ArcaMax

A good book (and this particular news feature) can quite literally change the way you think and feel. There's actual scientific evidence -- at least for the part about reading a good book. We're happily assuming the latter.

Researchers have found that reading can rewire neural pathways, increase brain connectivity and, in essence, make you ...Read more

A recent study found that one-quarter of college students, and 15% of the general public, said that they would choose their mobile devices over their olfactory abilities.

But people who have anosmia -- the loss of smell -- are more often depressed, experience muted emotions, have dietary complications and literally aren't able to sniff out ...Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic changed human behaviors -- at least for a while.

It also affected animal behavior. Using data from more than 5,000 camera traps during the pandemic, researchers found that in urban landscapes where animals are habituated to humans, all species seemed to get out into nature more often. For example, sightings of raccoons and...Read more

More than 600,000 Americans suffer their first stroke each year, but up to 80% of those strokes may be preventable through treating hypertension, elevated cholesterol, high blood sugar and obesity.

The American Stroke Association just added three new recommendations for prevention:

1. Consider taking a GLP-1 drug (Ozempic, Wegovy and others)...Read more

Bats are a natural pesticide. A single bat can eat between 6,000 and 8,000 insects in a night, depending on species and feeding habits. Since 2006, many bat populations in the U.S. have collapsed due to an invasive fungus found in caves they use.

As a result, farmers in affected areas have increased their use of pesticides with one unforeseen...Read more

Your microbiome is the collection of all the microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.) that live on and in you. It profoundly affects your health and, studies increasingly show, the health of your children.

Past research in mice has found that maternal gut bacteria play a role in offspring behavior and placental growth during pregnancy. Now ...Read more

ATTENTION! There is Language in the 25th Paragraph That Some Readers May Find Offensive. Thank You For Your Attention.

In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that in seven states, the adult obesity rate was 35% or higher. Six years later, it's now 23 states, plus Guam and Puerto Rico, with obesity rates of 35% ...Read more

The futuristic notion of a brain-computer interface just got one step closer.

Synchron, a neurotechnology startup, reports that implanting its Stentrode device, which allows users to control personal devices using their thoughts, in six patients with neurodegenerative diseases did not produce dangerous side effects.

A few participants ...Read more

If you're on a med for high blood pressure, paid for by insurance, take one now.

It should come as no surprise that the CEOs and leaders of health care companies are well compensated. (They probably don't even have to do the copay.) In 2023, the median industry CEO salary was $4.1 million. That means half of CEOs made more, half made less. ...Read more

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis is a kind of chronic liver inflammation and scarring caused by excessive fat cells in the organ. It is quite common -- approximately 22 million Americans have it. Untreated, it can progress to liver cancer and organ failure.

As with diabetes, intensive lifestyle and diet interventions are the ...Read more

The extended lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant adverse mental health effects for teens who necessarily attended school remotely for months or even years. It may have also physically affected their brains.

Researchers conducting a longitudinal study of teens found that the brains of teen girls aged 4.2 years more ...Read more

Belly fat is not good. It can increase the risk of many health issues, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, dementia, metabolic disorders, kidney problems and joint and back pain.

But it turns out that maybe not all belly fat is equally bad. Researchers studied belly fat from people who had a long...Read more

As part of a study on hybrid immunity to SARS-CoV-2, University of Texas at Austin researchers say they've discovered and isolated a broadly neutralizing plasma antibody, called SC27, from a single patient.

The researchers obtained its exact molecular sequence, opening the possibility of manufacturing it on a larger scale for future ...Read more