Health Check

A 100th birthday is so rare these days that it’s cause for serious celebration. But scientists say that someday in the very near future, people could live well beyond that.

In recent years, study after study has raised the alarm about the dangers of talking on the phone while driving, with some saying you could be four times as likely to have a crash if you’re using a phone behind the wheel. But new research indicates it may have been much ado about nothing.

Many new mothers grapple with whether or not they should work while their children are still young. But if a new study is to be believed, it can actually benefit a woman’s health to collect a paycheck between changing diapers.

Arguably the best part about making cookies during the holidays is getting a sneak spoonful of the raw dough before it goes in the oven. Like with tons of other great-tasting grub, however, it’s so not good for us. In fact, two years ago, 77 people in 30 states became ill from doing just that.

Hey students, want higher test scores? Try studying with a little potpourri or the scent of fresh-baked cookies. Scientists have discovered that our ability to learn actually decreases when the information is paired with a nasty smell.

If you were going to choose a segment of society least likely to need birth control pills, no one could fault you for putting nuns at the top of the list. Researchers, however, say the notoriously contraceptive-averse Catholic Church should make the pills available to those women to reduce their risk of cancer.

The mystery of why yawning is contagious may finally have been solved: an Italian study says it’s linked to empathy.

Unless you’re lucky enough to live in one of those beautiful, warm places, where the weather never changes, you are now settling in for a season of gloves, static, chapped lips and chills to the bone. But what do we really know about how our bodies react to winter?

Want to keep your kids from drinking and driving? A new study says not doing it yourself is a good start.

All you ladies out there now have an excuse for getting out of working night shifts. A new study indicates women who work these hours could be increasing their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Who knew?

Are mammograms actually effective? Several conflicting studies have come out in the past few years, leading some to pose this question. Don’t fear though ladies. An even newer study from Dutch researchers indicates that they do work, but older women might be getting more out of them.

Hygiene isn’t the only thing you have to worry about when it comes to how you smell. Your unique odors may be giving away what your personality is like, too.