Clinical microbiologist explains why you should never kiss a baby

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain There is a cognitive bias called “the curse of knowledge” (sometimes also called “the curse of expertise”). It happens when you incorrectly assume that everyone knows…

Cricket balls can concuss and even kill batters—at all levels, helmet use must be taken seriously

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The 10-year anniversary of the death of much-loved Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes falls on November 27. The 25-year-old’s life was tragically cut short in 2014 when…

More than half of US adults could benefit from GLP-1 medications, researchers find

Semaglutide Eligibility Among US Adults. Credit: JAMA Cardiology (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2024.4657 In a new analysis of national data, researchers at the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes…

Alcohol Use Predicts Escalating Cannabis Vaping Among Youth

Summary: A recent study highlights alcohol as the strongest predictor of cannabis vaping initiation and experimentation among youth and young adults, regardless of demographic factors. Conducted over three years, the…

RNA editing is the next frontier in gene therapy—here’s what you need to know

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The United States Food and Drug Administration has just approved the first-ever clinical trial that uses CRISPR-Cas13 RNA editing. Its aim is to treat an eye…

Indian man awakes on funeral pyre

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain An Indian man awoke on a funeral pyre moments before it was to be set on fire after a doctor skipped a postmortem, medical officials said…

New insights into sleep uncover mechanisms with broad implications for boosting brainpower

Credit: AI-generated image While it’s well known that sleep enhances cognitive performance, the underlying neural mechanisms, particularly those related to nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, remain largely unexplored. A new…

The Secret to Raising Independent Kids? Let Them Learn on Their Own

Summary: Parents are 50% less likely to intervene in their young children’s tasks, such as getting dressed, when these activities are framed as learning opportunities. A new study demonstrated that…

Why We’re Wired to Love Simple Solutions

Summary: People’s preference for simple explanations stems from their desire for efficiency in both understanding situations and achieving goals. Researchers found that participants consistently favored explanations involving common, reliable causes…

Animal Characters in Children’s Books Boost Theory of Mind

Summary: Animal characters in children’s books can significantly boost their theory of mind skills, which are essential for understanding social cues. The research showed that children exposed to animal characters…