Category: Science and Health

A man who has lived in an iron lung for 65 years has explained how he was forbidden to marry his first love but, against all odds, he still managed to find love. Paul Alexander contracted polio at the age of six, causing paralysis. He underwent a tracheostomy in the hospital, an operation where a […]

If the warning of the head of public health services of the United States, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who recently stated that he believes that 13 is too young for kids to be on social media platforms, didn’t worry you, maybe this study will. Allowing babies to watch tablets and television may harm their […]

On today’s daf, we get a once-in-the Talmud experience: a page of Talmud with no Talmud on it! That’s right, Nazir 33b is unique in the Babylonian Talmud for having no actual Talmud on it. The page is instead completely filled by the commentary of the medieval group of commentators known as Tosafot. That’s why […]

A series of studies have found that consuming caffeine about an hour before physical activity improves performance – an interesting development ahead of the Tel Aviv Marathon on Friday, February 24th. Caffeine and athletic endurance have come hand-in-hand for many years. Numerous studies have found that caffeine consumption can boost physical endurance during high-intensity exercises […]

Over 2,000 British and American soldiers died in the Battle of New Orleans. The battle is famous not only because it was the last major battle of the War of 1812, but also because it took place on January 15, 1815 — two weeks after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, which formally ended […]

This sweet Moroccan challah, known as Ojos de Haman (eyes of Haman), negola, ungola or boyjo de Haman, is a Purim bread that’s wrapped around a hard-boiled egg. There are many Purim foods and desserts that reference Haman’s ears, eyes and generally acknowledge Haman’s evil role in the Purim story. In this dish, the egg […]

A new meta-analysis of 12 studies by the UK’s Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews – which assesses the effectiveness and safety of a treatment, vaccine, device, preventative measure, procedure or policy – found that face masks worn in the community “probably made little or no difference to the outcome of influenza-like illness or COVID-19-like illness […]

Hamantaschen are one of the most beloved Jewish cookies to enjoy all year, but especially for Purim, when it is most traditional to enjoy them as part of the holiday festivities. The triangle-shaped stuffed cookies have an interesting history: Originally they were a medieval German cookie stuffed with poppy seeds that Jews adopted for Purim. […]

When the Hebrew month of Adar begins, as it did this week, it traditionally launches a time of joy because the holiday of Purim is just around the corner. But it’s not a happy time when small children swallow plastic explosives used for cap pistols that are sold illegally. A seven-month-old baby, who swallowed such […]

Eleven days ago, representatives of 25 Israeli public health organizations sent a strong letter of protest to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, denouncing his declared intention not to raise the tax on electronic cigarettes (e-cigs).  “This will lead to an unprecedented smoking epidemic in Israel, especially among teenagers,” they wrote, with copies to the chairman of […]