Capsaicin is a chemical people love or hate. It’s the chemical in hot peppers and spicy foods responsible for their spicy (and sometimes painful) taste, but researchers in Maryland and Pennsylvania think it may have some health benefits. William Yang, a high school student who worked on the project at the Temple University Lewis Katz … Continue reading Capsaicin Causes Pain, No Gain
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Your Sweet Memory
Most of us know it’s not healthy to eat a lot of sugar. Overeating sweets for a long time can cause weight gain, cavities, type 2 diabetes and other health problems. But what if sweets also had effects on your brain and memory? Researchers at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México reported at the … Continue reading Your Sweet Memory
Chemicals in Plastic May Be Bad News for Mothers and Babies
If you’re a health-conscious shopper, you’ve probably noticed a new generation of “healthier” plastics popping up in grocery stores. These new plastics are “BPA-free,” which means a chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA) has been replaced with alternative chemicals. But are chemicals in plastic really something to be concerned about? Researchers from the University of Georgia and … Continue reading Chemicals in Plastic May Be Bad News for Mothers and Babies
To Play Better, Skip the Post-Game Drink
Sports and alcohol are a famous pair. Whether you’re a fan or an athlete, it’s common to follow up a great game with a drink or two. But does that drink affect your recovery after your workout? Researchers at California Polytechnic State University think that it might. Rafael Jimenez, Amy Engel and a team of … Continue reading To Play Better, Skip the Post-Game Drink
Of Ice Swims and Mountain Marathons (and So Much More)
If you regularly read this blog, you may know that the research questions that physiologists ask relate to wide range of topics—cells, tissues and organs, insects and animals, and how the environment influences all of these things. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the annual Experimental Biology meeting. This year, thousands of physiology-based research … Continue reading Of Ice Swims and Mountain Marathons (and So Much More)