Surprising Science

Magazines and health journals have been publishing studies for years saying a glass of wine is good for your heart. A recent study calls those findings into question.

Men can reverse the effects of a poor night’s sleep with a nap, according to researchers.

Research shows evidence that we can alter our brains to enhance our creative thinking — all through the power of art.

Treadmill desks shouldn’t be considered an end-all-be-all fitness solution — it’s a way to promote health and lessen the amount of time you sit on a daily basis.

Ever wonder why men finish their meals faster than women? No? Maybe? Well, a recent study shows men eat with more “chewing power” than women and take larger bites.

Paying it forward — helping others in their time of need — may boost your confidence if you’ve had to ask for help in the past, and more likely you’ll ask for help when you need it in the future.

The chief executive officer and president of NPS Pharmaceuticals walks us through the health innovations we can expect in the coming decades.

One-third of 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States consume energy drinks, leading health officials to wonder what kind of effects a beverage heavy in caffeine and sugar could have on a developing mind.

Our relationship with food has evolved to a point of complexity as some people strive to find the “perfect” diet and eat right to the point of obsession.

Officials wonder how long sled dog racing will survive the warming temperatures, which threaten the very landscape of the race.

What victims really want from the person who wronged them, according to studies conducted in the US and Europe is a sense of genuine remorse along with a sincere apology.

A study of various chimps housed together in Edinburgh reveals that the apes alter their grunts to better communicate with new neighbors.

Researchers believe they’ve found some connections in women that may help predict postpartum depression before childbirth.

Various computer science and theology experts have sounded off on how religion will impact (or be impacted by) the rise of smarter-than-human artificial intelligence.

The kinds of foods parents expose their kids to will set an example for their eating habits later on in life.

As a physician-assisted suicide bill sits before committee in the California state legislature, Ira Byock, MD, urges a critical examination of the way supporters draw attention to their cause.

If there was a daily pill you could take to prevent cardiovascular disease, at no charge, and with no side effects, would you? According to a recent study, one in three people would rather live a shorter life than take a daily pill.

Five Nobel Prize winners are throwing the weight of their scientific achievements behind a longevity pill by Elysium Health.

Frozen water at the poles of the moon represents a potential cash cow for firms that want to capitalize on the emerging private space industry.

Too much of a good thing can be harmful and that includes exercising. A 12-year study found people who did strenuous workouts died at the same rate as couch potatoes.

It may sound obvious, but debt can be a major strain on a person’s mental health. So, it’s interesting that a recent study is among the first to explore the link between student loans and a decrease in mental well-being.

Every form of medical therapy has a Number Needed to Treat (N.N.T.) and Number Needed to Harm (N.N.H.). These statistics help patients learn whether a treatment is worth pursuing.

Tablets and smartphones are often used as a pacifier during mealtime for youngsters. But researchers speculate that this use could be detrimental to a child’s ability to learn self-control.

The theories that physicists have amassed over the centuries to explain our understanding of the universe are ultimately paradoxical.

High-intensity exercise is better at preventing conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, than typical sustained activities like jogging or biking.

Given only their credit card numbers, a group from MIT was able to uncover the identities of 90 percent of 1.1 million people.

The world is safer now than it ever has been, yet you wouldn’t know it judging from the behavior of a fear-addicted society.

Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut has teamed with Covanta Energy Corporation to explore the ways marine waste can be turned into clean energy.

Earlier this week, scientists at UC Irvine revealed that they have learned how to unboil an egg. Their discovery could lead to the development of a protein restoration system that would be a major asset in the fight against cancer.

The word “rational” is widely misapplied. Nobel laureates Kahneman and Becker use it very differently (they’re on opposite sides of a breach with our nature). They illustrate why economists can benefit from a paraphrasing of Shakespeare… though this has method, yet there is madness in it.