Culture

The U.K. Government's current alcohol guidelines are unrealistic and largely ignored because they have little relevance to people's drinking habits, according to a new report by the University of Sheffield's Alcohol Research Group (SARG) in collaboration with the University of Stirling.

The study, which is the first of its kind, explored how drinkers make sense of the current UK drinking guidelines which suggest men should not regularly exceed three to four units of alcohol a day, while women should not regularly drink more than two to three units daily.

This year, July 31 marks the 225th anniversary of the first patent issued in the United States.

Our nation's veterans continue to suffer emotional and psychological effects of war--some for decades. And while there has been greater attention directed recently toward post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more veterans are seeking help, current psychotherapy treatments are less than optimal, according to a new narrative review published in the August 4, 2015 issue of JAMA.

Cancer survival in England remains lower than countries with similar healthcare systems, according to a new study. Cancer survival in England has steadily improved but the gap in survival remains.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on August 3 released the final rule of the EPA Clean Power Plan, regulations that limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the US.

In the days and years ahead, the Clean Power Plan will loom large, both as it works its way through legal challenges and at states as they implement their plans to reduce power utility emissions.

Here are four key points about the plan from my perspective as an agricultural economist.

Even before President Obama announced the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan on August 3 to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, there were a number of legal challenges to block the law at its proposal stage – none of them successful. Earlier this year, the DC Circuit court told opponents, which included a coal company joined by twelve states, that their arguments were premature.

Now that the rules are final, the new court challenges will come fast and heavy. The legal arguments against the plan will be focused on two issues.

The Thing, Human Torch, Invisible Woman and Mister Fantastic are back this summer!

In the new movie reboot, the team gets its powers while in an alternate dimension. At Reactions, though, they stick to comic-book canon. In this week's video, they explain the original way the Fantastic Four got their power - radiation - with help from SciPop Talks.

The non-medical use of prescription opioids (POs) has become an area of increasing public health concern in the United States and rates of use are particularly high among young adults. In the past decade, an emerging "epidemic" of non-medical PO use has been reported. Among young adults, self-reported use is 11% and overdose deaths involving POs now exceed deaths involving heroin and cocaine combined.

For nearly 50 years Medicare has required patients to endure at least a three-day stint in the hospital before they become eligible for coverage of skilled nursing care afterward. A new study, however, finds that the main consequence of waiving the rule, as Medicare Advantage plans commonly do, has been a good one: less time in a bed and a gown for those who go on to skilled nursing care.

I was walking in Budongo forest one day, years ago, when my Ugandan friend Geresomu pointed out a patch of grey soil on the forest floor. “What’s that?” I asked. “The chimps sometimes eat it,” he replied. I promptly forgot about it – it was of no interest at that time. Now, it’s the central focus of my research. So what’s happened in the meantime?

Many people who are skeptical about vaccinating their children can be convinced to do so, but only if the argument is presented in a certain way, a team of psychologists from UCLA and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reported today. The research appears in the online early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The finding is especially important because the number of measles cases in the U.S. tripled from 2013 to 2014. The disease's re-emergence has been linked to a trend of parents refusing to vaccinate their children.

Just a little moderate to vigorous physical activity-below the recommended amount-every week still seems to curb the risk of death among the over 60s, suggests an analysis of the available evidence published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The health benefits of 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity are well known, but older adults often find it difficult to reach this target, say the researchers, who wanted to know if any regular amount of activity below this level was associated with greater longevity in this age group.

Since the recent discovery of Kepler-452b — more prosaically known as Earth 2.0 — scientific and non-scientific communities have been abuzz with excited speculation.

The desire to quit smoking--often considered a requirement for enrolling in treatment programs--is not always necessary to reduce cigarette cravings, argues a review of addiction research published July 30 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Early evidence suggests that exercises aimed at increasing self-control, such as mindfulness meditation, can decrease the unconscious influences that motivate a person to smoke.

There are concerns in America about the ability of patients who are not wealthy, connected elites to get prompt medical care in an Obamacare future. In the past, the government was the great equalizer because they trumped insurance companies, but now the government is the insurance company and there is greater worry about have and have nots. Especially when it comes to prompt treatment.