The Wordle craze: Why do we love puzzles, and are they good for our brains?
(Penny Pexman/ The Conversation) — In recent weeks, a web-based word puzzle called Wordle has become a popular daily distraction. Suddenly, millions of people are focused on their vocabulary of five-letter words, and are newly aware of concepts like letter frequency and letter position as they strategize about the best …
Pandemic stress saw increase in potentially addictive behaviours: study
(Michael Lee/ CTV News) — A recent study with a Canadian connection has found that people gamed, overate and shopped more often — among other potentially addictive behaviours — as a result of the initial stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study by the University of Guelph, as well as the Humboldt University of Berlin’s …
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women.
(Sandy Bauers/ Philadelphia Inquirer) — The more the researchers learn about the human heart, the more they realize that men’s and women’s hearts are different.
Different things can go wrong with them. Or the same things can happen, but at different rates.
One example: Far more women — mostly older women — get a malady called …
A simple retina scan could predict your risk of early death
(Rich Haridy/ New Atlas) — A new study has proposed that a simple retina scan could indicate whether a person is at risk of early death. The research found the greater the gap between a person’s chronological age and retinal age the higher their risk of dying.
We have all heard the saying “age is just a number.” …
Intermittent fasting from a dietician’s perspective
Physicians sought more mental health-care help during the pandemic: study
(Avis Favaro/ CTV News) — The first year of the pandemic saw more Ontario doctors seeking medical help for burnout and substance abuse, according to a new study.
Using a database in Ontario, researchers collected anonymous data on 34,000 practicing physicians who had 50,000 mental health visits over the first year of the …
New patent-free COVID vaccine developed as “gift to the world”
(Rich Haridy/ New Atlas) — A new COVID-19 vaccine, developed by researchers from the Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, is being offered patent-free to vaccine manufacturers across the world. Human trials have shown the vaccine to be safe and effective, with India already authorizing its use as …
More olive oil may bring longer life, study reveals
(Denise Mann/ Health Today) — Swapping out the butter or other artery-clogging fats in your diet for heart-healthy olive oil may add years to your life, researchers say.
Folks who consume more than 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil a day are less likely to die from heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases like …
Strongest evidence yet that MS is caused by Epstein-Barr virus
(Michael Le Page/ New Scientist) — It has long been suspected that the common Epstein-Barr virus can trigger multiple sclerosis (MS). Now, a study of 10 million military personnel in the US has shown that virtually every case of MS is preceded by infection with the virus. The finding suggests a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr …