Robert Roy Britt

@robertroybritt.bsky.social

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Independent science and health journalist. Founder/editor of Aha! and Wise & Well on Medium. Former editor-chief of Live Science and Space-dot-com. Author of Make Sleep Your Superpower.

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New research adds to the case of choosing a little movement over the alternative, in this case climbing stairs instead of talking elevators. While the study doesn’t prove cause and effect, the results are compelling.

Choose Stairs for a Healthier Lifemedium.com Climbing a few flights improves heart health and longevity, a new study shows

Numerous creatures have been pushed to the edge of extinction. But a few have made remarkable comebacks, from the bald eagle to the Iberian lynx, humpback whales and even some populations of polar bears—showing what’s possible when we put our collective minds to fixing things in the wild.

Back from the Brink: Wild Animal Revivals to Celebratemedium.com While many creatures big and small remain threatened, several have bounded back

Popular keto diet and low fat diets can make it hard to know what fats to eat. New research reveals which types of fats are healthiest, and why some people respond better than others to health-promoting fats.

Healthy Fats Improve Heart Health (For Some People)medium.com But knowing which fats are best is a challenge. New research brings clarity.

"romantic rejection activates deep attachment phases in a similar way to how children react when their parents withdraw affection" + other deep-seated feelings and motivations that a rejected person may mistake for love.

Why Romantic Rejection Makes Us Act Like Cocaine Addictsmedium.com Brain scans explain our extreme and clingy behaviors

In times of crisis, Americans are known to come together. But this weekend, with the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, things feel considerably different. Why are we a nation of such discontent and disagreement? I delve into the real psychological roots of the problem.

Can Americans Ever Come Together Again?medium.com First, we’ll have to acknowledge what’s really behind the fight between left and right

The 50-year-old depiction of 3.2-million-year-old Lucy as a very furry human ancestor might be wrong, revealing more about us, on our views on nudity, than it says about her.

Was Lucy Furry or Naked? On Human Ancestors, Nudity and Shame.medium.com The way Lucy has been depicted in newspapers, textbooks and museums may be all wrong

Despite an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows, the popularity of rawvmilk has only risen. Advocates claim raw milk has superior health benefits over pasteurized milk. There is little evidence to support these claims, however, and the risk of serious illness is much greater.

Raw Milk Health Risks Growmedium.com Bird flu spread has only made it more dangerous, scientists and nutritionists explain

A newfound dog-sized plant-eating dinosaur resembled a miniature T. rex, but it had big biceps, strong muscles at the hips, and fused pelvic bones. The better to dig with, scientists figure.

Underground Dinosaurs?ahascience.substack.com Newfound dino apparently spent part of life in burrows

Hip replacements, bionic arms and legs and artificial hearts all trace back to radical new thinking during the Renaissance. A history of favoring noninvasive surgery, when amputations were seen as a last resort given the high risk of death, suddenly changed with the advent of gunpowder warfare.

Iron Hands: A Brief History of Imputations and Prostheticsmedium.com Modern limb replacements trace back to radical new thinking during the Renaissance, forced by gunpowder warfare

Ingredients lists for US food are often much longer than the same foods sold in Europe. The reason is simple: The FDA allows many food additives that are banned in other countries. Take brominated vegetable oil (BVO), for example: The UK banned BVO in 1970.

It Took Only 54 Years for the FDA to Ban This Food Additivemedium.com Other countries figured it out a long time ago, but the US FDA continually lags behind in removing harmful chemicals from our food

It might seem counterintuitive, but walking is among the best treatments for many cases of chronic back pain. New research confirms the value of this helpful remedy to alleviate back pain and keep it at bay.

Nagging Back Pain? Walk it Offmedium.com New study shows a daily stroll may prevent the recurrence of back pain.

When people cry, their dogs grasp the fact that things aren’t well, a type of emotional contagion, new research suggests. It's not the first study to show that dogs know how we feel (pigs, by the way, not so much).

Dogs Know How You Feelahascience.substack.com You cry, they get all emotional, new study finds

Cooking in a heatwave can seem stupid. So this writer, who bakes and admits to being pretty geeky, did the math and on how much heat energy a typical oven dumps into a home, and the cost of counteractive cooling on a scorching summer day.

Should I Use My Oven During a Heat Wave?medium.com It’s fresh fruit season and there are things I need to bake. I did the math on when to use the oven and when to make other plans.

No matter how old you are now, what you eat today could determine your health and well-being years and even decades from now. Three new studies illustrate the importance of good nutrition on future well-being and longevity.

How to Take Care of Future Youmedium.com What you eat today influences brain health and physical well-being for the rest of your life, if you live that long

Alcohol can be dangerous when mixed with medications for pain, diabetes, cholesterol, mental health conditions and even the common cold. This writer, a former nurse and recovering alcoholic, shoots straight about the risks.

