Genes linked to low birth weight, adult shortness and later diabetes risk
An international team of genetics researchers has discovered four new gene regions that contribute to low birth weight. Three of those regions influence adult metabolism, and appear to affect longer-term outcomes such as adult...
How infidelity helps nieces and nephews
A fresh study produced new mathematical support for a theory that explains why men in some cultures often feed and care for their sisters’ children: where extramarital sex is common and accepted, a man’s...
Risk of childhood obesity can be predicted at birth
The formula, which is available as an online calculator, estimates the child’s obesity risk based on its birth weight, the body mass index of the parents, the number of people in the household, the...
Autism severity may stem from fear
Most people know when to be afraid and when it’s ok to calm down.
But new research on autism shows that children with the diagnosis struggle to let go of old, outdated fears. Even more...
College students more eager for marriage than their parents
Reaching adulthood certainly takes longer than it did a generation ago, but new research shows one way that parents are contributing to the delay.
A national study found that college students think 25 years old...
Diverse post-divorce parenting arrangements on the increase
A new study mapping when children spend time with their father after divorce, has revealed a shift away from children only spending time with their father every second weekend.
The study, based on a random...
Exposure to traffic pollution in pregnancy, 1st year of life, appears associated with autism
Exposure to traffic-related air pollution, particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide during pregnancy and during the first year of a child’s life appears to be associated with an increased risk of autism, according to a...
Dwarfism and young children
Researchers are involved in the only drug trial in the Southern Hemisphere aimed at altering the growth patterns for young children who have achondroplasia, a disorder of bone growth that causes the most common...
Reducing sibling rivalry in youth improves later health and well-being
Sibling conflict represents parents' No. 1 concern and complaint about family life, but a new prevention program -- designed and carried out by researchers at Penn State -- demonstrates that siblings of elementary-school age...
Students at cooperative schools are more engaged
Student engagement is not independent of the type of school attended. Nor is it independent of the organisational development of the school. The school’s organisational style affects the work of its teaching staff, which,...
