Category: Science and Health

Today our tractate wraps up with a discussion of the following mishnah: Initially the sages would say that three women are automatically divorced and receive their ketubah: (1) the wife who says to her husband, “I am defiled to you,” (2) the wife who says “Heaven is between me and you,” and (3) the wife […]

People tend to have their worst and shortest sleep between their early 30s and 50s, a new study revealed. The study, led by researchers from the University College of London, the University of East Anglia and the University of Lyon, reveals that one’s sleep duration can effectively be used to divide life into three distinct […]

Women and men are paying high prices for anti-aging creams, plastic surgery, gym memberships, exercise machines and more to look younger – but what does science have to say about aging?  Dr. Debra Toiber of the life sciences department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba has uncovered what seems to be a key […]

A teenager in high school who receives lower or below-average grades in math, history or other subjects is more likely to have been born prematurely, according to a recent study. Being more prematurely means being born between 34-39 weeks of pregnancy. The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal The BMJ last week, looked at a […]

All medical services, barring emergencies, will strike from 7 a.m. on Monday to 7 a.m. on Tuesday in protest against recent incidents of violence occurring in hospitals, the Israel Medical Association (IMA) announced Sunday. They will all work on a reduced Shabbat schedule, except for emergencies or in hospitals’ departments of oncology, hematology and obstetrics […]

People who are active social media users know that Einav Booblil recently gave birth to her fifth daughter by French cesarean section. How is this procedure different from a normal C-section? Let’s start with the name. The operation was named after Dr. Denis Fauck, a French surgeon and gynecologist who developed this method. This procedure […]

Unlike other fruits that grow on trees, avocadoes do not ripen until harvest. An unripe avocado retains a light color, even after picking, and is quite firm when pressed and touched. The clear sign that the avocado is ripe is a darker-colored skin and it becomes softer. Sometimes it happens that it overripens when the […]

A recent conversation with a colleague moved quickly from disposable cutlery and plates to appliances. While we still love our 23-year-old washing machine and dryer, things are not built to last the way that they used to. Nope, she said, “now things are built to last one month past the expiration date of the warranty.” […]

Undergoing chemotherapy before surgery can improve colon cancer patients’ chances of the cancer not coming back, according to the results of a recent clinical trial.  The trial showed that colon cancer patients receiving chemotherapy before rather than after the surgery, saw a decrease of 28% in the chance of cancer returning within 2 years.  The […]

The ultraviolet (UV) nail-polish drying devices used to “cure” gel manicures may pose more of a public health concern than previously thought. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego studied these UV-light emitting devices and found that their use leads to cell death and cancer-causing mutations in human cells.  The devices are a […]