Category: Science and Health

The emojis you use can say a lot about your mental health and your relationships, according to a peer-reviewed study published in Frontiers in Psychology this week.  In day-to-day life, messages are interpreted by more than just words. Body language, facial expression and social situation can be key in communicating and understanding messages interpersonally. Online communication prevents […]

There are those who share clothes with family members, and most of us have no problem sharing food. However, a British dentist now also recommends that families share a toothbrush – and here we have already crossed a red line (although it turns out not for everyone). Jess Potter, a dentist who starred in the […]

A man in Florida died as a result of contracting a brain-eating infection known as Naegleria Fowleri, that he caught while doing nasal irrigation earlier this week.  The man used unboiled tap water to clear his sinuses, according to the CDC. “The adult patient reportedly performed nasal rinsing daily with unboiled tap water, which is […]

Tiktok creates trends for us all the time, some of them are crazy, some of them less so. Now, a new trend advising you to take an orange into the shower is starting to gain momentum. But why? From hair masks made of various substances to extremely cold showers, people incorporate many different shower rituals […]

A new peer-reviewed study, published by Frontiers in Psychiatry has found that sleep can have a significant impact on physiological health. Insomnia, a problem whereby people struggle to fall or stay asleep, is estimated to impact 10-20% of the general population. Previous studies have found that sleep disturbances increase the likelihood of a person developing […]

“No matter what we’ve done, there comes a point when you think, ‘How did I get here? When are they going to discover that I am, in fact, a fraud and take everything away from me?’” – Actor Tom Hanks (NPR, April 26, 2016) “No matter what we’ve done, there comes a point when you […]

The Israeli market is saturated with imported and local milk substitutes, ranging from soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, oat milk and even hazelnut milk. Sometimes, creative recipes for plant-based milk show up online, such as a poppy-based milk alternative that says it’s the healthiest one out there. In general, it’s very important […]

“When Aaron enters the sanctuary, shall carry the names of the children of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, as a remembrance before God at all times.” (Exodus 28:29) This verse from Parashat Tetzaveh refers to the bejeweled breastplate worn by ancient Israel’s high priest. It had 12 different precious gems, each […]

It isn’t parents’ fault for giving their babies unusual names, with an evolutionary biologist saying there is actually an evolutionary reason behind it. The University of Michigan’s Dr. Mitchel Newberry is the biologist in question, turning his focus on naming trends. In particular, he wants to answer the mystery of how some names manage to […]

Today’s daf quotes a mishnah from Nega’im, the tractate that explores the halakhot of tzara’at, a disease described in the Hebrew Bible that is sometimes mistranslated as leprosy. (This mishnaic tractate, like much of Seder Toharot, has no Gemara, so we won’t be learning it together in our Daf Yomi journey). Mishnah Nega’im 14:4 teaches: […]