Category: Science and Health

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 […]

While around the world, blistering cold snowstorms have been raging for weeks and especially in the last few days, winter has finally roused itself and arrived in Israel. For some people, the cold season means feeling pain as the body can experience more than just frozen fingers, but an actual allergic reaction to the freezing […]

It’s Saturday morning, and your family is hungry. Thankfully, the deli down the street is within walking distance — it’s hard to miss, as the front patio is littered with coin-operated kiddie rides and a queue of hungry patrons. As you walk in, jugs of 50 cent candy line the path to the stand, where […]

Can anything minimize the serious polarization among groups in countries like Israel and the US? With the global escalation in conflicts among population groups, acts of violence by residents of cities and the increasing participation of youth in civil conflicts, there appears to be an urgent need to develop science-based methods to mitigate hatred and […]