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Cancer Is Killing Fewer Americans Than Ever

The science and medical response to activists claims that drinking water, weedkillers, and food...

Remote Health Care Messaging Is Increasing Physician Burnout

Telehealth, replies to messages or a quick video consulation with a health care provider, are designed...

Climate Change Implicated In Teen Pregnancy

Young women are at at increased risk of school dropout, transactional sex, gender-based violence...

Pathogens, Pests And Perils In Global Food Security

In wealthy countries, the richest and the aspirational well-off can afford to pay extra for food...

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How Would You Interpret 'Blue' And 'Green' If Your Language Lacked Those Words

How Would You Interpret 'Blue' And 'Green' If Your Language Lacked Those Words

Nov 24 2023 | comment(s)

If you visit Japan, you may be surprised that Japanese traffic lights have blue on go rather than the green in the U.S. Actually, green is the standard there, just as red is, they just have a different definition of green.

It is rather common that things which should be basically the same for everyone, like a color, have not only different words but different meanings. A new study of basic color terms found that in cultures that have remained isolated, there are a lot fewer words for the tens of millions of colors we see.
Red Meat Isn't Linked To Heart Inflammation

Red Meat Isn't Linked To Heart Inflammation

Oct 30 2023 | comment(s)

Some controversial claims by epidemiologists with links to anti-meat groups (Frank Hu, Walter Willett, et al.) suggest that a normal human diet containing meat causes inflammation, which they then link to increased risk of heart disease.

A risk factor for a risk factor for a disease isn't very compelling but journalists often confuse hazard, including when epidemiologists use 10,000 doses, and risk, which is actual clinical relevance to people.
Hurricanes: Two Ways They Intensify

Hurricanes: Two Ways They Intensify

Oct 27 2023 | comment(s)

Hurricane Katrina was not dangerous until it hit land in Louisiana. But it intensified and since activists had successfully lobbied the Clinton administration to prevent the Army Corps of Engineers from making repairs, devastation occurred.

Injuries and lives lost may have been reduced if there was a better way to predict when a commonplace tropical depression or tropical storm will intensify. 

A new paper says there’s more than one mechanism that causes rapid intensification. 
Excess Fluoride In African Wells Linked To Cognitive Impairment In Kids

Excess Fluoride In African Wells Linked To Cognitive Impairment In Kids

Oct 26 2023 | comment(s)

The benefits of fluoridated water are well-established but when nature rather than science is in charge it can be harmful. The dose makes the poison and over 200 million people worldwide are estimated to be exposed to high fluoride levels in their drinking water.

A new study finds that long-term consumption of water with fluoride levels far above, 1000 percent more, established drinking water standards may be linked to cognitive impairments in children.
Crossmodal: Your Sense Of Smell May Change The Colors You See

Crossmodal: Your Sense Of Smell May Change The Colors You See

Oct 06 2023 | comment(s)

Our five senses are gathering information at all times. One way our brain sorts the abundance of information is by combining information from two or more senses, such as between smells and the smoothness of textures, or pitch, color, and musical dimensions.

It may be why we began to associate higher temperatures with warmer colors, lower sound pitches with less elevated positions, or colors with the flavor of particular foods. A new paper argues that such unconscious 'crossmodal' associations with our sense of smell can even affect our perception of colors.
Long COVID? Get Ready For Long Colds Next

Long COVID? Get Ready For Long Colds Next

Oct 06 2023 | comment(s)

A new paper has given a name for long-term symptoms that test negative for COVID-19 - "long colds."

Coronavirus is very similar to the common cold, so similar that coronavirus was not known to be distinct until the 1960s. Most who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and got COVID-19 experienced symptoms like a cold, but those with co-morbidities or who had severe reactions got more like a super flu, some with devastating effect. Even after recovery, some still report lingering effects, given rise to the term 'long COVID.'