Science Connected Magazine • 25th January 2021

Asbestos in Makeup Highlights Slack Talc Rules

Unregulated talc sources may expose more consumers to asbestos in makeup, according to a new study pushing for more product safety regulations. The foundation you massage into your pores, the blush your partner brushes over their skin—it’s easy to assume makeup is safe to use, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, there is asbestos in makeup. Asbestos is a carcinogen. A recent study commissioned by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group ...

NPR • 22nd February 2018

Community And Vegetables Grow Side-By-Side In Syrian Refugee Camp Gardens

Fig and pomegranate trees, grapes, carrots, and narcissus flowers are some of the plants that Aveen Ismail likes to grow in the Domiz refugee camp in Northern Iraq where she lives. That's because these plants remind her of Syria and home. At first, Ismail did not find the dry land welcoming ...

Study Finds • 20th March 2017

Yoga, Deep Breathing Can Reduce Depressive Symptoms

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Individuals battling depression may be able to experience a reduction in symptoms through yoga and calming breathing techniques, a new study finds.

Food Tank • 6th November 2018

Tracing the Rain: Can Measuring Evaporation Help Farmers?

Accurately capturing a raindrop’s journey to the ground is tricky business. Evaporation can cause a raindrop to shrink between the time it is captured by radar in a cloud and when it hits a farmer’s field, and this can make it hard to rely on radar-based rainfall estimations in some areas. Researchers from the University of Missouri in Columbia are taking a closer look at evaporation. With the use of specialized weather algorithms ...

LabRoots • 9th January 2018

Finding the "Cancer Beacon" That Immune Cells Recognize

When the body’s immune system fights cancer, how does it choose a specific target? Researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator (HHMI) have spent decades studying the molecular structure of the immune system in an effort to answer this question. In December 2017, they reported a screening method that allowed them to identify which “signals” displayed by cancer cells were being recognized by the immune system, effectively discovering a “cancer beacon.”

The Outlaw Report • 13th August 2021

How Should Virginia Spend Its Cannabis Profits? — The Outlaw Report

Virginia’s plan for adult recreational cannabis use was approved in February, with a major bill review scheduled for 2022 and legalization set for 2024. When it comes to the use of cannabis taxes, the pro-legalization community is split. Governor Ralph Northam, the mayor of Richmond Levar Stoney, and some other Democrats support using the largest portion of taxes for targeted PreK programs...

LabRoots • 16th October 2020

Uterine Cancer Rises, Especially Among Black Women

A recent study from the (NCI) found uterine cancer rates among all women rose about 1 percent per year between 2003 and 2015. It’s important to note that this is a hysterectomy-corrected finding, meaning that it took hysterectomy prevalence into account, because women with hysterectomies do not develop this disease. The authors also found that aggressive, nonendometrioid cancers are increasing for all women, and that significant racial disparities exist in uterine cancer rates.

Civil Eats • 1st August 2017

For Immigrant and Refugee Women, Cooking Provides Path to Security

In a kitchen in Queens, New York, a chef named Dhuha is making potato kibbeh—Middle Eastern croquettes made with ground beef—that the women in her family taught her how to shape just so. Dhuha, who grew up in Baghdad, works at Eat OffBeat, a food delivery business that provides home-style meals prepared by refugees resettled in New York City.

Study Finds • 17th February 2017

Study: Mediterranean Diet with Olive Oil Improves ‘Good’ Cholesterol Function

DALLAS — Individuals who are seeking to manage their cholesterol levels, especially those with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, may want to try a Mediterranean diet with an extra serving of virgin olive oil. A new study finds the combination may improve the effects of what’s commonly referred to as “good” cholesterol.

LabRoots • 7th December 2020

Cancer Patients Increase Cannabis Use 118 Percent in Nine Years | Cancer

Between 2005 and 2014, cancer patients increased their use of marijuana/ cannabis 114 percent, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. They tracked marijuana and opioid use by about 19,600 self-reporting adults with and without cancer during this time period. Respondents without cancer reported a much lower (12.5 percent) increase in cannabis use...

LabRoots • 16th October 2020

Poor U.S. Counties Have More Heart Failure Deaths

In 2009, one in nine U.S. deaths included heart failure as contributing cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). And about half of the people who develop heart failure die within five years of their diagnosis. What role do poverty and the barriers to a healthy lifestyle that often accompany it play? A study recently published in the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association found that heart failure rates were highest in the poorest counties in the U.S. Heart failur

Inside Philanthropy • 14th July 2019

The Foundations That Work on Environmental Health, with an Eye on Building Power

Scary stats on the effects of environmental problems on human health can be hard to stomach. In a 2019 U.N. report, an international team of scientists called for “urgent” environmental action to slow the rates of related illness and death. One disturbing finding was that freshwater pollution tied to antimicrobial resistance will be the top cause of death by 2050.

Basmati • 13th August 2021

Calm Your Nerves With 20 Minutes Outside

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul,” naturalist and author John Muir said. The benefits of spending time in the great outdoors are widely known by nature lovers and are also documented in many studies, often through participants...

LabRoots • 16th October 2020

When Does Smartphone Usage Increase Obesity Risk?

It’s well known that decreased physical activity and obesity are not good for the heart. As more people use smartphones more often, they are moving around less. The authors of a recent study wanted to know just how much time on a smartphone is likely to increase the risk for obesity and accompanying health risks like heart disease. They focused their research on college students at Simón Bolívar University in Barranquilla, Colombia...

Yoga Basics • 29th October 2020

Teaching Children Mindfulness Reduces School Punishments (PDF in new tab)

Mindful and yogic practices are now gaining popularity within K-12 schools as effective and empowering tools for both students and teachers.

EnviroNews • 16th October 2020

EWG Report: 8 Million Californians Now Drinking Water Tainted With Toxic TCP Pesticide

(EnviroNews California) — The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a report April 11, 2017, that found 94 water systems serving eight million Californians are contaminated with 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP). TCP is a toxic pesticide byproduct that has also been used as a solvent and paint remover.

Study Finds • 3rd May 2017

Topical Cannabinoids May Soothe Eczema, Psoriasis, Other Skin Diseases

AURORA, Colo. — Individuals with skin diseases may be able to find relief with the use of non-psychotropic topical cannabinoids. A new study finds that the cannabis-based creams may be helpful in treating a wide range of skin illness, including psoriasis, eczema, atopic and contact dermatitis, inflammatory skin disease, and skin cancer.

LabRoots • 14th January 2021

Organic Produce Lessens Breast Cancer Risk | Cancer

Organic foods and their health benefits are a source of constant study. These foods, which are free of synthetic pesticides, are becoming more popular as the evidence mounts of the health risks of various pesticides. For nearly 20 years, the sales of organic foods have grown by about 14 percent per year. Now, a recent study published in reports that eating organic produce is associated with reduced breast cancer risk.

LabRoots • 31st October 2017

Breakthrough in Artificial Touch: Synthetic Skin Senses Shear Force With New Precision

Artificial skins can help prosthetics and robotic limbs to process sensations and perform tasks with more dexterity. A new silicone rubber skin designed by engineers from the University of Washington (UW) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is unique in that it can sense shear force with high accuracy.

LabRoots • 14th January 2021

Sting Operation: Underage Customers Can't Buy Cannabis

Cannabis retailers in Colorado, Washington and Oregon have received top marks in secret tests to determine whether they were selling to underage buyers (younger than 21). The sting operations were carried out by researchers in 2016 and 2017 in Washington and Colorado, and by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) in that state in 2017.