Your favorite tabby cat may seem to have little similarity to her relatives in the wild, but all share a key gene that gives them their distinctive look. Why cats’ coats are decorated with stripes, spots and blotches has long been a mystery. Now, researchers have identified a specific gene that all domestic cats, wild…  read on >  read on >

Seeing eye to eye — literally — makes conversations more appealing, a new study finds. “Eye contact is really immersive and powerful,” said researcher Sophie Wohltjen, a graduate student in psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth College. “When two people are having a conversation, eye contact signals that shared attention is high — that they…  read on >  read on >

COVID-19 is surging in U.S. states with low vaccination rates, and these places may also be seeing a higher-than-usual number of stillbirths linked to the virus. While the number of stillbirths is still very low nationally, doctors in the Deep South have noticed increases in stillbirths, NBC News reported. One of those states is Alabama.…  read on >  read on >

Twenty years on, responders to the World Trade Center attacks in New York City are showing increased risks of certain cancers, two new studies confirm. Researchers found higher-than-average rates of prostate cancer among firefighters, medics and other workers who toiled at the disaster site on and after Sept. 11, 2001. And compared with firefighters from…  read on >  read on >

With the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare, fewer Americans are uninsured and more are getting their blood pressure and blood sugar under control, a new study finds. The gains are especially strong among Black and Hispanic patients, according to Boston University researchers. “Our results suggest that over the longer-run, expanding Medicaid eligibility may improve key…  read on >  read on >