Searching for a better treatment for eating disorders
By Kendall Powell Cognitive behavioral therapy is proving to work well, but only for some patients. Scientists are seeking new innovations to help people grappling with the pervasive and often-hidden problems of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. Read more
How racism in early life can affect long-term health
By Jack P. Shonkoff OPINION: Excessive adversity activates biological reactions that can lead to lifelong problems in physical and mental wellbeing Read more
Human life span may have no limit, analysis of supercentenarians suggests
By Tom Siegfried Statistical methods predict that old-age record could reach 130 by century’s end Read more
12 days of Knowable
In addition to this week’s offerings, we are delighted to present “The 12 Days of Knowable,” as our seasonal gift to you.
Take care, and happy holidays,
Your friends at Knowable
- A partridge in a pear tree And just how did that pear tree come to be growing right there? The forest it resides in may seem like an untouched patch of wilderness, but, in fact, it has likely been gardened for millennia. We also suggest that the partridge reconsider and perch in a hedge. Hedges are the choice these days for discerning wildlife.
- Two turtle doves Ah, doves, the symbol of love. Ah, love, symbolized by the heart! Hearts grow with seeming ease during development, but try engineering one. The history of the artificial heart is peppered with failures, as our podcast relates. And should your own heart be aching, take solace in knowing that emotions seem to get better as we age.
- Three French hens We hope that those pretty hens do not harbor Salmonella, but we very much fear they may. Scientists are working to develop better tests, but in the meantime: Roast those three French hens good and well — or grill a steak!
- Four calling birds Whistling birds, perhaps — the better to communicate over long distances. Hopefully not whispering birds, tweeting misinformation and conspiracy theories hither and yon.
- Five gold coral rings Scientists as far back as Darwin have mused on what processes spawned the gorgeous circular formations called atolls. But if bling, not just rings, is your thing, read about the origins of glass, a treasure of the Late Bronze Age.
- Six geese a-lying No, that was not a typo — and those geese ought to be ashamed of themselves. Sadly, we humans are really bad at knowing when someone is telling a lie, so the geese may be able to get away with their mendacity for a good while yet. For laying birds, look no further than a clump of mistletoe — it’s a nest-material favorite.
- Seven swans a-swimming Look a bit more closely at those swans, and you may spot something odd. Yes, they’re mechanical swans! Scientists are building an array of wild robots to learn about the social behavior of animals in their natural environments.
- Eight maids a-milking ... but evidently not doing the dishes! Traces of dairy on shards of ancient pottery reveal that people, if not specifically maids, have been a-milking for thousands of years. The remains shed light on what people cooked and ate way back when. Or consider a different kind of milkiness — the light of the millions of stars of our galaxy — and a different kind of archaeologist: an astronomer who studies the origins of the Milky Way.
- Nine ladies dancing Moth ladies and bat ladies (and gents) have been gliding around the coevolutionary dance floor for 65 million years, with the former striving to avoid being dinner and the latter doing its best to thwart mothly defenses. Crowd-pleasing moth moves include the radar-jamming dip, the rapid-click reverse pivot and the hindwing tailspin.
- Ten lords a-leaping Jumping spiders are not merely handsome to look at, they are also lords of the lab — the creepy crawly intelligence lab, that is. Don’t let their fuzzy good looks fool you; these arachnids are super smart!
- Eleven pipers piping Dudes, all that smoking is bad for your lungs. Give up the pipe and try edibles? They’re improving all the time!
- Twelve drummers drumming By now, odds are good you have heard “Pa rum pum pumpum” so many times this season that you are ready to put a boot through the Little Drummer Boy’s drum. For aid in composing your cease-and-desist letter, read about the hazards of noise to the heart.
