Drug Overdose Deaths in the U.S.
The good news: Data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that drug overdose deaths have dropped for the first time since 1990. Between the 12-month period ending December 2017 and the 12-month period ending December 2018, there was a 5.1% decline in overdose deaths. Now the bad news: Experts still see worrisome signs in the data.
Read my latest story for IEEE Pulse magazine: Drug Overdose Deaths Decline, But Remain Historically High.
Brain Characteristics Associated with Epilepsy and Depression/Anxiety
Researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that symptoms of depression and anxiety were related to diffuse reductions in brain structure and function in youth with intractable epilepsy.
Read the whole story at Pediatrics Nationwide: Brain Characteristics Associated with Epilepsy and Internalizing Disorders.
Cross-Modal Object Recognition in Bumble Bees
The ability to experience an object in one sensory modality and later recognize it in another is called cross-modal object recognition. It’s actually a highly complex cognitive capacity thought to be limited to vertebrates. Now, a group of researchers from Queen Mary University of London and Macquarie University in Australia show that bumble bees are capable of performing this task, raising questions of bees’ mental imagery and awareness.
Read my latest post at my Animal Minds blog: Bumble Bees Can Recognize Objects Across Senses.
Excess Weight Alters Results of Blood Tests in Kids
Even in children and teens, obesity has been linked to major health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease. But the effects of extra weight may show up in some tests before disease develops. Weight can affect results of routine blood tests in kids, new data show. And those results might highlight kids at risk of developing disease.
Read the whole story at Science News for Students: Excess Weight Alters Results of Blood Tests in Kids and Teens.
Cow Talk
According to new research, cows talk to one another, expressing their emotions, both positive and negative, through individualized voices. The researchers say the findings have implications for farmers and animal welfare.
Read more at my Animal Minds blog: How Cows Express Emotions.