60-Second Health

By Scientific American

What's 60-Second Health about?

Scientific American reporter Dina Fine Maron gives a weekly one-minute report on the latest health and medical news

Download our free app to listen on your phone

60-Second Health episodes:

02.25.2015
Emulsifiers in Food Linked to Obesity in Mice
The common food additives altered mice microbiomes to encourage gut inflammation and overeating. Dina Fine Maron reports
02.17.2015
Menopause Symptoms Have Unappreciated Staying Power
Although clinical guidelines assume just two years for hot flashes and night sweats, a large study finds a median symptom duration of more than three times that length. Dina Fine Maron reports
02.11.2015
Wearable Step Counters Offer Exercise Leg Up
High-tech pedometers do a decent job of counting steps accurately. Dina Fine Maron reports.
01.29.2015
Millions Risk Alcohol–Medication Interactions
Some 42 percent of U.S. adults who drink have been prescribed a drug that may interact negatively with alcohol. Dina Fine Maron reports
01.20.2015
Life Extension May Add Just Bad Time
Strains of the lab workhorse roundworm C. elegans that lived longer added more time being frail and had the same portion of their lives being healthy as normal worms. The work has implications for life-extension ideas such as caloric restriction....
01.13.2015
6 Steps to Women’s Heart Health
Researchers tracked 70,000 for decades to find lifestyle clues for better cardiovascular condition. Dina Fine Maron reports
12.23.2014
Avoid Back-Lit Reading before Bed
Volunteers who read from an iPad before bed took longer to fall asleep and had less restful nights than when they read from a printed book. Dina Fine Maron reports.
12.16.2014
Raw Milk Sicknesses Rise
Nonpasteurized milk is fueling more outbreaks and hospitalizations. Dina Fine Maron reports
12.09.2014
Abortions in Medical Settings Rarely Have Major Complications
Careful tracking of more than 50,000 women during the six weeks after the procedure finds that serious adverse effects are rare. Dina Fine Maron reports
12.03.2014
Diabetes Prevention in Midlife Helps Protect Aging Brain
People with type 2 diabetes in middle age had greater cognitive impairment in the following decades than did their nondiabetic counterparts. Dina Fine Maron reports
11.25.2014
Drownings Kill 140,000 Kids Annually
The World Health Organization issues a new report on the neglected public health issue of drowning
11.20.2014
Steamy Smooches Share Batches of Bacteria
A 10-second makeout session can also transfer some 80 million oral bacteria. Dina Fine Maron reports
11.12.2014
Snake DNA Left in Bite ID's Serpent Assailant
A first-of-its-kind study finds it’s possible to analyze snake DNA left in a bite victim’s wound to identify the species—and thus the correct antivenom. Dina Fine Maron reports
10.31.2014
Plan Now for Future Ebola Outbreaks
Diagnostics, vaccines and new drugs could vastly improve the way future Ebola outbreaks manifest in Africa, according to emerging infectious disease expert Jeremy Farrar. Steve Mirsky reports
10.24.2014
Ebola Efforts Helped by Flu Shots
Should Ebola continue to crop up in the U.S., having fewer people coming to emergency rooms with the similar symptoms of flu will help the public health system respond. Steve Mirsky reports
10.09.2014
Kids Who Exercise Don’t Sweat Tests
Physically active children are healthier and score better on intellectual tests than their sedentary peers. Dina Fine Maron reports
09.30.2014
Smart Park Benches Weigh Sitters
In a bid to boost fitness, new park benches in Moscow will let sitters see their weight and receive health tips. Dina Fine Maron reports
09.24.2014
Dry Roasting May Up Peanut Allergic Potential
A study in mice suggests that chemical changes that occur during dry roasting may increase the odds of an allergic reaction. Dina Fine Maron reports
09.16.2014
Drug-Resistant Bacteria Hang Out in Hog Workers
A new study reveals that bacteria associated with staph infections can hitch a ride in workers’ noses. Dina Fine Maron reports
08.26.2014
Graying Parent Care Falls to Daughters, Not Sons
Sisters spend double the time caring for parents as their brothers. Dina Fine Maron reports
08.20.2014
Tweets Identify Food Poisoning Outbreaks
In Chicago monitoring Twitter for reports of food poisoning led to 133 restaurant inspections for health violations, with 21 establishments shut down. Dina Fine Maron reports
08.12.2014
Poor Diabetics Suffer More Amputations
Patients in low-income zip codes were up to 10 times more likely to lose a leg or foot than diabetic patients in more affluent zip codes. Dina Fine Maron reports
07.31.2014
Heat Fells More Distance Runners Than Do Hearts
An analysis of 130,000 runners in events during a seven-year span revealed that competitors were 10 times more likely to experience heat stroke than serious cardiac problems. Dina Fine Maron reports
07.24.2014
Prescription Refill Appearance Change Puts Patients off Meds
When refilled prescriptions for post–heart attack care resulted in the same medication looking different in shape or color, patients were significantly more likely to stop taking their meds. Dina Fine Maron reports
07.14.2014
Heavy Metal Headbanging Rare Risk Revealed
Headbanging can cause pain or even whiplash. But a 50-year-old Motörhead fan developed a more serious condition, bleeding in the brain that required surgical repair, after headbanging at a concert. Dina Fine Maron reports
07.01.2014
Robotic Exoskeleton Gets First-Ever FDA Approval
The ReWalk exoskeleton allows some people paralyzed from the waist down to walk again, with the aid of crutches. Dina Fine Maron reports
06.24.2014
