Category: Science and Health

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 […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being promoted as being able to do almost everything – from diagnosing diseases as well as newly graduated physicians to writing speeches and producing art in seconds. Yet a new study from New York University (NYU) shows that infants outperform AI in detecting what motivates other people’s actions and are more […]

The Jews may have wandered in the desert for 40 years facing challenging circumstances, but being a modern wanderer in northern Israel has some definite perks. With stunning views, a laidback vibe and an abundance of regional produce, including cheese, olives and wine, the North has so much to offer. The pandemic inadvertently incubated an […]

Stress is a well-known phenomenon that can be caused by numerous problems in our lives. Besides emotional difficulties, the body can also react to a stress response with physical problems such as an infection, sugar imbalance or insomnia.  In both mental stress and physical stress, the body’s hormonal response to stress is the same, and […]

In what is thought to be the first case of its kind anywhere in the world, a 34-year-old American man was hospitalized after swallowing a banana wrapped in a condom in the midst of a hormonal rage. In a case report published earlier in the academic journal Cureus, the patient, whose name has been withheld […]

Brain metastases are among the deadliest forms of cancers that spread (metastasize) in the body. They are two to 10 times more common than tumors of the central nervous system (CNS). Despite the progress achieved in recent years in the development of novel treatments for melanoma and breast cancer, brain metastasis remains highly lethal in […]

The Mei Hashiloah (Rabbi Mordecai Joseph Leiner, d. 1854) points to a fascinating difference between Moses and Isaac: Moses died “with his eyes undimmed” (Deuteronomy 34:7) while for Isaac, “his eyes were dim” (Genesis 27:1). The Mei Hashiloah explains that in Isaac’s life, the major events, the Akedah and the reversal of the blessing with […]