Newser Science News

Science & Health from Newser

• America Still Smoking Up a Storm: CDC
  The smoking rate in the United States has stalled after 40 years of steady declines, according to a report by the CDC. The Los Angeles Times reports that 1 in 5 people are regular smokers, a figure that has remained constant for the last 5 years. The CDC says more...
  
  
• Theory: Women With Daughters Don't Need Husbands
  Sociologists have puzzled over an odd stat for years: Parents are more likely to divorce if they have girls instead of boys. The New York Times parenting blog today takes note of a new theory by a Notre Dame psychologist: Women who have daughters don't need a husband as much...
  
  
• Eating Meat OK if It's Farmed Right
  In 2002, Guardian columnist George Monbiot wrote a piece called "Why Vegans Were Right All Along"—but eight years later, he's changing his mind. He originally concluded that, after considering the vast divide between land used to feed people and land used to feed livestock, veganism "is the only ethical...
  
  
• Facebook, Studying Don't Mix
  Surprise, surprise: Turns out it's not a good idea to use Facebook while studying. A new study finds that those who did so scored an average of 20% lower on exams than those who did not, the Telegraph reports. However, only one-quarter of those who used Facebook while working believed...
  
  
• Underground Acid Lake Threatens Johannesburg
  Johannesburg is frantically attempting to procure millions of dollars for a new pumping station, before a rising tide of toxic mine water seeps into the city’s streets. Abandoned mine shafts in and around the city have filled up with ground water, which oxidizes with the metals within the mines, the...
  
  
• Coming to Your Plate: Genetically Modified Salmon
  The FDA has declared a genetically engineered salmon safe for human consumption, putting it one brief swim away from a supermarket near you. Dubbed AquAdvantage Salmon, the Massachusetts-bred fish have been enhanced with a gene from an ocean pout—an eel-like fish—that allows them to grow all year round,...
  
  
• Magic Mushrooms Ease Cancer Anxiety
  Psilocybin, the key ingredient in the favorite hallucinogenic "magic mushrooms" of trippy space cadets everywhere, is proving to be a mood elevator for those suffering from cancer. Late-stage cancer patients given a moderate single dose of psilocybin were less anxious, and significantly less depressed six months later compared with patients...
  
  
• New Way to Fight E. Coli: Cockroach Brains
  Scientists believe they've finally found a use for cockroaches. The brains and nervous systems of cockroaches and locusts hold molecules that can kill off up to 90% of MRSA and E. Coli bacteria without damaging human tissue, Bloomberg reports. Researchers believe the insects could be key to developing next-generation antibiotics...
  
  
• 75K Bags of Dog Treats Recalled
  Careful what you’re feeding Fido, folks. A major pet product company—Hartz Mountain Corp.—is recalling 75,000 bags of its Hartz Naturals Real Beef dog treats, after a random FDA test discovered salmonella in at least one bag. So far there haven’t been any reports of animals falling ill,...