Tanning Mice Get Physically Addicted
Mice regularly exposed to UV light produced feel-good endorphins and behaved like addicts. If humans do, too, it could explain why we seek sun, despite damage. Dina Fine Maron reports
06.17.2014
Hi-Tech Helmet Heads Off Stroke Damage
A helmet placed on the head of a stroke victim sends low-intensity microwaves through the brain to quickly determine whether a blockage or hemorrhage is taking place, making faster treatment possible. Wayt Gibbs reports
06.10.2014
Wikipedia Dicey as Medical Info Source
Researchers who compared peer-reviewed articles to the Wikipedia pages for the 10 most costly medical conditions in the U.S. discovered incorrect information on nine out of 10 pages. Dina Fine Maron reports
06.04.2014
Heroin Has Expanded Its User Base
Compared with 50 years ago, today's heroin user is whiter, more suburban and had prescription opioids for a gateway. Dina Fine Maron reports
05.28.2014
Laser Light Coaxes Damaged Rodent Tooth Repair
Low-power laser light shined on damaged rat teeth activates growth factors that cue stem cells to generate the tooth constituent dentin, leading to regeneration. Dina Fine Maron reports
05.20.2014
Vitamin C Helps Pregnant Smokers Have Healthier Babies
Children of smokers who popped vitamin C during pregnancy had better lung function than kids of other women who also smoked during pregnancy. Dina Fine Maron reports
05.06.2014
Some Nail Salon Dryers Bombard Skin with UV
Just a few nail drying sessions under the highest output UV bulbs used in some salons could age the skin and bump up the risk of skin cancer. Dina Fine Maron reports
04.29.2014
Snot Clouds Achieve Unexpected Buoyancy
Sneeze and cough particles form a cloud whose turbulence pulls in surrounding air, which allows the goop to maintain buoyancy and move farther than expected. Cynthia Graber reports
04.18.2014
Morning Light Exposure Tied to Lower Weight
Exposure to bright light in the morning appears linked to reduced appetite and lower body weight, regardless of sleep patterns. Sophie Bushwick reports
04.09.2014
Hand Soap Ingredient Can Up Body Bacteria Burden
Residues of the antimicrobial agent triclosan can paradoxically boost bacterial growth in our bodies, by giving microbes a comfortable biofilm in which to rest. Christopher Intagliata reports
04.04.2014
Many More Americans Issue End-of-Life Instructions
The number of Americans aged 60 or more who issued advance directives governing their end-of-life care went from 47 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2010. Dina Fine Maron reports
03.27.2014
Goo Keeps Bones Strong but Supple
Bones are filled with a viscous fluid that’s key to their function as support structures, and which could inform osteoporosis research. Dina Fine Maron reports
03.18.2014
Dodgers Doc: No Noninjury Tommy John Surgery to Improve Performance
Stan Conte, vice president of medical services for the L.A. Dodgers, advised parents and coaches of young athletes to not consider Tommy John surgery on healthy arms for the sake of improving performance. He spoke at the SABR conference in...
03.11.2014
Flu Vaccine Keeps Connecticut Kids from Hospitals
After flu shot regulations upped Connecticut kids' vaccination rate, their hospitalization risk went down. Dina Fine Maron reports
03.04.2014
Bedroom TV Linked to Kid Weight Gain
The mere presence of a TV in a child's bedroom is linked with weight gain—regardless of how many hours per week a youngster watches it. Dina Fine Maron reports
02.25.2014
Store Receipts on Thermal Paper Can Transfer BPA
Volunteers who handled receipts containing the hormone-altering compound bisphenol A for two hours showed elevated BPA levels in their urine. Dina Fine Maron reports
02.12.2014
Concussions Abound in Soccer, Too
A meta-analysis finds that concussions accounted for between 6 and 9 percent of all injuries sustained on soccer fields. Dina Fine Maron reports
02.03.2014
Dengue Fever Makes U.S. Inroads
The CDC reports that locally acquired Dengue killed a Texas woman in 2012 who had been misdiagnosed with West Nile virus. Dina Fine Maron reports
01.28.2014
Secondhand Smoke Exposure Doubled Asthmatic Kids' Hospital Readmissions
A study of more than 600 asthmatic children at one Ohio hospital found that if the kids’ saliva tested positive for markers of nicotine exposure, the children were about twice as likely to be readmitted over the next year for...
01.14.2014
Diet Soda Mixers Up Breathalyzer Readings
People who drank vodka with a diet mixer had breath alcohol levels 18 percent higher than when they drank alcohol with full-calorie soda. Sophie Bushwick reports
01.06.2014
The Mercury's Falling...in Women's Seafood Consumption
Between 1999 and 2010 changes in seafood consumption meant that blood levels of mercury in women of childbearing age dropped by a third, and the percentage of such women who have worrisome blood levels of mercury dropped by two thirds....
12.31.2013
Teens and Docs Abstain from Sex Talk
In annual physicals teens and docs failed to talk sex a third of the time and usually too briefly when the subject was addressed. Dina Fine Maron reports
12.24.2013
Older Couch Potatoes Benefit from Even a Little Exercise
Middle-aged to elderly adults with no history of exercising still saw significant health benefits from even small additions of regular physical activity to their schedules. Dina Fine Maron reports
12.17.2013
Apple a Day Could Keep Statins Away
A population model suggests that a small dietary change, such as eating a daily piece of fruit instead of the equivalent calories in less healthful fare, may stave off as many heart-related deaths as would statins. Christopher Intagliata reports

