Space tourism? Why not? See the world as you have never seen it before. With at least 700 people signed up for commercial trips, and scientists figuring out how we can live on Mars, the impossible is becoming real. Are there hazards? Of course.  As one researcher puts it: “Space…

The world’s largest review to date has recently established just how important urban green space is for staving off premature death. Some 63% of people in the United States live in cities. Some cities are greener than others — Philadelphia, for example, has a long history of urban greening and is even…

Scientists working with adults who fixate on negative thoughts have noted a link between this distressing compulsion and poorer-quality sleep, as well as shorter sleep duration. Repetitive negative thinking occurs when a person compulsively lingers on thoughts and stimuli that are distressing and unhelpful, which often leads to a decreased…

Some groups may face a disproportionate mental health impact during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include people of color, migrants, and people of various ethnic backgrounds. In this Special Feature, we dive deeper into the issue. All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication.…

Reading the news can be stress-inducing at the best of times. When the news is particularly worrying, many of us experience levels of anxiety so high that we can have difficulty coping. So how can we stay (reasonably) anxiety-free when the media bombards us with headlines that spook us?  It…

Physical proximity can help get couples on the same parenting page, suggests a new study. On exposure to child-related stimuli, parents’ prefrontal cortex activity is more synchronous when they are together than when they are apart.  So suggests a paper describing research that researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in…

A study has found that disabling a gene in the myeloid cells of mice prevents them from developing obesity. New research has found that inhibiting an immune cell gene in mice prevented them from developing obesity, even when they consumed a diet high in fat. The study’s findings, published in The…

We tend to see anger as an awful thing. We see it as aggressive and explosive. We associate it with being completely out of control and seething with rage. According to clinical psychologist Mitch Abblett, Ph.D, “Most of us have memories of times when either we’ve unleashed our anger and/or had…

Anger is a natural, healthy emotion. However, it can arise out of proportion to its trigger. In these cases, the emotion can impede a person’s decision-making, damage relationships, and otherwise cause harm. Learning to control anger can limit the emotional damage. Anger is a common response to frustrating or threatening…

By the time I publish this article, it will have been 1 year since my live-in partner of 6 years moved out. Despite the heartbreak and the anxiety, it is safe to say that I’ve come out the other end — stronger, healthier, and different. Below are some of the…

For many people, the concept of self-love might conjure images of tree-hugging hippies or cheesy self-help books. But, as many psychology studies attest, self-love and -compassion are key for mental health and well-being, keeping depression and anxiety at bay. Below, we take a look at some of the things that…

The majority of people can donate blood. However, those who use nicotine products, cannabis products, or both may wonder whether or not they can donate blood. Hospitals and health clinics use donated blood to treat various medical conditions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of blood donations…

No one is immune from bad news or disappointment in life. So, when you do get it, how do you process the information, deal with it, and move on with your life unscathed? During your lifetime, you may encounter many forms of bad news at separate times or even simultaneously.…

Self-deprecating jokes are the best — unless I make them. See what I did there? Judging by my humor (or lack thereof), you may think that I’m not a very self-confident person or have a tendency to be sad. According to a new study, however, nothing could be farther from…

Stepping on the scales at home can be frustrating for many people. Body weight can fluctuate throughout the day, and the scales may show higher or lower numbers depending on the time of day when a person uses them. Scales can serve as a guide to weight loss. One study showed that…

An antibody that scientists first identified in a blood sample from a person who recovered from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) strongly inhibits the virus that causes COVID-19. The scientists who discovered the antibody are racing to bring it to clinical trials. There are currently no proven treatments for COVID-19,…

As a result of the lockdown, many people are trapped at home with abusive partners. We examine the impact of the pandemic on rates of domestic violence in the United States and throughout the world. Although the word “pandemic” refers to the possibility that a disease could affect everyone, it…

Cancer can affect any part of the body, including the blood. Leukemia and lymphoma are both forms of blood cancer. The main difference is that leukemia affects the blood and bone marrow, while lymphomas tend to affect the lymph nodes. Though there are some similarities between the two types of cancer,…

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow. Bone marrow produces blood cells. Leukemia can develop due to a problem with blood cell production. It usually affects the leukocytes, or white blood cells. Leukemia is most likely to affect people over the age of 55 years, but it is…

Dr. Yenting Chen is a board certified emergency medicine physician practicing at the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center emergency departments in Berkeley and Oakland, California. In this opinion piece, he discusses the importance of empathy when tackling misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, many of my peers in the healthcare…

A recent satellite analysis suggests that the COVID-19 lockdown is reducing two pollutants but increasing another. With so many people working from home or sheltering in place, a reduction in automobile emissions is one potentially positive outcome of the pandemic, even if it is temporary.  The American Geophysical Union’s journal Geophysical…

Is it a myth or a fact? Test your knowledge of the virus and fight the misinformation around it by playing this Myth Busters Quiz. This Quiz has 10 Questions!

Using the CPR steps on someone who is not breathing can help keep them alive until the emergency services arrive. CPR works by keeping a person’s blood flowing until healthcare professionals can help them. People without first aid training can still save a life by using the CPR steps. When…

The new coronavirus has affected people’s health in more ways than one. In this Special Feature, we look at what the pandemic has meant for primary healthcare access in countries around the world. Over the past few weeks, there are many ways in which the coronavirus pandemic has affected — directly…

For people trying to lose weight, it might feel as if all fat is the same. But there are two different types of fat: visceral and subcutaneous. Subcutaneous fat is the jiggly fat visible just under the skin. Subcutaneous fat is normally harmless and may even protect against some diseases. Visceral…

Discovering that white fat cells are not all the same may help researchers better understand the role of fat cells in disease. The risks associated with white adipose tissue, or white body fat, depend to some extent on where that fat is.  For example, intra-abdominal fat (belly fat) is more…

At Medical News Today, we have been looking at how scientific advances are providing much-needed hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Special Feature discusses the recent progress of vaccine clinical trials and other ways in which researchers hope to fight the new coronavirus. All data and statistics are based on…

Results of a new study indicate that physical distancing measures in the United States have stabilized, but not reduced, the spread of the pathogen that causes coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). A study published in preprint has suggested that the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. has stabilized following the implementation…

New research suggests that people who have access to a private garden and actively make use of it have better health and well-being than those without a garden. A study by a team of researchers from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom and the Royal Horticultural Society, a…

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 292,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to slow the pandemic’s spread within its borders. There have been 242,271 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 2,212 deaths. May 13: 3 things you need to know today 1. Russia confirmed 10,028 new…