Ever wonder why you have five fingers? Not six? Not three? R. Chanuad, of Prescott, Arizona was sufficiently curious to put the question to the Scientific American, which recruited Michael Coates, associate professor of Anatomy at the University of Chicago, to find an answer. Coates explains that once upon a […]

In October, Tom Andrews set out for a five-day climb up Yosemite’s mile-high El Capitan. With him was a 22-year-old college student from Mexico City.  Andrews, a serious climber for 25 years and a professional moutain guide for 10 years, expected a challenging trek up what he calls “the baddest […]

It took a few days for Big Media to figure out what it thought about the new USDA-issued food pyramid, but the word has now come down, and it is not entirely laudatory. The New York Times wonders why, if “only 2 percent to 4 percent (of Americans) eat according […]

Here’s another reason not to worry: If you worry, there is a greater likelihood that dementia will take a toll later in life. At least that’s what’s suggested by a study of long-term study involving 3,500 Minnesotans. The study, lead by a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, […]

Last month’s annual Jeep safari drew 5,000 four-wheel-drive vehicles to the dusty desert town of Moab, whose population is just about that.  When they drove away, they left behind a smoldering debate over which sporty group the town should make more welcome: the recently arrived four-wheelers, or the mountain bikers […]

Does healthy make you happy? Or does happy make you healthy? Forbes.com reports on a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that suggests the latter. The research indicates that our degree of happiness is directly related to specific bodily functions that protect against cardiovascular […]

Several hundred million Chinese people can’t be wrong. Well, they could be wrong, but we think in the case of Tai Chi, they’ve probably got it right. The discipline, based in the martial arts, comes highly recommended in the April issue of Outside Magazine as a great way to instill […]

With just a few weeks left before the wet-suited flock of triathletes returns to my favorite kettle pond, it’s time to think about retrieving the rhythm and rebuilding the strength needed to get the most from my second favorite medium. Where to start? This piece from About.com offers ten great […]

Thin may be in, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Better, a new study suggests, to have a little fat on your bones. The New York Times reports on an epidemiological study by researchers at that National Cancer Institute and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention that […]

After 15 years of hanging on the walls of elementary school cafeterias, the Department of Agriculture’s famous food pyramid has gone digital. It has also been reconstructed, with an eye toward personal customization, so that now instead of offering a one-diet-fits-all approach, the USDA asks users to enter their age, […]