Breastfed Babies Lack Necessary Vitamin D Supplements

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  7 minutes  |  1341 words  |  Patria Henriques

After giving birth to her son last year, Sarah Mann, a mother in Santa Barbara, Calif, became one of an increasing number of women in the United States choosing to breastfeed her children. "It seemed natural to me," Mann, 29, said. "The main thing is that it's good for him — that was my greatest motivation." But what Mann didn't know was breast milk — considered the best source of nutrition for babies — is low in vitamin D. [Read More]

Does a Bedtime Snack Help or Hurt Your Sleep?

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  567 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

"The Healthy Geezer" answers questions about health and aging in his weekly column. Question: Which foods are the best for a bedtime snack? Answer: Eating a small snack a few hours before bedtime may help you sleep by preventing hunger from waking you. However, there are no snacks that guarantee to put you to sleep. Milk, herbal tea and other comforting remedies help a bit at bedtime because they make you feel more relaxed. [Read More]

Elusive 'Asian Unicorn' Faces Extinction

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  439 words  |  Patria Henriques

This month marks the 20th anniversary of a spectacular day for zoologists. Two decades ago, in May 1992, scientists announced the discovery of a new species — the saola — living in the lush mountain forests that straddle the Vietnam-Laos border. It was the first large mammal discovered since the 1930s. Yet celebrations are muted in light of the elusive species' plight; the saola, also known as the "Asian unicorn," is likely fast disappearing, conservationists warned in an announcement today, and they say there could be only 200, or even as few as just several dozen of the animals left on the planet. [Read More]

Future Obesity Clues Could Surface in 6-Month-Olds, Study Suggests

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  629 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Early signs of childhood obesity could be detected in the weight gains of infants as young as 6 months old, suggests a new study. Babies were twice as likely to become obese by the age of 5, and 75 percent as likely to become obese by the age of 10, if their weight during their first two years jumped up two or more "percentiles," as measured on growth charts. The charts, called weight-for-length charts, show how an infant's weight compares to that of other babies of the same length,and are marked with lines that highlight the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 95th percentiles for age and sex. [Read More]

Giant Pandas and Humans: A Lesson in Sustainability

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  9 minutes  |  1872 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Sue Nichols, assistant director of theCenter for Systems Integration and Sustainability at Michigan State University, and Jianguo "Jack" Liu, director of the Center, contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. If Facebook is any gauge, pandas are an endless font of cute. But revelations about where pandas live and how they coexist with people are boosting their impact beyond more than the warm and fuzzy. Wolong Nature Reserve is at the center of these discoveries. [Read More]

Global Warming Makes Elephant Seals Dive Deeper, Study Suggests

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  576 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Lumbering elephant seals in Antarctica seem to be taking the heat from global warming, as scientists have found the mammals must dive to deeper than normal depths in warmer seas to snag food. The deeper dives may also mean less time to get food, the researchers say. The southern elephant seals from Marion Island in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica are some of the most extreme divers, spending 65 percent of their time deeper than about 330 feet (100 meters), with a maximum diving depth of 6,560 feet (2,000 meters). [Read More]

Headache-Inducing Spiral Illusion Explained

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  590 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Warning: This optical illusion might give you a headache. At a glance, the swirls of tilted black-and-white squares create the perception of a spiral. Look more closely and you realize that the squares don't form a coil at all; they trace out four perfectly round, concentric circles. The cognitive dissonance between your overall impression of spiraling and your recognition of individual circles … well, it hurts. The illusion — called the " [Read More]

How Raptors Use Their Deadly Talons

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  853 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Scientists have unraveled how the talons of birds of prey have evolved to help them kill victims. The killing techniques range from dismemberment to squeezing prey to death. The findings could help researchers understand how the claws of extinct dinosaurs and birds helped them hunt. As common as raptors are, the specifics of how they capture prey often remain poorly understood. Even with modern technology, actually closely witnessing how birds of prey deal with victims remains largely a matter of luck. [Read More]

Male Birth Control: What's Known, What's Not Known, What's Next (Op-Ed)

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  7 minutes  |  1331 words  |  Trudie Dory

Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt is co-director of The Personalized Urology & Robotics (PUR) Clinic at South Lake Hospital, in affiliation with Orlando Health. He contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.  In the next few years, men may have more options for birth control than  ever before. Researchers are developing, and already testing, a number of new methods in China and India, and in Europe, an implantable on/off switch developed by a German carpenter is generating a lot of buzz. [Read More]

No Sympathy for the Devil: Why People Fear Satanism

 Posted on December 27, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  943 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

A public ceremony of Satanists planned in Oklahoma City this month has prompted protests, a lawsuit from the Catholic Church, talk of a "black mass," and even the airing of laws against bloodletting.  Such public images of fear are not uncommon when it comes to Satanist groups, though they may not be justified. The ceremony for the Oklahoma City Satanists is slated for Sept. 21 in the city's civic center and requires a ticket for admission. [Read More]