Over the years, researchers have tried to determine the cause of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.  Previously, researchers believed that amyloid was one of the proteins thought to cause the disease.  With new discoveries about the mysteries of dementia, there is a new culprit in the debate about what may cause dementia. Amyloid protein is thought […]

The Precision Medicine Initiative, a long-term research endeavor involving the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and multiple other research centers, aims to understand how a person’s genetics, environment, and lifestyle can help determine the best way to prevent or treat disease.  Last year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) changed the initiative’s name to the […]

Scientists have talked for years about the impact global climate will have on our planet.  Some are even speculating that, at this point, there are some things that have happened as a result of the changing climate that are already irreversible. For example, mountain glaciers are in alarming retreat and the downstream effects of reduced […]

Recently, a technology that edits genomes was used in China to genetically modify pigs.  The result for the consumer would be pigs that are better adapted to cold weather while carrying around 24% less fat.  The technology, called CRISPR, an acronym for clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,  has two components. First, CRISPR is […]

In 1995, Match.com debuted as an online dating site for singles.  At that time, there was a stigma attached to meeting matches online vs. “the old fashioned way.”  Three years ago, when Tinder burst onto the scene, dating online had already become a widely accepted way of meeting your mate.  Just because online dating is […]

It’s that time of year – the sun comes up a little later; goes down a little earlier and you need a jacket or sweater to combat the slight nip in the air. Fall brings with it the promise of rain and cooler temperatures. Its rhythms remind us that it’s time to turn inside, ruminate […]

Are you an intuitive eater?  Intuitive eating is a nutrition philosophy based on the premise that becoming more attuned to the body’s natural hunger signals is a more effective way to attain a healthy weight, rather than keeping track of the amounts of calories or other dieting methods. Also known as wisdom eating or conscious […]

Offline October is a challenge for people to give up social media for the month of October to support teen suicide prevention.  Recently, the Littleton community has experienced a number of teen suicides and they are trying to address what they believe is one of the contributors – social media. The challenge is meant for […]

It’s long been known that improving your physical fitness is associated with living a longer life. Studies show that past age 65, your walking speed at your natural pace is a surprisingly reliable predictor of survival. The study looked at the natural gait speed of more than 34,000 participants age 65 and older from nine previous studies. These studies followed […]

Mindlessly scrolling through our social media feeds when we have a few spare minutes is not the best habit when it comes to our collective psychology. The American Academy of Pediatrics has evaluated the potential for negative effects of social media in young kids and teens, including cyber-bullying and “Facebook depression,” but the issue impacts […]