A steep rise in vaccination rates has dropped COVID-19 from the first to the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, a new analysis shows. The disease was the third leading cause of death for much of 2020, but became the leading cause of death in December 2020 and early 2021, reaching a… read on > read on >
The notion of parents picking out genetically perfect babies may seem like science fiction. But in a new report, a multidisciplinary group of researchers warn that some companies have already started to offer couples going through in vitro fertilization (IVF) the means to pick better embryos through polygenic scoring. Polygenic scores are a “weighted average… read on > read on >
Want to hold a preschooler’s interest in learning something new? Give them just enough information to make them want to know more, a new study suggests. This creates the perfect mix of uncertainty and curiosity in children, said researchers from Rutgers University, in New Jersey. “There is an infinite amount of information in the real… read on > read on >
The COVID-19 pandemic likely played a role in the 50% increase in deaths from fireworks in the United States last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says. Many public fireworks displays were canceled last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That led many people to light rockets, sparklers and firecrackers in their own… read on > read on >
More than half of American babies are exposed to at least some alcohol before they are born — and for 8 out of 10, it happens before their mothers even realize they’re pregnant, according to a Yale University study. Because alcohol consumption may harm the developing fetus, researchers said their findings underscore the need to… read on > read on >
Is spanking good for parents? Is spanking good for kids? Is spanking good for anyone? No, no and no, according to a big new review of prior research. “Zero studies found that physical punishment predicted better child behavior over time,” said study co-author Elizabeth Gershoff, a professor of human development and family sciences at the… read on > read on >
Because they’re often given drugs that suppress their immune systems, people battling a blood cancer known as multiple myeloma have varying responses to the COVID-19 vaccine, new research shows. Some patients had no evidence at all of COVID-fighting antibody production after getting two doses of vaccine, the new study found. In a minority of cases,… read on > read on >
Despite being particularly susceptible to severe COVID-19, many U.S. teen and young adult cancer survivors are wary of vaccination, a new study finds. Cancer survivors often have weakened immune systems and are more likely to develop severe respiratory infections. That puts them at greater risk from COVID, so it’s strongly recommended that they get vaccinated.… read on > read on >
When child care centers were forced to close in the pandemic’s early months, hundreds of thousands of American working mothers lost their jobs, new research shows. The study is just the latest illustration of the toll the pandemic has taken on working women in the United States. Over the first 10 months of the U.S.… read on > read on >
Good news for couples considering fertility treatments: Children born through assisted reproductive technology (ART) don’t have an increased risk of cancer, researchers say. In the new study, kids born through high-tech fertility treatments — such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and frozen embryo transfer (FET) — were followed for 18 years on average. The results… read on > read on >
