Are you putting off until tomorrow what you could be doing today? If that’s you, it might not be just a personality trait. A study of over 250 men’s and women’s brain scans revealed that a brain region involved in motivation tends to be larger among people who put things off, while communication between that part of the brain and another involved in taking action appeared to be weaker. This study is the first to scan the brain to identify a neural basis for procrastination. Participants in the study were between the ages of 18 and 35 with no history of neurological or psychiatric disorders.... Read More

From birth to death, one of the most important parts of being human is the need for physical contact. Did you know that a firm hug can make you feel less negative emotion? Scientists found that getting a hug on the day of a conflict was linked to a slight rise in positive emotions and a comparable drop in negative ones, and appeared to linger into the following day. Evidence suggests that close physical contact — such as a hug — can play a part in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, stress, loneliness, aggression, anxiety and depression. When you hug someone, you release... Read More

Some dieters firmly believe in avoiding fat and while others espouse avoiding carbs. Does it matter? In a recent study at Stanford University researchers put more than 600 overweight adults on either a healthy low-fat or low-carb diet. It turns out, participants had similar levels of weight loss success on each plan. That’s right!  Both diets were successful. The most important factor that was common to each diet?  Participants were instructed to eat lots of vegetables and protein while limiting their intake of added sugar and refined carbs. Sugar and other carbs have increasingly been tied... Read More

Whether you’ve just started school at CU or you’ve been around the block a few semesters, by the time you graduate you’ll be sure to have encountered each of these seven types of professors: 1. The Comedian: This professor views their classroom as a nightclub, and their students as an audience that just keeps coming back for more. Some are legitimately hilarious and will leave your abs (if only you had abs) aching from laughter, while others will make you want to hide your cringing face behind your textbook. Whether your professor is the academic version of Chris Rock, or a scholarly... Read More

An eagerly awaited health study regarding the safety of fracking has been released. The study, conducted by consulting firm ICF International, found that oil a gas drilling caused health risks at distances greater than the currently established “setback” distance of 500 feet from single family homes and 11oo feet from high occupancy buildings. The study found that there were negative health effects from fracking ranging from 300 feet to 2000 feet. “Exposure to chemicals used in oil and gas development, such as benzene, may cause short-term negative health impacts…during ‘worst-case’... Read More

Cannabis consumers are typically portrayed as lazy, and have had the couch locked stigma association in mainstream media over the years. With new research from the University of Colorado Boulder released, the topic about cannabis and fitness is going mainstream. The stigma about cannabis consumers being lazy is being shattered by science. Men’sHealth, Maxim, The Denver Channel, Medical Marijuana, Inc., MSN and The Denver Post are just a few of many discussing the recent research. The research surveyed 600 adult cannabis consumers from states where cannabis is legal for adult use. When asked if... Read More

Could you use some extra cash for the holidays? Are you active and consume cannabis? How about just active? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might qualify to participate in ongoing cannabis research right here in Colorado! There are several research studies being conducted throughout the state, and you can find one that fits you best. For any athletes out there who currently consume cannabis or haven’t consumed any cannabis products for the past 6 months, you could qualify for the cannabis activity study! The University of Northern Colorado Sport and Exercise Science Department... Read More

A 2015 survey found that two out of three U.S. teens owned an iPhone. For this reason, the generation of kids born after 1995 is called iGen, coined by author Jean Twenge, author of a book on the subject. According to the Pew Research Center, smart phone ownership crossed the 50 percent threshold in late 2012 – right when teen depression and suicide began to increase. These increases in depression, suicide attempts and suicide appeared among teens from every background, across all races and ethnicities, and in every region of the country. The bottom line:  iGen teens are much more likely to... Read More

In 2018, an estimated 1.7 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and over 600 thousand people will die from the disease. Recently, a phase I trial was conducted testing a personalized vaccine’s ability to hold an aggressive group of cancers in check. The trial is the first step to determining if a vaccine can stop cancer in its tracks. The promising new cancer vaccine cured up to 97 percent of tumors in mice and will soon be tested in humans for the first time. Researchers from Stanford University will test the therapy in about 35 people with lymphoma by the end of... Read More

Brain injury has been a hot topic of conversation since Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist, conducted the autopsy of Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster in 2002. The autopsy led to his discovery of a new disease that he named chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. CTE is the term used to describe brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head traumas. Symptoms of CTE include difficulty thinking, impulsive behavior, depression, short-term memory loss, emotional instability, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts or behavior. At present, diagnosing CTE can only be done after death.... Read More