Humans

Friend or foe? A California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides) gives observers the eye at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.

Octopuses Get Strangely Cuddly On The Mood Drug Ecstasy

1:08pm September 20, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The drug makes the usually antisocial creatures much more interested in friendly contact with other octopuses. It's one more sign that the chemistry of social behavior has deep evolutionary roots.

A Swiss study tracking the health of a group of children conceived via assisted reproductive technology found that a surprising number developed premature aging of their blood vessels. Now in their teens, 15 percent have hypertension.

Do IVF And Other Infertility Tech Lead To Health Risks For The Baby? Maybe

5:02pm September 19, 2018

by Mara Gordon

A small study of teens who were conceived via assisted reproductive technology finds a significant number already have hypertension and premature "age-related changes" in their blood vessels.

Dessa went looking for the source of love in her brain, and then turned to the frontiers of neuroscience to try and heal a broken heart.

This Rapper Tried To Use Neuroscience To Get Over Her Ex

11:01am September 18, 2018

Dessa is a singer and writer from Minneapolis who spent years trying to fall out of love and get over her ex. Nothing seemed to help — until she visited a research lab for a brain scan.

Skull fractures, concussions and broken bones are common injuries when children not yet able to walk use infant walkers and fall down stairs.

As Injuries Continue, Doctors Renew Call For Ban On Infant Walkers

4:55pm September 17, 2018

by Ronnie Cohen

Despite improved safety standards over the years, more than 230,000 children under 15 months old were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to infant walkers from 1990 through 2014.

Nearly 62 percent of respondents had at least one ACE and a quarter reported three or more. The remaining respondents had at least two ACEs, including 16 percent with four or more such experiences.

Childhood Trauma And Its Lifelong Health Effects More Prevalent Among Minorities

2:33pm September 17, 2018

by Tara Haelle

The largest study of its kind shows a high prevalence of adverse childhood experiences — or ACEs — across the population, but especially among some vulnerable groups.

Megan Baker (left) of Papa & Barkley Co., a Cannabis company based in Eureka, Calif., shows Shirley Avedon of Laguna Woods different products intended to help with pain relief.

Ticket To Ride: Pot Sellers Put Seniors On The Canna-Bus

11:24am September 17, 2018

by Stephanie O'Neill

Marijuana dispensaries are reaching out to seniors seeking help with the aches and pains of aging. They're discovering an array of products and some interesting side effects.

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Blombos Cave drawing with ocher pencil on silcrete stone.

Science

Researchers Discover Ancient "Hashtag"

8:34pm September 12, 2018

by Christopher Joyce

The world's oldest drawing was made 73,000 years ago in a South African Cave on a rock with an ocher "crayon."

Barb Williamson runs several sobriety houses in Pennsylvania, commercially run homes where residents support each other in their recovery from opioid addiction. Initially, she says, she saw the use of Suboxone or methadone by residents as "a crutch," and

Many 'Recovery Houses' Won't Let Residents Use Medicine To Quit Opioids

5:42am September 12, 2018

by Nina Feldman

Evidence shows the drugs methadone and buprenorphine can help people recover from opioid use disorder by reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings. So why do many sobriety facilities ban their use?

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University are studying barn owls to understand how the brain maintains focus.

Scientists Study Barn Owls To Understand Why People With ADHD Struggle To Focus

5:24pm September 11, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

Research on the brains of barn owls suggests that attention problems like ADHD may involve a brain circuit that usually helps us ignore distractions.

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The search for the cause of Alzheimer's has so far come up dry. Some researchers are now asking if germs play a role.

Infectious Theory of Alzheimer's Disease Draws Fresh Interest

7:30am September 09, 2018

by Bret Stetka

Money has poured into Alzheimer's research, but until very recently not much of it went toward investigating infection in causing dementia. A million dollar prize may lead more scientists to try.