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Phineas Gage Survived an Accident that Drove an Iron Rod Through His Brain

May 17, 2012
Phineas Gage Survived an Accident that Drove an Iron Rod Through His Brain

Poor Phineas Gage. In 1848, the supervisor for the Rutland and Burlington Railroad in Vermont was using a 13-pound, 3-foot-7-inch rod to pack blasting powder into a rock when he triggered an explosion that drove the rod through his left cheek and out of the top of his head. As reported at the time,...

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Trusting Tiger Woods: How do facial cues affect preference and trust?

May 17, 2012
Trusting Tiger Woods: How do facial cues affect preference and trust?

People respond to facial cues and this affects their level of trust, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research that looks at the way consumers react to morphed photo images. Authors Robin J. Tanner and Ahreum Maeng (both University of...

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Why are men more reluctant to try vegetarian products?

May 17, 2012
Why are men more reluctant to try vegetarian products?

According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, consumers are influenced by a strong association of meat with masculinity. “We examined whether people in Western cultures have a metaphoric link between meat and men,” write authors Paul Rozin (University of Pennsylvania),...

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Sugar Makes You Stupid

May 16, 2012
Sugar Makes You Stupid

Attention, college students cramming between midterms and finals: Binging on soda and sweets for as little as six weeks may make you stupid. A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering...

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Mind, Body and Cancer

May 16, 2012
Mind, Body and Cancer

When it comes to cancer, there are obvious mind-body links. Stress, pessimism and other emotional factors have been proven to play a role, increasing the risk of cancer, metastasis and early mortality. This is a double-whammy for cancer patients, who must overcome anxiety from...

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Bars and restaurants have strong links to alcohol related crime

May 16, 2012
Bars and restaurants have strong links to alcohol related crime

Neighborhoods with higher densities of alcohol outlets are more likely to have higher rates of violent crimes. Prior research has shown that neighborhoods with higher densities of alcohol outlets are more likely to have higher rates of violent crimes. This study examined the effects...

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Water could change the way we eat

May 15, 2012
Water could change the way we eat

That’s the conclusion of new research by T. Bettina Cornwell of the University of Oregon and Anna R. McAlister of Michigan State University. Their findings appear online this week ahead of regular publication by the journal Appetite. The paper featured separate studies. One involved...

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Beneficial effect of smoked cannabis in people with multiple sclerosis

May 15, 2012
Beneficial effect of smoked cannabis in people with multiple sclerosis

People with multiple sclerosis may find that smoked cannabis provides relief from muscle tightness — spasticity — and pain, although the benefits come with adverse cognitive effects, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Many patients with multiple sclerosis...

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Sleepwalking on the rise among US adults

May 15, 2012
Sleepwalking on the rise among US adults

A new Stanford University School of Medicine research, found that about 3.6 percent of U.S. adults – or upward of 8.4 million – are prone to sleepwalking. The work also showed an association between nocturnal wanderings and certain psychiatric disorders, such as depression and...

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Why does one person become anorexic and another obese?

May 15, 2012
Why does one person become anorexic and another obese?

Why does one person become anorexic and another obese? A study recently published by a University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher shows that reward circuits in the brain are sensitized in anorexic women and desensitized in obese women. The findings also suggest that...

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Top Five Ways to Sunblock Your Eyes This Summer

May 14, 2012
Top Five Ways to Sunblock Your Eyes This Summer

Like your skin, overexposure to the sun can wreak havoc on your eyes. Sun damage can cause severe conditions such as sunburn to the cornea, tissue growth on the surface of eyes that can block vision, skin cancer of the eyelids and may even...

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