Category: Science and Health

Most people who like salty and sweet snacks find it’s almost impossible to eat just one potato chip or peanut and only one fancy donut on Hanukkah and then call it quits.  It’s not just a lack of self-control that causes this behavior; it’s also a gene. Recently, it has become clear that a gene […]

I had a small-world experience recently when a fellow psychologist wrote to me regarding my recent column on grandparenting (“Grandparenting revisited,” November 11).  She and I have our best chats around 6 a.m., when many of our family members are still sleeping soundly, and we are crazily contemplating exercising before moving on with our day. […]

Sheba Medical Center in Ramar Gan announced a partnership with the US government National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish the new Sheba Pandemic Research Institute (SPRI). The focus of the institute will be to translate the global research into infectious diseases into the development of rapid deployment clinical products to combat future epidemics and […]

One common cause of burns is boiling oil, especially during Hanukkah when oil is a staple. Burns are serious injuries that cause pain and suffering, sometimes require prolonged hospitalization, and can lead to dehydration due to loss of fluids and blood.  When they cover large areas of skin, burns are dangerous, especially in toddlers up […]

You might not have heard of the “No Nut November” challenge, whose participants abstain from sex, masturbation and orgasms during the entire month of November.  However, one participant sparked a new discussion as to whether complete abstinence has any health benefits and if it is worth continuing No Nut November into December. Since there is […]

Why don’t some people who suffered from COVID-19 ever get their sense of smell back? According to a new study, it may be due to a declining number of olfactory nerve cells caused by an ongoing immune assault. The findings of this study, published in online in the peer-reviewed academic journal Science Translational Medicine, sheds […]

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s biology department and colleagues in Zurich, Switzerland, and elsewhere have found that people who do well on human empathy tests are also measurably better at decoding the emotional sounds of animals. Such individuals are better at knowing when an animal is having a good or bad time than other […]

I’m a collector of old knick knacks, as I suppose many Jews are. We collect stories, memories, and practices, but also family heirlooms: Shabbat candlesticks, old menorahs, seder plates, kippot from bar mitzvah celebrations across our lifetimes.  Prized among my collected memorabilia is a Hanukkah menorah that my great-grandparents brought with them from the old […]

Until fairly recently, the question of Judaism’s attitude toward recreational drug use would have been relatively straightforward. Judaism considers the preservation of human health to be among its highest values, and the prevailing opinion among health authorities has long been that recreational drugs are dangerous and lack any medical value. Judaism also mandates respect for […]

Chickens were found to be infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza at a farm next to Mishmar HaSharon, near Netanya, on Wednesday, according to the Agriculture Ministry. The affected farm contains about 128,000 birds. All coops within a 10-kilometer radius have been placed in quarantine and the Veterinary Service is conducting testing at […]