14-Day Plan Improves Memory

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  302 words  |  Patria Henriques

It sounds like an infomercial from late-night TV: Follow this four-step plan and improve your memory in just 14 days! But researchers have indeed found a way to improve memory function in older people. After a two-week study that involved brainteasers, exercise and diet changes, study participants' memories worked more efficiently. Here's the program: Memory Training: Brainteasers, crossword puzzles and memory exercises that emphasized verbal skills throughout the day. Healthy Diet: Five meals daily included a balanced diet rich in omega-3 fats, whole grains and antioxidants. [Read More]

Animal DNA Changing with Climate, Study Finds

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  716 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Longer growing seasons have caused genetic changes in a wide range of animals in the past few decades, biologists announced today. As the spring reproductive season arrives earlier and lasts longer in northern latitudes, a fact owing to climate change, animals that can adapt their schedules stand a better chance of seeing their genetic information passed on to later generations, leading to a change in gene frequencies within populations. The shift could have substantial economic impacts as well. [Read More]

Apollo 17 Astronaut Laments Size of Moon Rock at Trump Signing Ceremony

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  542 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — The visual aid could've been a bit more visible. NASA brought a small piece of the moon to the Dec. 11 White House signing ceremony for Space Policy Directive 1, which instructs NASA to send astronauts back to the moon, and then on to Mars (but gives no details about timelines or budgets). And that piece was very small indeed, stressed Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison " [Read More]

App for Preventing Pregnancy Gets FDA Marketing Approval. Is It Reliable?

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  907 words  |  Patria Henriques

A smartphone app for preventing pregnancy has just become the first of its kind to receive marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but some experts are wary. The app, called Natural Cycles, is essentially a high-tech version of the so-called rhythm method, also known as fertility awareness. It uses an algorithm to calculate the days of the month when a woman is most likely to be fertile and tells a woman to abstain from sex or to use protection (such as condoms) on these days. [Read More]

Camera Traps Capture First Photos of Mountain Lions in Stanford Preserve

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  545 words  |  Trudie Dory

To catch a glimpse of a mountain lion, automatic cameras seem to be the best bet, as the elusive wildlife are not much for interacting with humans and they prefer nighttime jaunts. New images and video from Stanford University's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve have done just that. They've caught the wild mountain lions (also called pumas or cougars) making regular visits to the preserve. The camera traps shoot pictures and video when they sense any movement, typically from any passing animal. [Read More]

Can 'Meatless Mondays' and Improved Farming Counter Climate Change? (Op-Ed)

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  525 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Geoff Orme-Evans is Public Policy Manager for Humane Society International (HSI). He leads HSI's efforts to humanely address animal agriculture's contribution to environmental degradation and climate change. He contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. A recent report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Tackling Climate Change Through Livestock, revealed startling news. Animal agriculture, with its 70 billion land animals, accounts for 14.5 percent of global, human-induced, greenhouse-gas emissions, confirming that the farm-animal sector is a top contributor to one of the most pressing environmental problems of our time. [Read More]

Dolphin Birth Caught in Amazing Underwater Video

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  291 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

A female dolphin was born at a Hawaiian resort last week and amazing underwater video footage shows the baby's birth and first swim with her mom. The 12-year-old dolphin mom, Keo, gave birth after about an hour of labor in a lagoon at the Dolphin Quest marine park, part of the Hilton Waikoloa Village. The video shows Keo's calf slowly emerging tail-first. Once she's born, the baby begins swimming a little erratically but soon glides easily alongside her mom. [Read More]

Hawaiian Islands Won't Drown in the Sea for Millions of Years. Here's Why.

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  739 words  |  Trudie Dory

Just like zits, volcanic islands don't last forever. Some are oldtimers, like the more than 20-million-year-old Canary Islands in the Atlantic, while others have already drowned, like some of the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific. Why do some islands hit the longevity jackpot? The answer has to do with two factors; tectonic-plate speed and mantle-plume size, according to a new study published online Jan. 1 in the journal Science Advances. [Read More]

Here's How Cannabis Got Its High

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  820 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Sorry to break it to you, but you can't get high off hemp. The plant responsible for the ropey bracelets kids make at summer camp produces only trace amounts of the high-inducing compound, THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol. Indeed, these trace amounts of THC are some of the main characteristics that distinguish hemp from its cannabis relative, marijuana. Still, it's not all bad for hemp: The plant produces another lucrative compound called CBD, or cannabidiol. [Read More]

How Kites Could Power the Future

 Posted on June 3, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  898 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Editor's Note: Each Wednesday LiveScience examines the viability of emerging energy technologies — the power of the future. Tie one end of a string to a piece of fabric and you have a kite; but tie the other end to a generator and you have a source of electricity. Although it can only turn a generator during part of its flight, a kite can reach the strong winds at high altitude with less fuss than a traditional wind turbine. [Read More]