When a black cat named Pepper dropped a dead mouse on the carpet at his owner’s feet on a day back in May 2021, neither of them knew then that it would alert scientists to the arrival of an exotic virus to the United States. Pepper is a skilled hunter who regularly leaves “gifts” for… read on > read on >
The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have created a nation of homebodies in the United States, a new study finds. People are spending nearly an hour less each day doing activities outside the home, researchers reported Oct. 31 in the Journal of the American Planning Association. In essence, not going out has become the “new normal”… read on > read on >
Half of young Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 spend at least four hours each day on their smartphones, computers or televisions, a new survey shows. “As technology has become more integrated into teenagers’ lives, the time spent in front of screens has continued to rise in the United States,” noted a team… read on > read on >
Artificial intelligence can accurately detect heart murmurs in dogs, a new study finds. The AI program detects heart murmurs in canines with 90% accuracy, similar to the accuracy of expert cardiologists, researchers report. And in more than half the cases tested, the AI completely agreed with a cardiologist’s assessment of the murmur’s seriousness. These heart… read on > read on >
For many reasons, bodybuilders and others involved in weight training might have to take a break from the gym. However, new Finnish research finds that even weeks-long interruptions in training won’t hamper muscle-building efforts. “Of course, the break slows progress some, but it is comforting to know that it is possible to reach the pre-break… read on > read on >
Smoking marijuana during pregnancy may quell your morning sickness, but it could also harm your child’s development, a new study warns. Cannabis exposure in the womb is associated in early childhood with poorer thinking skills, researchers reported Oct. 28 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. These kids also have behavioral problems like impulse control, poor attention… read on > read on >
More than 20% of people in the continental United States might have drinking water contaminated with “forever chemicals,” a new study suggests. Between 75 and 95 million Americans rely on groundwater that contains detectible concentrations of these chemicals, known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated in the Oct. 24… read on > read on >
Hospice care is a compassionate and heartfelt enterprise, involving a medical team dedicated to maintaining a person’s comfort and dignity as they face the final curtain. Now, new research shows hospice is also incredibly cost-effective as a health care service, a new report says. For-profit hospice providers generate substantial savings for Medicare, according to a… read on > read on >
Some Americans should get more than one shot of the updated COVID vaccines because their age or certain health conditions make them more vulnerable to severe infections, U.S. health officials advised this week. Six months after their first shot, people 65 and older and those who are immunocompromised should receive a second dose of the vaccines… read on > read on >
Wildfires that spread so fast they outrun the efforts of fire crews trying to contain them: These types of conflagrations are becoming far more common across the Western United States, a new study warns. A fire’s velocity could be even more important than its size when it comes to the threat to people and property,… read on > read on >
