Science

Are bananas good for you? Yes! A wide variety of health benefits are associated with the curvy yellow fruit. Bananas are high in potassium and pectin, a form of fiber, said Laura Flores, a San Diego-based nutritionist. They can also be a good way to get magnesium and vitamins C and B6. "Bananas are known to reduce swelling, protect against developing Type 2 diabetes , aid in weight loss, strengthen the nervous system and help with production of white blood cells, all due to the high level of vitamin B6 that bananas contain," Flores told Live Science. "Bananas are high in antioxidants, which can provide protection from free radicals, which we come into contact with every day, from the sunlight to the lotion you put on your skin," Flores added. Related: Watermelon: Health benefits, risks & nutrition facts Bananas are also good for your heart. They are packed with potassium, a mineral and electrolyte, which carries a small electric charge. As such, … [Read more...] about Bananas: Facts, benefits and nutrition

Astronomers will have to wait a while to celebrate the first complete orbit of Pluto since its discovery. Pluto was discovered on Feb. 18, 1930, using the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh found a moving object clearly beyond the orbit of Neptune . That object was later called Pluto, the ruler of the Greek underworld in that culture's mythology. There's a long-running debate about whether Pluto is a planet or a dwarf planet . Concerning its orbit, however, astronomers don't disagree that the world has yet to complete a single orbit since Tombaugh first spotted Pluto in imagery. It takes Pluto 248.09 Earth years to complete one orbit around the sun. Plug that information into a timeanddate.com (opens in new tab) calculator along with its discovery date, and you'd find that Pluto will complete its first full orbit since its discovery on Monday, March 23, 2178. But there is far more to this intriguing world's … [Read more...] about When will Pluto complete its first orbit since its discovery?

Monkeypox is presumed to have spread within the US, and nine cases have now been identified in seven states, according to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rochelle Walensky. Further Reading Everything CDC wants you to know about monkeypox and the current risk level In a press briefing Thursday, Walensky said the nine cases were from Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Utah, Washington, California, and Virginia. Most of the nine cases had recent international travel to areas with active monkeypox cases, but not all. "We need to presume that there is some community spread," Walensky said. "But there is active contact tracing that is happening right now to understand whether and how these cases might have been in contact with each other or with others in other countries." On Monday, the CDC reported five cases (one confirmed and four probable) from four states, and all of the cases were reported to have recent travel history. Health experts … [Read more...] about CDC presumes community spread of monkeypox; 9 cases now in 7 states

Drinking alcohol is known to raise women's risk of developing breast cancer , but many women aren't aware of this link, a new study from the United Kingdom suggests. The study researchers analyzed information from 205 women who were undergoing breast cancer screening or seeking treatment for breast cancer symptoms at a U.K. hospital. The women were surveyed about their knowledge of risk factors for breast cancer. About half the women surveyed knew that smoking was a risk factor for breast cancer, and 30% recognized obesity as a risk factor. But only about 20% knew that consuming alcohol was a risk factor, the study found. Even among health care staff, knowledge of the connection between alcohol and breast cancer was still lacking — of 33 health care staff surveyed, 49% identified alcohol as a risk factor for breast cancer. [ 7 Odd Things That Raise Your Risk of Cancer (and 1 That Doesn't) ] The new study was conducted at a single health center in the … [Read more...] about Alcohol Boosts the Risk of Breast Cancer. Many Women Have No Idea.

Over 65,000 years ago, large flightless birds dubbed "Demon Ducks of Doom" roamed prehistoric Australia. The creatures stood over six and a half feet (two meters) tall, weighed over 440 pounds (200 kgs), and sported massive beaks. They also produced giant cantaloupe-sized eggs that may have served as a food source for early human inhabitants, eventually contributing to the extinction of the demon ducks, according to a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Technically known as Genyornis newtoni or mihirung paringmal ("thunder bird"), the species was first described in 1896 based on the discovery of a fossilized left femur excavated from a site at Lake Callabonna in South Australia. Further excavation yielded many more fragments of avian fossils and eventually mostly complete specimens, including the cranium. Similar specimens have since been found at other sites in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia. The species went … [Read more...] about Mysterious ancient giant eggs Down Under laid by Aussie “demon ducks of doom”