Scientific American

Car Commutes Can Counter Conditioning

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:19:08 EST

The average American car commuter spends a total of about 50 minutes each day getting to and from work. Some spend hours stuck in heavy traffic. Others may enjoy clear roads, but long drives from suburbs to the city.

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Pacifiers Won't Make Newborns Shun Breast

Tue, 01 May 2012 21:57:08 EST

The first hours of life can be rough. So for years newborns in the hospital were given pacifiers to calm and quiet them--with many breast-feeding advocates worrying the newborns would get used to the artificial nipple and be less inclined to take to the breast.

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Blood Flow Fingered in Ice Cream Headaches

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:43:08 EST

The infamous ice cream headache has been a bit of a medical mystery. Until recently.

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U.S. Fast Food Contains More Salt

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:03:08 EST

Whether you're in London or Lubbock, a Big Mac is a Big Mac, right? Well, not exactly. Fast food chains serve up a very different amount of salt in their foods depending on where they're operating.

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Biological Clock Ticks Despite Technology

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:40:08 EST

More and more women are waiting longer to start a family, thanks to widely available family planning and changing social norms. These days at least one in 12 women has their first child after the age of 35.

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Kids Fail to Get Outdoors

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:18:08 EST

It's springtime, and that means mud pies, bug bites and scraped knees--if you're a preschooler. Or at least it used to.

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Frequent Chocolate Eaters Have Lower BMIs

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:50:08 EST

It's a dangerous time of year for a chocoholic--chocolate rabbits and eggs abound. But a weakness for the cocoa bean might not be a bad thing: those who indulge more frequently seem to actually have lower body mass indexes, BMIs.

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Strong Food Smell Cuts Down Quantities

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:57:08 EST

The smell of a rich dessert can make your mouth water. But can an extra helping of its smell help you eat less?

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How Yoga Might Relieve Stress-Linked Ailments

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:14:08 EST

Yoga and relaxation practices have been around for thousands of years. And modern research suggests that yoga could have a very real impact on many stress-related illnesses, including anxiety, depression and heart disease.

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Exercise Instantly Affects DNA

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:03:08 EST

Maybe this will motivate you to work out. New research supports the idea that you don't need to spend hours at the gym everyday for your body to start feeling the positive effects of exercise. In fact, a single session on a stationary bike can affect your very DNA.

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Teen Brain Takes Biggest Sports Hits

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:48:08 EST

The teenage brain is special. Less plastic than a child's developing brain, but not yet with all of the executive functions of an adult noggin. And that makes them more vulnerable to long-term effects of head injury, according to new research. Especially when it comes to sports-related concussions.

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Stress Linked to Aging Chromosomes

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:43:08 EST

Too much sun, smoking and a poor diet can make us look older. But additional forces are at work aging our cells.

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Stem Cells Help Heal Broken Hearts

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:19:08 EST

Valentine's Day can lead to plenty of broken hearts. But for cardiac wounds that time alone won't heal, science has made some major advances. When it comes to heart attack, for example, a big development is emerging from a tiny source. Stem cells are coming of age.

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Smart-Phone App Catches Depression Onset

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:34:08 EST

Is your cell phone ringtone-ing off the vestigial hook? The interruptions may be annoying. But for people with depression, getting a call can help them feel better--especially when they are in the midst of a low day. And therapists often have no way of knowing when their patients are stuck at home in a dark mood.

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Honey Helps Heal Wounds

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:30:08 EST

Honey soothes a sore throat. Now research suggests that it could also help fight serious skin infections.

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Brown Fat Furnishes Physiological Furnace

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:26:08 EST

When it comes to the battle of the bulge, putting on more muscle will burn extra calories even when you're resting. But recent research suggests that there might be a particular type of fat that also uses up more energy than the typical off-white stuff that tends to congregate around American midsections: brown fat.

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Dish Color Affects Serving Size

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:31:08 EST

One reason Americans have such a huge weight problem? Our dishware. When faced with a bigger plate, people are inclined to heap on--and consume--more food. And plate sizes, like waistlines, have expanded.

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Soda Tax Could Turn Health Profit

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:26:08 EST

Sugary drinks are one of the leading culprits behind America's weight problem. Whether it's sugar-sweetened soda, sports drinks, teas or juices, we're each gulping down an average of 70,000 liquid calories each year.

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Hit the Gym to Help Hit the Books

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:50:08 EST

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. And a worse student. Regular exercise--whether in gym class or less formally in a local park--has been shown to improve kids' mood and short-term focusing abilities. Now a new systematic analysis of numerous studies finds that keeping kids active also boosts their academic performance. The paper is in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine . [Amika Singh et al., " Physical Activity and Performance at School: A Systematic Review of the Literature Including a Methodological Quality Assessment "]

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Fat May Put Hypothalamus on the Fritz

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:26:08 EST

More than a third of adults in the U.S. are obese. And many of those already overweight continue to put on even more pounds. Now researchers have a clue why.

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