Lisa Marshall
- As many as 7% of moms-to-be use marijuana while pregnant, and that number is rising fast as more use it as a remedy for morning sickness. But new research shows such use could have a lasting impact on the fetal brain, influencing children's sleep for as much as a decade.
- Eat a slab of steak and your resident gut bacteria get to work immediately to break it down. But new research shows that a metabolic byproduct, called TMAO, produced in the process can be toxic to the lining of arteries, making them age faster.
- Extremely conservative Facebook users are responsible for sharing the bulk of fake news, but extreme liberals are responsible for a good chunk of it, too, according to a new study. Those who lack trust in the media, and in society in general, are also more likely to share it.
- Students are sleeping about a half-hour more each night and keeping more regular sleep hours. That's positive news, said study authors, as sleep is key to maintaining overall health, including a robust immune system that can fight off viruses.
- Smoking high-potency marijuana concentrates boosts blood levels of THC more than twice as much as smoking conventional weed, but it doesn’t necessarily get you higher, according to a new study. The research also found that memory and balance are impaired immediately after using cannabis, but those impairments subside in an hour.
- Youth programs designed to prevent drug use and delinquency and support healthy development can reap lasting benefits not only for participants, but also for their kids.
- Inoculating mothers with a beneficial microbe during pregnancy prevents an autism-like disorder in their offspring, according to a new study. The paper suggests that exposure to good bacteria during pregnancy may positively impact brain development.
- The National Institutes of Health has awarded CU Boulder $11 million to continue a study measuring how drugs, screens, concussions and more impact development, offering insight into why teenagers do the things they do.
- A new brain imaging study of prairie voles—which are among only about 5% of mammalian species besides humans who are monogamous—found that when it comes to forming bonds, longing may be as important as being together. The study also sheds light on why it's so hard to social distance, and could lead to new therapies for conditions like autism and depression.
- About 55 million U.S. kids have been hunkered down at home the past few months, often in households where both parents work full time. In honor of Mother's Day, we caught up with CU Boulder psychology professor and mother-of-two June Gruber for her perspective and advice for working moms.