Bats Are the Number-One Carriers of Disease

This article originally appeared on Time.com.  Understanding where new viruses come from is critical for preventing them from rapidly spreading among humans. When it comes to preventing the next pandemic, a new study suggests that bats may be public enemy number one. In a new study published in the journal Nature, researchers at the nonprofit… Read More »

Why Your Bad Memory Isn’t Such a Bad Thing, According to Science

You know those people who always boast about having a perfect memory? Maybe they shouldn’t, because having total recall is totally overrated. That’s according to a new paper in the journal Neuron, which concludes that forgetting things is not just normal, it actually makes us smarter. In the new report, researchers Paul Frankland and Blake Richards of the University of Toronto propose that… Read More »

Why Your Bad Memory Isn’t Such a Bad Thing, According to Science

You know those people who always boast about having a perfect memory? Maybe they shouldn’t, because having total recall is totally overrated. That’s according to a new paper in the journal Neuron, which concludes that forgetting things is not just normal, it actually makes us smarter. In the new report, researchers Paul Frankland and Blake Richards of the University of Toronto propose that… Read More »

We Want You!—Here’s How to Become a Health.com Contributor

At Health.com, our goal is to deliver up-to-the-minute news on all the latest trends in the wellness world—and we want your help. We’re looking for writers to join our new contributor network. As a Health.com contributor, you’ll receive story pitches from our editors straight to your inbox, your byline will appear on Health.com, and you… Read More »

50 Ways to Use All of Your Vacation Days This Year

This article originally appeared on Travelandleisure.com.   operation-vacation-logo.jpg America has a vacation problem. Or a not-taking-vacation problem, to be more precise. Last year, 54 percent of U.S. workers left an astounding 662 million vacation days unused, according to The State of American Vacation study from Project: Time Off. The reason why all of those days… Read More »

Why Do I Hate the Sound of My Own Voice?

This article originally appeared on Time.com.  Have you ever recoiled at the sound of your own voicemail greeting, startled by what should be the most familiar of voices—your own? If so, then you’re not alone. It’s common to dislike the way your voice sounds in recordings, experts say. Here’s why. You hear your own voice… Read More »

U.S. College Student Released From North Korea Has ‘Extensive Loss of Brain Tissue’ and ‘No Signs of Understanding Language,’ Say Doctors

This article originally appeared on People.com. The 22-year-old college student who was released from imprisonment in North Korea in a coma likely suffered from cardiopulmonary arrest, which resulted in “extensive loss of brain tissue,” according to his doctors at the University of Cincinnati Health, who added that he shows “no signs of understanding language.” In a press… Read More »

Cases of Legionnaires’ Disease Are Occurring Across the U.S. What Is It, and Are You at Risk?

You’ve probably been seeing an increase in Legionnaires’ disease coverage in the news lately. Legionnaires’ was blamed for the illnesses of four L.A. Fitness gym members in Florida late last month, and a New York City police officer is currently in the hospital recovering from Legionnaires’ as well. (Fellow cops were warned not to shower at a precinct in East Harlem, where traces of the… Read More »

How to Use a Mantra to Make Meditation Way Easier 

No question about it: meditation can be challenging. For many people, sitting calmly and letting go of negative thoughts comes totally naturally. But for others, clearing the brain of daily chaos and stress can be nearly impossible. If you fall into the latter category, you may want to consider using a mantra. A… Read More »