All Stories by Ben Harder
- Health & Medicine
Childhood trauma raises risk of heart disease
A childhood filled with psychological or physical tribulations contributes to one's risk of developing heart disease as an adult.
- Health & Medicine
Creepy-Crawly Care
Encouraging results from research on medical uses for maggots and leeches, coupled with recent government approval of both therapies, lend credibility to the idea that some live organisms deserve a place in the medical armamentarium.
- Health & Medicine
Drug-resistant staph causes more pneumonia
A recently discovered variant of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to some antibiotics became a major cause of severe pneumonia among people who caught the flu last winter.
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New bacteria linked to vaginal infections
Several newly described bacteria appear to share much of the responsibility for causing a common infection in women.
- Health & Medicine
Kids’ vaccine guards adults too, for now
Serious infections caused by pneumococcus have decreased in both children and adults since the introduction of a childhood vaccine against seven strains of the bacterium, but other pneumococcus strains are now becoming more prevalent among adults with HIV.
- Health & Medicine
Human antibody halts SARS in hamsters
Human-derived antibodies can not only prevent infections when given in advance of SARS exposure but also mitigate the symptoms of an infection already in progress.
- Humans
Scrubbing Down: Free soap, hygiene tips cut kids’ illnesses
In urban slums, enhancing family hygiene can prevent about half of childhood diarrhea and respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia, even among infants too young to wash themselves.
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Pinpointing Poachers: Gene sleuths map illicit elephant kills
A new, genetics-based technique for determining ivory's place of origin is geographically precise enough to aid forensic pursuit of African elephant poachers.
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The tree of life, with tangled roots
Two ancient, rudimentary organisms merged to create the first complex cell, new data suggest.
- Health & Medicine
Walking Away from Dementia: Moderate exercise protects aging minds
Two fresh studies strengthen the case that physical activity, including walking at a moderate pace, protects the aging brain from cognitive decline and dementia.
- Humans
Rembrandt’s eye saw no depth
The 17th-century Dutch artist Rembrandt lacked stereoscopic vision, an optical analysis of his self-portraits suggests.
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Nature reduces kids’ signs of attention disorder
Spending leisure time amid greenery rather than in built-up environments appears to improve behavior in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
