Past Articles by Helen Thompson
|
An Evolutionary Whodunit: How Did Humans Develop Lactose Tolerance? Thousands of years ago, ancient farmers gained the ability to consume milk as adults without getting an upset stomach. A remarkable mutation let some of them digest lactose sugar. But scientists still puzzle over why that mutation persisted and became prevalent in modern humans. |
|
An Evolutionary Whodunit: How Did Humans Develop Lactose Tolerance? Thousands of years ago, ancient farmers gained the ability to consume milk as adults without getting an upset stomach. A remarkable mutation let some of them digest lactose sugar. But scientists still puzzle over why that mutation persisted and became prevalent in modern humans. |
|
Lead Poisoning Cases Offer New Reminder About Hazards Of Ancient Remedies Ayurveda is a form of traditional medicine that's thousands of years old. But some ayurvedic remedies have harmful heavy metal additives, including lead. And those remedies are finding their way to the U.S., as two recent cases of childhood lead poisoning in New York attest. |
|
Lead Poisoning Cases Offer New Reminder About Hazards Of Ancient Remedies Ayurveda is a form of traditional medicine that's thousands of years old. But some ayurvedic remedies have harmful heavy metal additives, including lead. And those remedies are finding their way to the U.S., as two recent cases of childhood lead poisoning in New York attest. |
|
Sowing The Seeds For A Great American Chestnut Comeback At the turn of the 20th century, a deadly fungus wiped out billions of American chestnut trees from the forests of eastern North America. But, growers are now trying to rebuild a U.S. market with Chinese and European chestnut species and re-introduce Americans to chestnut cuisine. |
|
Sowing The Seeds For A Great American Chestnut Comeback At the turn of the 20th century, a deadly fungus wiped out billions of American chestnut trees from the forests of eastern North America. But, growers are now trying to rebuild a U.S. market with Chinese and European chestnut species and re-introduce Americans to chestnut cuisine. |
|
When It Comes To Boxed Wine, The Cooler, The Better From swill of the wine world to hipster fame, boxed wine is growing in popularity. But research suggests that its major impediment is temperature. When stored in the heat, the box ages faster than the bottle, scientists say. |
|
When It Comes To Boxed Wine, The Cooler, The Better From swill of the wine world to hipster fame, boxed wine is growing in popularity. But research suggests that its major impediment is temperature. When stored in the heat, the box ages faster than the bottle, scientists say. |
|
Evidence Mounts Linking Head Hits To Permanent Brain Injury With growing controversy over the risk of permanent brain injury in contact sports, researchers find an association between repetitive head trauma and brain disease in samples taken from deceased athletes. Many were professional football players. |
|
Evidence Mounts Linking Head Hits To Permanent Brain Injury With growing controversy over the risk of permanent brain injury in contact sports, researchers find an association between repetitive head trauma and brain disease in samples taken from deceased athletes. Many were professional football players. |
|
More Drugs Cited As A Risky Mix With Grapefruit Some consumers of the bitter citrus fruit may need to rethink their morning routine. Chemicals in grapefruit can interfere with the body's ability to to clear certain drugs. The number of affected medicines has jumped in recent years. Pharmacists are calling for greater grapefruit awareness among physicians and patients alike. |
|
More Drugs Cited As A Risky Mix With Grapefruit Some consumers of the bitter citrus fruit may need to rethink their morning routine. Chemicals in grapefruit can interfere with the body's ability to to clear certain drugs. The number of affected medicines has jumped in recent years. Pharmacists are calling for greater grapefruit awareness among physicians and patients alike. |
|
Scientists Get A New Look At Einstein's Brain What made Einstein a genius? Maybe his weirdly curvy brain had something to do with it. Scientists have recently analyzed photos from the 1950s to try to figure out what made the genius tick. |
|
Scientists Get A New Look At Einstein's Brain What made Einstein a genius? Maybe his weirdly curvy brain had something to do with it. Scientists have recently analyzed photos from the 1950s to try to figure out what made the genius tick. |
|
Scientists Get A New Look At Einstein's Brain What made Einstein a genius? Maybe his weirdly curvy brain had something to do with it. Scientists have recently analyzed photos from the 1950s to try to figure out what made the genius tick. |
|
Oh Goodies: Wal-Mart Goes Mail-Order Gourmet Jumping on the bandwagon of monthly goody bag services, the retail giant has launched a monthly food subscription program that aims to cater to the gastronomically adventurous. |
|
I, Robot: Paraplegics Get An Assist   Wearable robots are making walking a reality for paraplegics in rehabilitation centers around the country. But before Iron Man-like suits become mainstream, they'll need to overcome cost and regulatory hurdles. |
|
I, Robot: Paraplegics Get An Assist Wearable robots are making walking a reality for paraplegics in rehabilitation centers around the country. But before Iron Man-like suits become mainstream, they'll need to overcome cost and regulatory hurdles. |
|
West Nile Cases Still Climbing As Temperatures Drop Even as winter approaches, mosquitoes are still spreading West Nile virus in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 5,000 cases have been reported so far this year. |
|
Restaurant Meals Mean More Calories And Soda For Kids And Teens Whether you pick up some fast food or eat at a full service restaurant, eating out means eating more calories and drinking more sugary soda. For kids and teens, that has a lot of implications, especially as the country faces an obesity crisis. |
|
Oregon State's New Cheese Plant Aims To Break The Rind Lots of big state colleges have popular campus creameries, and many focus on ice cream because it sells. But with its new cheese plant, Oregon State University hopes to produce some fancy sought-after cheeses to go with the state's famous Pinot Noirs. |
|
Museum Teaches Anatomy And Disease With Ghoulish Body Part Bake-Off Get an anatomical education through cakes, cookies, and cocktails. A British museum is hosting an anatomy-themed bake sale this weekend. |
|
Fewer Americans Need Vitamin D Supplements Under New Guidelines How much vitamin D is enough vitamin D? And when should you add supplements to the diet? Doctors still disagree on the specifics, but some studies suggest that more isn't always better. |
|
Why Foods Go Together Like 'Rama Lama Lama, Ke Ding A De Dinga Dong' Red meat and red wine are the yin and yang of the food world. They're opposites, scientifically speaking. That's why they and other common combos make such a great pair. |
|
How Sunlight Weakens Your Skin Ultraviolet light can burn your skin and raise the risk for skin cancer. New research has helped uncover how the rays can weaken skin's outer layer, compromising its ability to protect the body. |
|
If Genetically Modified Apples Don't Brown, Can You Tell If They're Rotten? Genetically modified apples that don't go brown could become the first transgenic apple varieties approved for sale in the U.S. Scientists say they're safe to eat, but the real question is, will consumers buy them? |
