The “love hormone” oxytocin might not play the critical role in forming social bonds that scientists have long believed, a new animal study suggests. Prairie voles bred without receptors for oxytocin display the same monogamous mating, attachment and parenting behaviors as regular voles, according to researchers. “While oxytocin has been considered ‘Love Potion No. 9,’… read on > read on >
There’s good news for American mothers-to-be and their newborns: Rates of smoking during pregnancy have fallen by 36% since 2016, a new report finds. The percentage of pregnant women who smoked was already low in 2016 compared to decades past: 7.2%. But by 2021, that rate had fallen to just 4.6%. That’s according to the… read on > read on >
People who have autism feel pain at a higher intensity than others, which is the opposite of what many believe to be true, new research suggests. The prevailing belief is that those with autism are indifferent to pain, possibly because of a tendency for self-harm. However, “this assumption is not necessarily true,” said Dr. Tami… read on > read on >
The pandemic has reached a “transition point,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. Still, that doesn’t mean the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) designation declared by the WHO in January 2020 is over yet. The organization’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met last week to discuss COVID-19, saying in a statement released… read on > read on >
If you find yourself stuck in a traffic jam and you start to feel fuzzy-headed, the diesel exhaust from the truck in front of you might be to blame. New research found that just two hours of exposure to diesel exhaust impaired the brain’s functional connectivity, which can lower your ability to think and remember.… read on > read on >
Infants exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy are more than five times more likely to die unexpectedly compared to babies of nonsmokers, a new study says. “The message is simple. Smoking greatly elevates the risk of sudden unexpected infant death,” said lead study author Barbara Ostfeld, program director of the SIDS Center of New Jersey… read on > read on >
Transgender youth in Utah are now blocked from receiving gender-affirming surgery and hormone therapy after Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Saturday that largely bans such care for youth. Cox said that the ban was necessary until more research was done on long-term effects of treatments, The New York Times reported. The American Civil Liberties… read on > read on >
It may be that as many as 13% of older adults are addicted to highly processed comfort foods, a new survey finds. Craving cookies, chips, packaged snacks and soda was seen in adults aged 50 to 80, according to new data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, from the University of Michigan Institute for… read on > read on >
The U.S. government could save billions every year once Medicare begins negotiating drug prices in 2026, new research suggests. The Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress last year allows Medicare to bargain with drug companies on the prices of 10 of the highest-priced drugs in 2026 before adding 15 more in 2027, 15 more in… read on > read on >
New drugs may be needed to fight the deadliest form of tuberculosis, because it may no longer respond to current treatments. An animal study by Johns Hopkins University researchers found that an approved antibiotic regimen may not work for TB meningitis due to multidrug-resistant strains. Small human studies have also provided evidence that a new… read on > read on >
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