Is compassion a skill that can be perfected, like playing a musical instrument or competing in sports? A study published this spring suggests: Yes. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin assert that cultivating compassion and kindness through learned meditation practices can make a person more empathetic. Previous... Read more →

If you knew that your husband was twice as likely to be unfaithful in your marriage than another man, would you still marry him? Scientists have discovered a gene that may be able to tell just that. The question is: would you want to know if he had the gene? We know strong emotional relationships are... Read more →

With the Olympics in full swing, I cannot help but marvel at the strength, power, skill, and commitment of the athletes. Many of these men and women seemed destined for sports from an early age, while others trained hard to beat the odds and become world-class athletes. Most of us watching the games... Read more →

Do you remember the dreaded sex talk given to you by your parents? Most likely you fall into one of two camps. You belong in the first camp if your only memory of this talk is the recollection of a flushed, burning face staring at the carpet hoping-no, praying-that this moment would mercifully end…... Read more →

One of the more intriguing aspects of human behavior comes packaged in an extremely natural and habitual act — sleep. Most of us take this routine of sleeping as part of the day, and slide in and out of it rhythmically, systematically. When we do, though, our bodies and minds enter this realm of... Read more →

Wow. Wow. Wow. I’m a little bit speechless after reading Domhnall Macauley’s article, Olympic Games will bring health gains to the non-sporting public, says Princess Anne. To make a short article even shorter, let me summarize: * Exercise is good for you. * Doctor claims that obesity may... Read more →

Music not only soothes the savage beast; it heals the critically ill. A study in Critical Care Medicine evaluated the mechanisms of music-induced relaxation in critically ill patients. The researchers measured blood pressure and heart rate, brain electrical activity, serum levels of stress hormones and... Read more →

Science will never be able to prove or disprove the existence of God or any higher power. Isn’t this the cornerstone of faith, after all: a belief that needs no proof? Or perhaps, maybe the proof has been in our brains the whole time. Our perceptions, emotions, and reactions to the world around... Read more →

This is an era where lawsuits are filed for the absence of warnings — the McDonald’s lawsuit of 1994 (81-year-old woman awarded 2.9 million dollars for being scalded by a beverage that she ordered) and of 2003 (the plaintiff complaint stated that eating at McDonald’s contributed to... Read more →

Research in the field of dementia prevention and treatment is widespread, as people are living longer and thus developing dementia at a higher rate. Three recently published studies point to the importance of diet and exercise in the development of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, the two most... Read more →

We could be a crucial step closer to our understanding of the basics of obesity with discovery of a molecule that makes mice lazier, and reduces all spontaneous physical activity, even looking for food. It’s a molecule called Bsx, which has been isolated from the hypothalamus of mice, and is found... Read more →