What goes through your dog’s mind when you tell him to find his favorite toy? Hungarian researchers say Fido relies on a mental image based on sensory features. Dogs call to mind the way that toy looks, feels and smells. The finding — from the Family Dog Project at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest —… read on > read on >
After a final sign-off on Saturday from the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 5 have finally become a reality. “This expands eligibility for vaccination to nearly 20 million additional children and means that all Americans ages 6 months and older are now eligible for… read on > read on >
Americans are night owls at age 20, get the least sleep at 40, and then finally get more shut-eye after retirement. Those are among the key takeaways from a study that looked at the sleep patterns of Americans of all ages. In short, teenagers and young adults often fall asleep after midnight, while folks in… read on > read on >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the emergency use of both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for the country’s youngest children. The approvals come not a moment too soon: More than two years into the pandemic, children younger than 5 still have no vaccine available to them. “Many parents, caregivers and… read on > read on >
Heartache and heartbreak are apt terms for the intense grief caused by losing a spouse. A new study says such a loss can lead to major health problems and even death, and the paper may help explain why that happens. When faced with stressful situations, grieving spouses have significant increases in body inflammation. Inflammation is… read on > read on >
There’s some discouraging news for baby boomers. Americans born between 1948 and 1965 are more likely than the generations that preceded them to have multiple health problems as they age, a new study shows. And, many develop two or more health conditions up to 20 years sooner than folks from other generations, too. Until recently… read on > read on >
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, has tested positive for COVID-19, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced Wednesday. The 81-year-old director of NIAID tested positive on a rapid antigen test and has mild symptoms, the agency said in a statement. It said he is fully vaccinated and… read on > read on >
Women who follow a healthy plant-based diet after menopause appear to face a substantially lower risk for breast cancer, new French research indicates. After tracking more than 65,000 women for two decades, investigators found those who consumed a healthy, primarily plant-based diet saw their risk for developing any type of breast cancer drop by an… read on > read on >
Managing epilepsy is an increasingly expensive process in the United States, with prices of brand-name anti-seizure drugs nearly quadrupling over eight years, a new study finds. From 2010 to 2018, the cost of brand-named epilepsy drugs, including meds like Vimpat (lacosamide), rose 277% overall, researchers found. Over the same period, the cost of generic drugs… read on > read on >
Suicide rates are rising more slowly in states that have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a new study finds. “Suicide is a public health problem, and our findings indicate that increasing access to health care — including mental health care — by expanding Medicaid eligibility can play an important role in addressing… read on > read on >
