You can improve your mental function simply by having conversations…but the tenor of the talking makes a difference. Turns out a friendly conversation helps, but once you turn competitive, the benefits dissolve.

It’s an invention that could counter terrorist threats. A table-top gamma-ray detector created at U-M can not only identify the presence of dangerous nuclear materials, but can pinpoint and show their exact location and type, unlike conventional detectors which are not able to be as specific. Includes video.

When female monarchs are sick, they find plant “medicine” that will reduce infections in their offspring. Infected female butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on certain milkweed plants that will make their offspring less sick, suggesting that monarchs have evolved the ability to medicate their offspring.

A paralyzed patient may someday be able to “think” a foot into flexing or a leg into moving, using technology that harnesses the power of electricity in the brain, thanks in part to new breakthroughs by U-M researchers. Includes video.

Apparently your mom had it right when she threatened to wash your mouth out with soap if you talked dirty. Lying really does create a desire to clean the “dirty” body part.

The longevity of a marriage can be predicted by how a couple deals with conflict—or fails to. Are women’s fighting behaviors more destructive than men’s?

If you or a family member is an athlete, it pays to get your heart checked. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be silent killer for athletes, but if managed well, patients can live active lives.

U-M researchers have created the state’s first human embryonic stem cell line, achieving a long-sought goal that provides the foundation for future efforts to develop innovative disease treatments.

BPA is a common chemical (more than 6 billion pounds of it are produced annually) that’s stirred controversy in the media over its safety. Now, in one of the first human studies of its kind, researchers have found that urinary concentrations of BPA may be related to decreased sperm quality and sperm concentration. The findings are preliminary but point to the need for more study.