What's 60-Second Health about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

60-Second Health episodes:

Emulsifiers in Food Linked to Obesity in Mice

Menopause Symptoms Have Unappreciated Staying Power

Wearable Step Counters Offer Exercise Leg Up

Millions Risk Alcohol–Medication Interactions

Life Extension May Add Just Bad Time

6 Steps to Women’s Heart Health

Avoid Back-Lit Reading before Bed

Raw Milk Sicknesses Rise

Abortions in Medical Settings Rarely Have Major Complications

Diabetes Prevention in Midlife Helps Protect Aging Brain

Drownings Kill 140,000 Kids Annually

Steamy Smooches Share Batches of Bacteria

Snake DNA Left in Bite ID's Serpent Assailant

Plan Now for Future Ebola Outbreaks

Ebola Efforts Helped by Flu Shots

Kids Who Exercise Don’t Sweat Tests

Smart Park Benches Weigh Sitters

Dry Roasting May Up Peanut Allergic Potential

Drug-Resistant Bacteria Hang Out in Hog Workers

Graying Parent Care Falls to Daughters, Not Sons

Tweets Identify Food Poisoning Outbreaks

Poor Diabetics Suffer More Amputations

Heat Fells More Distance Runners Than Do Hearts

Prescription Refill Appearance Change Puts Patients off Meds

Heavy Metal Headbanging Rare Risk Revealed

Robotic Exoskeleton Gets First-Ever FDA Approval

Tanning Mice Get Physically Addicted

Hi-Tech Helmet Heads Off Stroke Damage

Wikipedia Dicey as Medical Info Source

Heroin Has Expanded Its User Base

Laser Light Coaxes Damaged Rodent Tooth Repair

Vitamin C Helps Pregnant Smokers Have Healthier Babies

Some Nail Salon Dryers Bombard Skin with UV

Snot Clouds Achieve Unexpected Buoyancy

Morning Light Exposure Tied to Lower Weight

Hand Soap Ingredient Can Up Body Bacteria Burden

Many More Americans Issue End-of-Life Instructions

Goo Keeps Bones Strong but Supple

Dodgers Doc: No Noninjury Tommy John Surgery to Improve Performance

Flu Vaccine Keeps Connecticut Kids from Hospitals

Bedroom TV Linked to Kid Weight Gain

Store Receipts on Thermal Paper Can Transfer BPA

Concussions Abound in Soccer, Too

Dengue Fever Makes U.S. Inroads

Secondhand Smoke Exposure Doubled Asthmatic Kids' Hospital Readmissions

Diet Soda Mixers Up Breathalyzer Readings

The Mercury's Falling...in Women's Seafood Consumption

Teens and Docs Abstain from Sex Talk

Older Couch Potatoes Benefit from Even a Little Exercise

Apple a Day Could Keep Statins Away