Why You Shouldn’t Mix These Medications With Alcoholmedium.com Important health education from a former nurse and recovering alcoholic

Giant salamander fossil found with a 2-foot-long head. “It's got a big, flat, toilet seat-shaped head, which allows it to open its mouth and suck in prey. It has these huge fangs, the whole front of the mouth is just giant teeth."

Ancient Swamp Creature Hunted with Jaws Wide Openahascience.substack.com Newfound giant salamander was a top predator

Trump & Biden both exhibit clear signs of conditions the voting public should be aware of, argues this psychiatrist and neuroscientist, who lays out an ethical case for discussing their ages and related signs of #dementia, #ADHD and other conditions.

The Biden-Trump Debate Spoke Loudly About Their Mental Healthmedium.com A diagnostic and ethical perspective on discussing the candidates’ age, dementia, ADHD, Parkinson’s and personality disorders.

Celebratory fireworks ain’t got nothin’ on the natural explosions that birth new stars and rip old ones apart out there in space. The best space fireworks photos I’ve ever seen:

10 Fantastic Space Fireworks Photosmedium.com Amazing images of celestial pyrotechnics, from stellar birth to explosive cosmic destruction

A new atomic clock would lose no more than 1 second if it ran for 30 billion years. Why do we need such precision timekeeping? For new investigations into science, technology and space...

New Clock is Most Accurate Evermedium.com This atomic timekeeper would lose no more than 1 second if it ran for 30 billion years

US Seniors lose more than $3 billion a year in scams ranging from tech-support and investment fraud to fake romance. Learn from this geriatrician how you or a loved one can avoid these scams, and what victims can do.

Elder Fraud Epidemic: What You Need to Knowmedium.com US Seniors lose more than $3 billion a year in scams ranging from tech-support and investment fraud to fake romance

Among the many amazing images #Hurricane #Beryl is this animated satellite view of lightning sparking all around the storm's eyewall, and thunderheads puffing up well out along the storm's outer bands. Amazing.

Hurricane Beryl's Lightningyoutu.be Lightning in and around the eye of Category 4 Hurricane Beryl, as seen by a GOES satellite on June 30. Credit: (CSU/CIRA & NOAA

The writer of this piece is a worrywart. Big stuff. Small stuff. Things that’ll never happen. He realizes one can worry his life away, and so for his own benefit and yours, he offers a philosophical take on catastrophizing or existential dread—call it what you want—and how to escape the loop.

Why We Worry Our Lives Away, and How to Stopmedium.com Constant worry is time-consuming and it weighs us down. Here’s how to break free.

Much research and advice suggests multivitamins are a waste of money. But other studies indicate they're good insurance against disease and cognitive decline, especially as we age or for those with whose diet and nutrition is suboptimal.

Do Multivitamins Do Any Good?medium.com Advice is all over the place. So I asked scientists who actually study this question.

New research, upends a longstanding explanation for the origin of the Griffin, and this writer and book author takes the opportunity to delve into the origins of myths ranging from Medusa to Cyclops.

Were Greek Monster Myths Born in Our Imagination or Science?medium.com New research debunking the mythical Griffin's origins rewrites the legend. Let's untangle myth from truth.

This dermatologist has seen her share of eczema cases. New research adds salt to the list of causes, so she explains the many ways to lower risk for eczema, and how to deal with the condition if it arises.

Another Reason to Skip Salt: Eczemamedium.com Sodium triggers skin problems, new research shows

Used to be, every new image from Hubble was cause for celebration. Over the past 34 years, the orbiting observatory has delighted our visual senses while transforming our understanding of the cosmos. But sometimes, it just sends back pretty pictures for us to awe over. This is one of those.

Just Another Nebula Picture from Hubbleahascience.substack.com We get jaded, but the images don't stop being amazing

Dementia is on a lot of minds after Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance Thursday night. Watching him struggle, whatever the cause (and I'm not venturing a diagnosis) can make any of us wonder and worry whether dementia is our destiny. But it's not as common as you might think.

Dementia is Not Inevitable. How to Lower Your Risk.medium.com The presidential debate stoked the fear of Alzheimer’s disease. Learn about the causes and remedies.

Weighted blankets seem to be an easy, appealing way to improve sleep. But it’s hard to know how much… weight… to put on the results. They do seem to reduce anxiety and enhance sleep, particularly for individuals on the autism spectrum or with other mental health conditions, the writer concludes.

Are Weighted Blankets Just a Marketing Gimmick?medium.com Limited research indicates they can help with sleep and anxiety

The claim that microwave ovens cause cancer goes back to what scientists might call a "non-finding" in the 1970s, when the revolutionary new appliances were just becoming common. But is there anything to it?

Is My Microwave Nuking Me?medium.com Demystifying microwave oven myths, and how to cook safely

Fasten your cosmic seat belts, space fans. Scientists today released a new 3D visualization that flies through the iconic Pillars of Creation. See hot new stars amid the cradle of gas and dust that harbors stellar newborns as well as emerging embryos. Wow!

Fly Through the Pillars of Creation in Stunning New Videomedium.com One of the most iconic scenes in space gets a modern makeover