Credit: iStock Did you know our brains glow? Well, not glow exactly—technically it’s called fluorescence—but this phenomenon ends up making the brain look kind of like red and green Christmas lights under a microscope. If you want to impress your family and friends at the holiday dinner table this season, read on to learn more … Continue reading The Cerebral Christmas Lights: Your Glowing Brain
Scientific Research
Watching Scary Movies Can Help Reduce Your Stress (Really!)
Credit: iStock If you’re a fan of scary movies, you might notice that intense scenes may make you a little fidgety. As a scare pops up suddenly, you may unconsciously clench your fists or grip the arms of the couch, your heart rate quickens, goosebumps start to prickle your skin and sweat beads out of … Continue reading Watching Scary Movies Can Help Reduce Your Stress (Really!)
Can a New Football Helmet Curb Concussion?
Credit: iStock Football and fall go hand in hand for many people. Whether they are going to the games, watching on TV or running their own fantasy teams, football fans dread seeing their favorite player on the weekly injury report. Just as football and fall go together, unfortunately, so do football and traumatic brain injury … Continue reading Can a New Football Helmet Curb Concussion?
The Oral Microbiome: Tiny Organisms with a Huge Impact on Health
Credit: iStock Have you heard of the gut microbiome? This diverse community teeming with trillions of bacteria, fungi and other tiny organisms lives in the body’s intestines. Even if you’re familiar with the gut microbiome, you might be less so with the oral microbiome, another major community of microorganisms. This one lives in our mouths. … Continue reading The Oral Microbiome: Tiny Organisms with a Huge Impact on Health
Science Lays a Golden Egg
Credit: iStock Let’s be honest. Some scientific research can sound a little silly when you first hear about it. But if you look more deeply, you may find remarkable insights in that silly-sounding science. For instance, why would someone bother to study lizard spit when there are so many serious diseases left to be cured? … Continue reading Science Lays a Golden Egg
The Physiology of Teaching and Learning
Credit: iStock Though the temperatures are still soaring in many areas of the country, you might be seeing the signs of school starting around you. School buses are on the streets, fresh notebooks and packs of pens are being placed front and center in stores. As you head into another year of teaching and learning, … Continue reading The Physiology of Teaching and Learning
Sweating to Keep Cool
Credit: iStock While our air conditioners are working hard to cool our homes in the record high heat waves sweeping the U.S. this summer, our bodies are working just as hard to keep cool. Our bodies work to maintain internal organ and tissue temperature at a relatively constant value between 96.8 and 100.4 degrees F. … Continue reading Sweating to Keep Cool
Exercise and Water: Responsible Drinking in the Summer Heat
Wayne State University football players huddle on a hot day. Credit: Tamara Hew-Butler I’ve studied hydration for almost 20 years, mostly from the lens of overhydration. So, every time a coach or trainer instructs athletes to “stay hydrated” or “drink more water,” my heart sinks. Drinking too much water can cause brain swelling, which … Continue reading Exercise and Water: Responsible Drinking in the Summer Heat
The Not-so-Sweet Truth about Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
Credit: iStock The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 in 10 people in the U.S. have diabetes. About 90 to 95% of people with diabetes have Type 2, meaning their body can’t process and break down food properly. This leads to higher blood sugar, increased circulating fatty acids and insulin resistance. Type … Continue reading The Not-so-Sweet Truth about Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
How Breastfeeding Shapes the Gut Microbiome
Credit: iStock Human milk is often called “liquid gold” for its incredible benefits for infants. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding from the first hour after birth until the baby is 6 months old, and continuing breastfeeding along with complementary foods for up to two years. However, worldwide, fewer than half of infants … Continue reading How Breastfeeding Shapes the Gut Microbiome