facilitate long term goals of staying with a romantic partner.

Mothers who practiced responsive parenting -- including reacting promptly and appropriately to hunger and fullness cues -- were less likely to have overweight babies at their one-year checkup than those who did not, say health researchers.

Parents should expect infants to triple their birth weight by their first birthday, but some babies gain weight more quickly than others. This rapid weight gain is associated with risk for becoming obese later in life.

"Over 20 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds in the U.S. are already overweight," said Ian M. Paul, professor of pediatrics and public health sciences, Penn State College of Medicine. "This highlights the need to start interventions early in life."