Reading to infants benefits both baby and adult, new research finds

A study at Rutgers University details the importance of this parent-child bond.

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  • Infants aged 1-3 are less likely to be disruptive or hyperactive when they're read to regularly.
  • Parents that read to their toddlers are less likely to exhibit harsh behavior toward their children.
  • Regular reading provides not only "academic but emotional benefits that can help bolster the child's success in school and beyond."
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Mind & Brain

Fruit juice can be twice as harmful as soda

No one should be drinking more than 8oz. a day. Here's why.

  • A new study finds that the risk of all-cause mortality from over-consumption of fruit juice is significant.
  • Other sugared beverages are still bad for you, but too much fruit juice is actually worse.
  • Fructose, "real" or "natural," is still fructose and problematic.
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Surprising Science

U.S. birthrate hits 32-year low. Here’s why that’s not (yet) a problem.

What does the downward trend mean?

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  • A report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that 2018 saw the fewest babies born in the U.S. since 1986.
  • The reasons are plenty: After effects from the Great Recession, fewer teenage pregnancies, prohibitive child care costs, concerns over climate change and political strife, and different priorities among millennials.
  • The low birthrate isn't necessarily cause for alarm, however if it keeps declining it may be difficult for future generations to support an aging population.
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Politics & Current Affairs

Learning another language should be compulsory in every school

Being bilingual has cultural, social, and cognitive benefits — so why are schools dropping language courses?

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In the 1960s, in our public schools in California along the border with Mexico, Spanish language-learning was a requirement, beginning in sixth grade. I couldn't wait to get to sixth grade to start learning Spanish.

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Mind & Brain

His biological clock is ticking, too

Men should be just concerned as women.

Image source: Volodymyr Tverdokhlib/Shutterstock
  • A study from Rutgers documents age-related reproductive factors for men.
  • Beyond a certain age, men risk a variety of serious hazards to their mates and offspring.
  • Men planning to father children should consider banking their sperm before reaching 35.
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Sex & Relationships