This year’s hurricane season has been quiet so far, but if and when it cranks up many American cities won’t be prepared to execute mass evacuations, a new study finds. After Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans in 2005, the country bore witness to the pitfalls of not having an effective evacuation plan. Since then…  read on >  read on >

Writer Jenny Block and her chiweenie, Aurora, are on a health kick. “We walk at least 1 mile and up to 4 miles in the early morning, before it gets too hot,” said the Houston-based author. “She needs it, and I need it, so it works out great,” said Block, who has shed several pounds…  read on >  read on >

Buying someone a cup of coffee might seem like no big deal, but a new study shows that small acts of kindness have a bigger impact than people believe. In a series of experiments, researchers found that those on the receiving end of a kind gesture typically appreciated it more than the giver anticipated. One…  read on >  read on >

Health authorities are investigating a parvovirus-like illness that has killed more than 30 dogs in northern Michigan, most within three days. The dogs died in Otsego County after showing symptoms such as vomiting and bloody stool, signs of canine parvovirus, but tests were negative for the virus, according to a Facebook posting by the Otsego…  read on >  read on >

Fewer Americans are turning to sleep medications to fight insomnia. After a dramatic rise in prescriptions for drugs like Ambien, the trend has ebbed, according to a new study, and fewer doctors are prescribing sleep medications. Use of these sleep aids dropped 31% between 2013 and 2018, researchers found. “There are several possible reasons for…  read on >  read on >