A small study found that the Oura ring, which contains sensors to monitor body temperature, appears to do a pretty good job of detecting pregnancies. Researchers found that nightly temperatures measured by the ring were higher two to nine days after sex that led to conception.

“If women know that they’re pregnant sooner, they can make choices about their life that they might not know to make otherwise,” study co-author Benjamin Smarr told STAT.

Noise and learning don’t mix. Spanish researchers followed 2,680 second- to fourth-graders at 38 schools in Barcelona for a year, testing their attentiveness and working memory every three months.

They found that children exposed to road traffic noise at school had slower attention and working memory development compared with children in quieter schools. Inside the classroom, noise fluctuation mattered more than noise intensity. And road traffic noise at home did not make a difference in the children’s progress on cognitive tests.

The vast majority of people’s noses are within their field of vision. We don’t see the ends of our noses because our brain has trained itself to ignore it.

Through October 2021, there were 72.94 more COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people in Republican counties in the U.S. (counties where 70 percent or more of the votes were cast for Trump in 2020) than in Democratic counties, according to a study published in Health Affairs.

Getting dizzy from standing up too fast

According to my BMI chart, I’m too short.

Alkaptonuria is sometimes called “black urine disease.” It’s a very rare, inherited disorder in which the body does not completely break down two amino acids (tyrosine and phenylalanine), resulting in the buildup of a chemical called homogentisic acid (HA).

HA can turn urine dark and lead to other problems affecting connective tissues, bones, ears and heart. People with the condition have a normal life expectancy, but lesser quality of life.

“I don’t plan to grow old gracefully. I plan to have face-lifts until my ears meet.”

This week in 1586, Sir Walter Raleigh introduced tobacco from Virginia to England, beginning a global addiction.

The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh, then think. A look at real science that’s hard to take seriously, and even harder to ignore.

In 1994, the Ig Nobel Prize in medicine went to a pair of recipients. The first was Patient X, a former Marine, who was bit by his pet rattlesnake and attempted treatment by attaching spark plug wires to his lip and applying a jolt of electricity. The second recipient was a group of doctors at the University of Arizona for their medical report: “Failure of Electric Shock Treatment for Rattlesnake Envenomation.”

There are thousands of exercises and you’ve only got one body, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try them all: Single-leg tricep dips are a way to focus on the triceps — the backs of your upper arms.

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, about hip-distance apart. Place your hands behind you with your fingers facing toward your body.

Lift your hips up to bring your bottom off the ground and shift your weight back into your hands, then lift your right leg toward the ceiling.

Bend your arms so your bottom is hovering just above the ground. Keep your elbows tight in toward the center of your body, and avoid flaring them out at an angle when you lower down.

Straighten your arms to return to the starting position.

Do 20 reps on the same side, then 20 reps with the other leg toward the ceiling.

Q: What’s the difference between “FDA approved” and “FDA cleared”?

A: “FDA approved” means the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reviewed clinical testing of a drug or product to determine that its health benefits outweigh known risks. FDA approval generally applies to medications and medical devices used to sustain or support life, such as pacemakers.

“FDA cleared” refers to medical devices that are at lower risk, such as catheters and powered wheelchairs. In such cases, the manufacturer has shown that their product is similar enough to other products on the market to be presumed safe.

Terms like “FDA registered” and “FDA certified,” which some manufacturers use, are not legitimate labels and mean nothing.

In 1626, the English scientist-philosopher-statesman Sir Francis Bacon traveled north to investigate whether snow could preserve meat. He bought a local chicken and stuffed its carcass in the snow, then waited outside for many hours. He died of pneumonia three days later.

LaFee is a health science writer at UC San Diego.

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