Health
Discover facts about health. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Health
Why plant-based diets need a B12 source
Vitamin B12 is made by bacteria, not by plants, so unfortified plant foods are not a dependable source. A fully plant-based diet needs B12 from fortified…
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Your body can produce a chemical relative of aspirin
Researchers traced labeled benzoic acid through volunteers and found evidence that people can make salicylic acid internally. Salicylic acid is related to,…
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Leprosy symptoms can take 20 years to appear
The bacteria that cause leprosy multiply unusually slowly, so the infection can take years to build to noticeable symptoms. In some cases, the delay stretches…
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Barefoot calluses can protect feet without dulling their sensitivity
A 2019 study found that people with thicker natural foot calluses retained sensitivity to the tested vibrations. Cushioned shoes changed how forces reached…
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Acetylcholine triggers immediate muscle action
A nerve releases acetylcholine into the tiny gap beside a muscle, and the chemical docks with receptors on the muscle fiber. That opens the way for an…
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Teeth grinding mostly happens during early stages of rest
Jaw clenching and grinding often start as the brain shifts through lighter stages of sleep. Those repeated contractions press the teeth together, putting…
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Your smallest bone passes sound through a tiny doorway
The stapes is only about three millimeters long. Its footplate moves at the oval window, transferring vibrations from the middle ear into the fluid-filled…
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Tetanus spores can survive boiling water
Boiling water is good at killing many active microbes, but tetanus bacteria can hide in hardy spores. Those spores can survive the heat, so a pot of boiling…
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Why the edges of your vision lose color
At the edges of your vision, there are fewer cone cells, the cells that detect color. Your peripheral vision is still there, but it has a harder time telling…
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Some people are born with a rib in their neck
A cervical rib grows from the lowest neck vertebra rather than the usual chest positions. Most people who have one never notice it, but the extra bone can…
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Ancient surgeons used ants as living stitches
Historical medical texts describe using an ant's gripping jaws as a wound fastener. The head remained in place after the body was removed, functioning more…
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What kinesiology tape actually does
The tape’s main plausible effect is at the skin: its stretch and pull can provide sensory feedback while you move. It may feel supportive, but it does not…
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Why cinnamon won’t cancel out a sugary diet
Cinnamon may have small benefits in some limited studies, but a spice cannot cancel the effects of a consistently poor diet. The body responds to the overall…
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An eating window changes both timing and opportunities to eat
Time-restricted eating can reduce snacking and total intake, while researchers also study whether the time of day has effects beyond calories. Trials have not…
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Why pets leave you exhausted after a night in bed
Pets don’t necessarily follow the same sleep pattern as their people, so they may shift, twitch, or get up while you’re trying to stay asleep. Those small…
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Water aerobics lets you exercise without overheating
Water helps carry heat away from the body while buoyancy supports some of your weight. That combination lets you keep moving in a cool pool without the same…
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Why bitter coffee appeals to some people
Bitter coffee can appeal for reasons beyond acquired sophistication: research links bitter-taste preference with a genetic variant and with caffeine’s…
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Sildenafil actively dilates vascular structures globally
Sildenafil blocks an enzyme that normally helps end a signal for smooth muscle to relax. With that signal lasting longer, blood vessels can widen and blood…
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Venting can keep the anger running
Retelling an insult while getting more worked up can rehearse the very feelings you want to release. A large research review found more support for activities…
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Why public toilets rarely transmit STIs
STIs usually spread when infected fluids reach mucous membranes during direct contact. A toilet seat is a cold, hard surface, where the germs that cause these…
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Your lungs put blood one thin barrier away from air
Tiny air sacs are wrapped in networks of capillaries, bringing inhaled air close to circulating blood. Oxygen crosses the thin separating layers while carbon…
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You can swallow even while hanging upside down
Muscle waves squeeze food down the esophagus and through the digestive tract, rather than relying on gravity to pull it along. That’s why you can swallow…
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People with two different colored eyes have heterochromia
Each iris gets its color from melanin, the same pigment that colors skin and hair. If the two irises—or parts of one iris—contain different amounts, their…
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Potassium sparks electrical signals in your nerves
Nerve cells use differences in potassium levels across their membranes to help create and reset electrical signals. If potassium balance is badly disrupted,…
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