All Stories by Ben Harder
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Salmonella illnesses traced to pet rodents
Hamsters and other pet rodents are probably underappreciated spreaders of salmonella bacteria.
- Earth
Mercury pollution settles in hot spots
Certain areas of North America are particularly susceptible to environmental accumulation of mercury.
- Humans
Weighing In on City Planning
Accumulating evidence suggests that urban sprawl discourages physical activity and may thereby contribute to obesity and related health problems.
- Health & Medicine
Folic Acid Dilemma: One vitamin may impair cognition if another is lacking
The nutrient folic acid is generally good for brain health, but research now suggests that too much of it might harm people who get too little vitamin B12.
- Tech
A backpack with a suspension system
A new backpack design that uses elastic cords to minimize the pack's vertical motion could lessen bodily strain on wearers and reduce the effort required to carry a load.
- Health & Medicine
Catching Flu’s Drift: Vaccines fight unexpected influenza
Vaccination can prevent three of every four flu infections, even when the vaccines are imperfectly tailored to block the common wintertime pathogens.
- Earth
Woods to Waters: Wildfires amplify mercury contamination in fish
Forest fires mobilize mercury from the soil and can send the toxic metal into nearby streams and lakes where it accumulates in fish.
- Earth
Lead in the Water: Mapping gets a handle on disinfectant’s danger
Researchers are investigating the link between lead-contaminated water and chloramine, a chemical disinfectant that is increasingly used in municipal water supplies.
- Health & Medicine
Test identifies people at cardiac risk
Measurement of an electrical abnormality in the heart aids doctors in determining who is most at risk for cardiac arrest.
- Health & Medicine
Belated angioplasty saves no lives
A common heart procedure called angioplasty doesn't save lives if it is performed more than a couple of days after a heart attack.
- Health & Medicine
Ticking toward Trouble: Long-term rise in heart rate portends death
Men whose hearts beat faster over time are likely to die earlier than those whose hearts keep an unchanging cadence year after year, according to a 20-year study.
- Earth
Farm salmon spread deadly lice
In the Pacific Northwest, sea lice that spread from cultivated salmon to their wild counterparts have become major parasites affecting the wild population.
