The health dangers posed by colorful detergent pods continues to plague young children, a new study warns. U.S. poison control centers still receive one call every 44 minutes about a young child who’s been harmed through exposure to a liquid laundry detergent pod, researchers report. The steady stream of calls is evidence that voluntary standards…  read on >  read on >

Microbiomes: You’ve probably heard of these communities of largely helpful bacteria that colonize the gut or the skin.  But a man’s semen has a microbiome of its own, and new research suggests it could play a role in fertility. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles examined the microbiomes and sperm health of 73…  read on >  read on >

College freshmen who are more outgoing and agreeable — and less moody — are more likely to feel a sense of belonging at their new school, new research has found. Those personality traits could result in better academic performance and better mental health during college, the study authors concluded. However, two other important personality traits…  read on >  read on >

Stressed-out teens are likely to have more heart health risk factors in adulthood, a new study says. Teens with elevated stress levels tended to have high blood pressure, obesity and other heart risk factors as they aged, compared to those teens with less stress, researchers found. “Our findings suggest that perceived stress patterns over time…  read on >  read on >