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...
- Details
- Written by: Hazhir Rahmandad, MIT
The prevailing notion about obesity is that if we just work out harder and eat a little bit better, then perhaps the obesity trend will subside in a few years. However, the key to really making a difference is food – the number of calories we eat is the most important factor in obesity.
- Details
- Written by: Craig Scott, University of Hull
Government nutrition guidelines recommend a high carbohydrate diet regardless of the ample evidence of the health risks it promotes. Yet, chronic diseases and obesity rates have risen in correlation with a reduced intake of dietary fat. While science has moved on, nutritional advice lags behind.
- Details
- Written by: Peter Garrard, St Georges, University of London
Might the economic burden and individual suffering associated with Alzheimer’s disease be reduced by the simple and inexpensive expedient of prescribing B-vitamins to those with high levels of homocysteine?
- Details
- Written by: Jonathan Robinson
You can trade massages with a friendly co-worker! Massage in the workplace is no longer reserved for just the wealthy, the weird, or the weary. In fact, individuals and corporations alike are finding it to be a practical and joyful way of increasing employee satisfaction and productivity.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Grossman
Environmental chemicals are wreaking havoc to last a lifetime. 10 to 15 percent of all babies born in the U.S. have some type of neurobehavorial development disorder. Still more are affected by neurological disorders that don’t rise to the level of clinical diagnosis.
- Details
- Written by: Jay Walljasper
Is walking the next big thing? It's been called "America's untrendiest trend." The evidence that millions of people are finally walking again is as solid as the ground beneath our feet.
- Details
- Written by: Richard Steed, University of Copenhagen
Scientists say a new biomarker that predicts the risk of developing dementia can be detected with a simple blood test—a test they hope will be applicable in clinical practice.
- Details
- Written by: Kat Kerlin, UC Davis
Women whose mothers smoked while pregnant are two to three times as likely to be diabetic as adults. Fathers who smoked while their daughter was in utero also contribute to an increased diabetes risk, but more research is needed to establish the true effect.
- Details
- Written by: Darren Saunders, Garvan Institute
What causes cancer? This deceptively simple question has a devilishly complex answer. So when US researchers proposed a relatively simple mathematical formula to explain a long-standing conundrum in cancer earlier this year, it was bound to get a lot of attention.
- Details
- Written by: Cathy Wilde, University at Buffalo
Marijuana appears to ease symptoms of depression caused by chronic stress, new research with animals suggests. The study focused on endocannabinoids, which are brain chemicals similar to substances found in marijuana.
- Details
- Written by: Imogen Rehm, Hailey Meaklim, and Jo Abbott, Swinburne University of Technology
We all have a poor night’s sleep from time to time: those nights when you lie awake for hours trying desperately to go to sleep but can’t stop worrying about tomorrow. Or when you repeatedly wake up throughout the night, or can’t get back to sleep in the early hours of the morning.
- Details
- Written by: Anthony Hannan, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
The human brain is the most extraordinary and complex object in the known universe. So it’s a little surprising that only recently has the concept of brain health begun to emerge. After all, if the body is a “temple”, then surely the brain must be the “high altar” as it generates all our thoughts, feelings and movements.
- Details
- Written by: Yasmin Anwar, UC Berkeley
The awe people feel when they connect with nature, art, and spirituality is linked to lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines—proteins that tell the immune system to work harder.
- Details
- Written by: John Toon, Georgia Tech
Getting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week may be challenging for some older adults, but researchers say that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t work at it.
- Details
- Written by: Becky Chambers
WBV (whole body vibration) is famous for promoting bone growth. Extensive research over the last forty years has shown that WBV safely promotes and increases bone density, more so than conventional exercise, which has long been understood to be important for healthy bone development.
- Details
- Written by: Kathryn Lagrue, Imperial College London
The extent to which our personalities determine aspects of our lives and health has increasingly been the subject of research over the last few years. There was the suggestion, for example, that being a morning person or a night owl might reveal a lot about our personality...
- Details
- Written by: Zaneta Thayer, University of Colorado Denver
Think about the last time you left the house. Did strangers on the street acknowledge your presence with a smile or avert their glance? Chances are that the answer depended on your age, gender and, of course, your race.
- Details
- Written by: Gerry Everding, Washington University
A new study shows that your personality in your 20s can predict your lifespan. In addition, your close friends can probably recognize the relevant personality traits better than you can.
- Details
- Written by: Penn State
Giving employees more control over their work schedules may help curb sleep deficiency, according to health researchers.
- Details
- Written by: Nathan Hurst, Univ. of Missouri
Separation from iPhones can cause users serious psychological and physiological effects, including poor performance on cognitive tests, according to new research.
- Details
- Written by: Shilo Rea, Carnegie Mellon University
In an effort to understand autism spectrum disorder (ASD), researchers have zeroed in on synchronization between different parts of the brain. Some of the findings have suggested a lack of synchronization (connectivity), while other studies have found the exact opposite: over synchronization.
