Ed Cara

ScienceHealth

Teeth-Whitening Products Might Be Riskier Than We Thought

Those strips and gels you use to get your teeth as pearly white as possible may come with some previously unknown risks, according to new, preliminary research out this week. It found that the key ingredient in these products—hydrogen peroxide—could be capable of damaging dentin, the second, deeper layer of our teeth that lies beneath the … Continued

ScienceHealth

In a World of MRSA and Superfungi, You Need to Start Washing Your Hands Correctly

A harrowing article in the New York Times this weekend has set plenty of people on edge. It details the rise of a fungal disease in hospitals that—like so many infections—has steadily become resistant to the drugs used to treat it. But for all our justified fears about superbugs, there’s a simple precaution against infections … Continued

ScienceHealth

The HPV Vaccine Is Already Dramatically Lowering Rates of Cervical Disease

A new study out Wednesday in the BMJ is the latest to showcase even the short-term benefits of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. It found that the routine vaccination of preteen girls in Scotland, starting in 2008, led to drastically lower rates of cervical disease by the time the girls turned 20. That included conditions … Continued

ScienceHealth

These Are the Drugs People Like to Mix With Sex, According to a New Study

Men and women across all sexual orientations are up for mixing drugs and sex, suggests the results of a new study out Tuesday. As part of a larger survey, it found that plenty of gay, bisexual, and heterosexual people admitted to having sex while on drugs, and some explicitly used drugs to enhance their sexual … Continued

ScienceAnimals

Great White Sharks Appear Perfectly Healthy Despite Lead, Arsenic, and Mercury Coursing Through Their Veins

Great white sharks aren’t the unstoppable killing machines of Hollywood’s imagination, but studies have continuously shown that they’re definitely badasses of evolution. A new paper out this week adds to that resume, finding that great whites can easily withstand levels of heavy metals that would kill most other animals, all without any apparent health problems. … Continued

ScienceHealth

Even the Most Minimal Exercise Can Drastically Improve Your Health, Yet Another Study Finds

We know that regularly getting some exercise, no matter how little, can keep you alive longer. But new research out Monday suggests that even an hour’s worth of walking per week can help older adults with ailing knees avoid painful, isolating disabilities down the road. The researchers looked at data from an earlier project studying … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Major Change to How Doctors Talk About Mammogram Results Is Coming Soon

Doctors across the U.S. may soon be required to provide women with more information about their mammography results. This week, the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to update a rule that would mandate doctors tell patients if they have dense breast tissue, a complicated risk factor for breast cancer. Thanks to the Mammography Quality … Continued

ScienceHealth

Mother Leaves Hospital With Newborn, Not Knowing She’s Also Pregnant With Twins

A new mother in Bangladesh got quite a surprise last week: Less than a month after she had delivered a healthy baby boy, she returned to the hospital and delivered a set of fraternal twins, who, unbeknownst to her, had been growing inside a second uterus. Thankfully, all three children were delivered without complications. The … Continued

ScienceHealth

Artificial Wombs Are Getting Better and Better

In 2017, a team of Australian and Japanese scientists announced a breakthrough that could someday save the lives of countless babies. They used an artificial womb to keep premature lamb fetuses alive and healthy enough for them to be later delivered without serious health complications. This month, that same team announced a leap forward in … Continued

ScienceHealth

In the Wake of Failed Alzheimer’s Drug Trials, Scientists Are Cautiously Finding Hope With a New Strategy

The field of Alzheimer’s research is one filled with disappointment. Just last week, yet another drug failed its Phase 3 clinical trial, continuing the 15-year-long losing streak since a truly new Alzheimer’s treatment was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. But a team of scientists this week say they’ve found early evidence—in mice—that an … Continued

ScienceHealth

County Bans Unvaccinated Minors from Entering Public Spaces, a First in the U.S.

Rockland County, New York is taking a drastic step to curtail its ongoing outbreak of measles. On Tuesday, Rockland County executive Ed Day announced a ban on minors unvaccinated for measles from entering public spaces like restaurants for a month. Though immunization statuses will not be actively tracked by police, the parents of children caught … Continued

ScienceHealth

Why Increased Pot Use in Colorado Is Sending More People to the Hospital

Reefer madness isn’t a thing. But a new study out Tuesday is the latest to show that pot use, especially with edibles, can sometimes cause health problems serious enough to prompt a trip to the hospital. It found that people in Colorado have increasingly sought emergency care for cannabis-related symptoms like anxiety, rapid heartbeat, and … Continued

ScienceAnimals

Scientists Gave Mice a Psychedelic Drug to Figure Out How We Hallucinate

Seeing something that isn’t there can be one of the strangest, frightening, and baffling experiences a person can have. But scientists at the University of Oregon say they’ve come a bit closer to understanding what happens in the brain when we hallucinate—and all they had to do was trip out some poor mice. Given that … Continued

ScienceHealth

The Newest Opioid Lawsuit Is Going Right After the Sackler Family 

An enormous federal lawsuit out of New York is the latest and most brazen attempt to explicitly tie the billionaire Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, to the opioid crisis. It accuses them of knowingly misleading the public about the addictiveness of their drugs, as well as turning a blind eye to doctors who were … Continued

ScienceHealth

Researchers Create Fake Profiles on 24 Health Apps and Learn Most Are Sharing Your Data

Using apps to keep track of your medication or look up the symptoms of your latest mysterious illness might be convenient. But a new study out this week highlights the hidden privacy risks of plugging sensitive health information into your smartphone. Namely, that medical apps love to collect your data, but are only sometimes upfront … Continued

ScienceHealth

Kentucky Family Sues Local Health Department Over School Ban of Unvaccinated Children

A Kentucky teen and his family are suing their local health department over its attempt to protect the public from the chickenpox virus. The lawsuit alleges that health officials violated the First Amendment rights of the boy, Jerome Kunkel, by banning him and other unvaccinated students from attending school or extracurricular activities at Assumption Academy, … Continued

ScienceHealth

New Postpartum Drug Is the Second Wholly Different Depression Treatment to be Approved This Month

New mothers suffering from postpartum depression finally have a treatment approved specifically for them. It’s the second drug this month approved by the Food and Drug Administration to address depression in a dramatically different way. But the treatment won’t come without serious restrictions on its use, nor will it necessarily be cheap. On Tuesday, the … Continued

ScienceHealth

A 14-Year-Old’s Schizophrenia-Like Psychosis May Have Been Caused by Cat Bacteria

Doctors have started to come around to the idea that hidden bacteria and viruses in the body can affect our mental health and, over the long term, contribute to diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. But a case study out this week is the latest to suggest that certain germs can cause much more immediate and … Continued

Tech News

Scientists Might Have Found a Way to Thwart Deadly Superbug Outbreaks in Space

For years now, scientists have sounded the alarm about a potential nightmare for astronauts on the International Space Station: antibiotic-resistant superbugs that could be even more dangerous in space than they are on Earth. This week, research say they’ve found a way to better prevent such hardy bacteria from growing on surfaces of the ISS. … Continued

ScienceHealth

Opioid Maker Purdue Promises Not to Profit from Its New Overdose Antidote

One of the major instigators to the opioid crisis is looking to sell its own drug to save people from deadly overdoses—but the company swears it won’t be pocketing the profits. This week, the drug company Purdue Pharma announced that its experimental opioid overdose antidote was granted a “Fast Track” designation by the Food and … Continued