Planets & Transits
New Moon in Leo August 12, 2026
The New Moon arrives in Leo August 12 at 8:36 PM UTC, and with it comes a singular...
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- Written by: Jacob Heller, SUNY Old Westbury
Just over 50 years ago, a highly contagious but seemingly harmless virus swept through the United States, infecting as many as 12.5 million people. In both adults and children, the virus presented as a mild illness, but caused birth defects in some babies born to women who were infected while pregnant.
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- Written by: Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM, ROHP
It’s easier than you think to experience the beauty and healing properties of lavender by growing and using your own fresh lavender for use in food, body care, bathing, and other purposes. It can easily be done indoors in pots or outside in your garden.
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- Written by: Jasleena Grewal, YES! Magazine
Foraging, or wandering in search of food and plants, isn’t relegated to remote forests and idyllic fields. Edible and usable weeds are abundant in urban environments too.
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- Written by: John Speakman, University of Aberdeen
For people in northern countries enjoying summer sun, I hate to put a dampener on things but winter’s coming. The cold months can seem to go on forever, yet scientists are uncovering a new reason to be grateful for them.
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- Written by: H. Peter Soyer and Katie Lee, The University of Queensland
As we age, the smooth skin of childhood gives way to all sorts of mysterious lumps and bumps. In a high-UV environment like Australia, we need to be very alert to the possibility of skin cancers. But most of the skin lumps we develop will be benign. Here are some of the most common, and how to tell them apart.
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- Written by: Alisson Clark, University of Florida
Researchers are testing a non-invasive way to determine if treatments for Parkinson’s slow or stop the progression of the disease.
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- Written by: Monique Andersson, Stellenbosch University
People who have both hepatitis B and HIV may have a greater chance of developing liver cancer at a young age, according to our new study.
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- Written by: Caroline Wood, University of Sheffield and Wayne Martindale, Sheffield Hallam University
We all know the score: current trends predict there will be 9.7 billion mouths to feed by 2050. Producing enough food without using more land, exacerbating climate change or putting more pressure on water, soil and energy reserves will be challenging.
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- Written by: Neale Cohen, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute
It is well recognised that increasing rates of type 2 diabetes are mainly driven by obesity and lifestyle factors. But that’s not the whole story. Genetics and epigenetics – changes in gene expression – also play an important role.
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- Written by: Kristina Sauerwein, Washington University in St. Louis
Commonly touted as “good cholesterol” for helping reduce risk of stroke and heart attack, both high and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol may increase a risk of premature death, a new study suggests.
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- Written by: Akhilesh Reddy, University of Cambridge
From vitamin C and echinacea to warm clothes and antibacterial soap, there’s no shortage of ideas about how to prevent and manage colds and flu. Unfortunately, many of these are not based on solid scientific evidence.
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- Written by: Lorna Goddard, Goldsmiths, University of London
It’s well-known that those with autism spectrum disorders including Asperger’s syndrome develop difficulties with social communication and show stereotyped patterns of behaviour.
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- Written by: Pat Bailey, University of California, Davis
Researchers have discovered how three fungal diseases have evolved into a lethal threat to the world’s bananas.
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- Written by: Susan Manko, University of Pittsburgh
They have identified the neural networks that connect the cerebral cortex to the adrenal medulla, which is responsible for the body’s rapid response in stressful situations.
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- Written by: Beata Ujvari, Deakin University
Essential organs tasked with keeping us alive and reproducing – such as the heart, brain or uterus – may have evolved better protection against cancer than larger and paired organs, we have proposed.
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- Written by: Rebecca Sims, Cardiff University
The most common question I get asked is “Will my child get Alzheimer’s disease?” In my experience, this concern is one of the biggest worries for sufferers, and given the devastating effects of the disease, it is not hard to see why it is a difficult thought to contemplate.
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- Written by: University of Arizona
Specific aspects of the Amish environment are associated with changes to immune cells that appear to protect children from developing asthma, report researchers.
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- Written by: Ya-Ling Liou, D.C.
Most Eastern styles of medicine pay just as much attention to the patient’s state of mind as to the state of his or her tissues and organs. This insight and acknowledgment of the whole person rather than reducing us to our individual body parts is based on healing methods centuries old that survive because they work.
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- Written by: Richard Gunderman, Indiana University
In late July, an international team of researchers announced that they had identified evidence of cancer in the fossilized remains of a biological relative of human beings who lived about 1.7 million years ago.
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- Written by: James Thie, Cardiff Metropolitan University
The sight of the determined, lycra-clad jogger has become a familiar feature of urban parks around the world. Jogging – defined as “the activity of running at a steady, gentle pace”
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- Written by: Derk-Jan Dijk, University of Surrey and Pierre Maquet, Université de Liège
Ever wondered what happens inside your brain when you stay awake for a day, a night and another day, before you finally go to sleep? Well, we just found out.
