My mother-in-law (a retired nurse and dietitian) used to say that in the U.S., we have some of the most expensive pee in the world. We’re taking so many vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and then urinating those pricey supplements right out.In truth, the absorption of nutrients via a daily multivitamin depends on a host of factors, including the quality of the supplement, whether you have certain diseases that prevent the absorption of nutrients, and the type of vitamin and mineral.Do Mu ...read more

Just as the shift to shorter days and colder weather can bring with it mood swings and other emotional challenges, the holiday season can also bring about somewhat predictable changes in mood and behavior.Around this time of year, many of us experience more stress, anxiety and frustration than usual. These stressors have been linked to higher levels of heart failure and alcohol poisoning and an increase in deaths from stroke.Learning how to recognize what brings about stress and what par ...read more

On Dec. 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) had made a major breakthrough in the pursuit of fusion energy. A team at NIF conducted the first controlled fusion experiment that produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it, a condition known as ignition. [embedded content]The team focused 2.05 megajoules of laser light onto a piece of fuel the size of a pepp ...read more

It’s difficult to know how dinosaurs slept because most dinosaurs didn’t die that way.Finding a dinosaur in a sleeping position is uncommon because most fossils we’ve found show dinosaurs in a classic death pose with their bodies contorted, fearing their imminent demise.The only way we can know how a dinosaur slept would be if they fossilized in a sleeping position, and while this has happened, it’s rare. According to Scott Persons, a paleontologist at the College of Charleston in Char ...read more

From the tiniest microbes that populated Earth billions of years ago to the various new species scientists are still discovering, today’s organisms have survived by braving nature’s trials and tribulations. Skirting death requires evolutionary creativity. Here are eight animals who employ unique and strange strategies to survive in the wild.Read more: 5 Unique Ways Animals Avoid Getting Eaten 1. Bombardier Beetles: Chemical Warfare(Credit: KASIRA SUDA/Shutterstock)The bombardier beetle earns ...read more

One archaeologist’s backwater is another archaeologist’s bustling waterway. Well, that’s what a new paper published about Interamna Lirenas, an ancient town in Italy, seems to suggest, anyways. The paper, which is included in Oxbow Books’ Roman Urbanism in Italy: Recent Discoveries and New Directions reveals that the riverside town was a popular port, and a surprisingly resilient settlement, surviving what was traditionally seen as a period of Roman stagnation.“We started with a site s ...read more

Forecasters have predicted the coming winter will be under the influence of El Niño. This climate pattern is expected to make the weather a bit milder and dryer for many parts of the country.But that doesn’t mean special weather events like blizzards or polar vortexes are out of the forecast — those can still happen.For some people, cold snaps are uncomfortable. But for people with cold-weather-triggering illnesses, cold weather can bring debilitating or even deadly diseases. Can Cold Weat ...read more

The Dead Sea Scrolls are more than just ancient manuscripts discovered in the Qumran Caves; they represent a unique narrative that extends beyond their discovery in the mid-20th century. Their journey is not just a physical one, but also an intellectual and cultural voyage marked by scholarly research and debates over ownership. Uncover the layers of history, knowledge, and controversy the Dead Sea Scrolls have accumulated over the decades.What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls?The Dead Sea Scrolls are ...read more

The holidays can be a heavy time of year. They can remind us of sadness when we’re grieving the loss of a loved one. They can remind us of what we don’t have if money is tight or we’ve lost a job. And for those who don’t have people to celebrate with, the holidays can highlight the loneliness we may already be feeling. Psychologist and grief expert Jill A. Harrington says that calling our emotions negative isn’t always accurate because our feelings can be a reaction to a difficult t ...read more

From eruptions in Iceland to Krakatau in Indonesia, there have been many volcanic eruptions making headlines in 2023. And we saw plenty of eruptions in 2022. From the Lascar volcano in Chile, Mount Semeru in Indonesia and Hunga Tonga in the South Pacific to the quiet eruptions of Mauna Loa, 2022 was quite the year for volcanoes.But, how can scientists predict volcanic eruptions before they erupt?While volcanic eruptions like Mauna Loa are relatively calm and cause minimal damage, eruptions like ...read more