Ambidextrous Children May Have More Problems in School
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 688 words
| Fernande Dalal
Children who are ambidextrous, using either hand with the same ease, may be more likely to have mental health, language and academic problems than their peers, according to a new study.
The researchers say the findings may help teachers and health professionals identify children who are particularly at risk of developing these problems.
The researchers aren't sure what is behind this link, though they suggest differences in the brain between ambidextrous individuals and those who have a dominant hand may play a role.
[Read More]Exercise During Pregnancy | Tips for Working Out While Pregnant
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 6 minutes
| 1271 words
| Fernande Dalal
Becoming pregnant can motivate women to make healthy lifestyle changes, including sticking with an exercise program. Both mother and baby can reap the rewards from getting regular physical activity.
It's safe for most women to exercise during pregnancy, said James Pivarnik, a professor of kinesiology and epidemiology at Michigan State University in East Lansing who has researched exercise and pregnancy.
The nine months can be a good time for women who haven't been physically active to get started with light activity, while women who have already been exercising prior to pregnancy can remain active to maintain their fitness level as long as they're feeling good, Pivarnik told Live Science.
[Read More]Giant Stingray Could Be World's Largest Freshwater Fish
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 457 words
| Fernande Dalal
As part of a National Geographic expedition, scientists caught what could be the world’s biggest stingray.
The fish was tagged and released in central Thailand on Jan. 28, during the expedition, which seeks to find and protect specimens of the world's largest freshwater fish.
A photo marking the catch was widely circulated along with a rumor that it weighed a whopping 771 pounds. But while the stingray was indeed a heavyweight, its exact weight is unknown.
[Read More]In Images: An Ancient European Hunter Gatherer
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 1 minutes
| 123 words
| Fernande Dalal
Hunter gatherer genomeA 2014 study in Nature has shown that a 7,000-year-old Mesolithic hunter-gatherer found in Spain had dark skin and blue-eyes.
Accidental findIn 2006, hikers accidentally discovered the remains, along with another skeleton, in the Cantabrian Moutnains of Northwest Spain.
Ancient burialsThe remains of two males were found in a narrow, labyrinthine cave.
DNA extractionThough one of the mens' skeletons was too degraded to analyze, the team sequenced the genome of the other one, whose skeleton is shown here.
[Read More]Is it safe to get the COVID-19 vaccine if you're pregnant?
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 8 minutes
| 1550 words
| Arica Deslauriers
So, you're pregnant in the middle of a pandemic. Is it safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine?
Though the shots have not been tested in pregnant or breastfeeding individuals yet, experts told Live Science there's little reason to think that the available vaccines would be harmful to people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or that the vaccines would pose a risk to developing fetuses or breastfed babies.
"The major risk is that there is no data, although scientifically, we think it's very unlikely to have any harmful effects,"
[Read More]Life at Sea: An Oceanographer's Adventure
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 583 words
| Trudie Dory
This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation.
Life at sea is very different from life on land . . . Or is it? It may be hard to imagine spending weeks at a time at sea, but for many in our ocean-going team made up of scientists, technicians and students, living and working at sea is an important part of our careers.
[Read More]Meet 7 Versions of BB-8, the Lovable 'Star Wars' Droid
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 830 words
| Fernande Dalal
WASHINGTON — BB-8, the endearing recent addition to the "Star Wars" droid family, rolled off movie screens and straight into audiences' hearts when it appeared in two of the enduring franchise's recent films: "The Force Awakens" (Lucasfilm, 2015) and "The Last Jedi" (Lucasfilm, 2017).
But when the spherical droid's creators set out to build the charismatic robot, they had no idea that it would become so popular so quickly, audience members at Future Con learned on March 31.
[Read More]Newfound Tusk Belonged to One of the Last Surviving Mammoths in Alaska
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 548 words
| Patria Henriques
A prehistoric campfire and a number of archaeological treasures — including a large tusk of a mammoth, and tools fashioned out of stone and ivory — remained hidden for thousands of years in the Alaskan wilderness until researchers discovered them recently.
Researchers found the 55-inch-long (140 centimeters) mammoth tusk, the largest ever found at a prehistoric site in the state, during a 2016 excavation at the Holzman site, located about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska.
[Read More]No, Drinking Alcohol Won't Make You Live Past 90
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 686 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Recent headlines touted a link between daily alcohol consumption and a nearly 20-percent decrease in mortality risk — but those findings may be clouding the true relationship between alcohol and good health.
While a study of senior citizens did find a correlation between drinking two alcoholic beverages a day and increased longevity, the underlying reasons for this association aren't clear — and are likely not sufficient reason to celebrate booze as a health tonic, other research suggests.
[Read More]Parkinson's Personality: Disease More Likely to Strike Cautious People
Posted on January 30, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 678 words
| Trudie Dory
Some personality traits appear to be linked with the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a new study suggests.
The results show patients with Parkinson's disease are more likely to be cautious and avoid taking risks compared with people who don't have Parkinson's.
Moreover, the tendency to avoid taking risks appears to be a stable personality trait across a patient's lifetime — as far back as 30 years before symptoms began, those with Parkinson's disease said they did not often engage in risky or exhilarating activities, such as riding roller coasters or speeding, the study found.
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