Humans have long enjoyed crowing about their intellectual superiority in the animal kingdom. But just as some studies--of tool-wielding birds and language-discerning rodents --have begun to chip away at our cognitive place in the sun, others have set their sights on two human groups whose intelligence might have been underestimated--the very young and the very old. [More]

A new study may shed light on how to increase the level and quality of activity in the elderly. Researchers found that gene therapy with a proven "longevity" gene energized mice during exercise, and might be applicable to humans in the future.

Quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of general relativity are both extremely accurate theories of how the universe works, but all attempts to combine the two into a unified theory have ended in failure. Now physicists have found a way to carry out a new set of gravity calculations with the help of an older theory that has been around since the 1980s.

From 1995 to 2006 the rate of antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory tract infections decreased significantly, attributable in part to a decline in ambulatory visits for ear infections in young children, according to a new study. But prescription rates for broad spectrum antibiotics, namely azithromycin and quinolones, increased substantially during the study period.

The lowly appendix, long-regarded as a useless evolutionary artifact, won newfound respect two years ago when researchers proposed that it actually serves a critical function. The appendix, they said, is a safe haven where good bacteria could hang out until they were needed to repopulate the gut after a nasty case of diarrhea, for example.

The controversy over South African athlete Caster Semenya 's gender has given the public a view into the complexities of gender. At first blush, the issue should be fairly straightforward: a person is either a male (with an X and a Y chromosome) or a female (with two X chromosomes). But the reality is that a number of conditions can blur the gender line. [More]

Each and every one of us human beings has a story, a past, a present, and a future that is all wrapped up in our belief systems and how those belief systems affect our daily lives. What we believe comes from our educational background, the upbringing and training we had from our families, our ethnic and cultural influences, and research we have each independently done plus our life experiences. How we identify who we are, what we are, and why we are here is aligned with what we know or feel or understand to be truths according to our experiences and education thus far in life. What we believe about who we are in large part determines how we view our purpose in life. Our purpose in life provides our motivation and our blueprint for the decisions we make, the way we treat others, and the way we live our lives.

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Each and every one of us human beings has a story, a past, a present, and a future that is all wrapped up in our belief systems and how those belief systems affect our daily lives. What we believe comes from our educational background, the upbringing and training we had from our families, our ethnic and cultural influences, and research we have each independently done plus our life experiences. How we identify who we are, what we are, and why we are here is aligned with what we know or feel or understand to be truths according to our experiences and education thus far in life. What we believe about who we are in large part determines how we view our purpose in life. Our purpose in life provides our motivation and our blueprint for the decisions we make, the way we treat others, and the way we live our lives.

Family quarrels and a lack of free time can promote headaches in children, according to researchers in Germany.