Professional Learning for Busy Educators

E-cigarettes and vapes have exploded in popularity in the last decade, especially among youth and young adults -- from 2011 to 2015, e-cigarette use among high school students in the US increased by 900 percent. Biobehavioral scientist Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin explains what you're actually inhaling when you vape (hint: it's definitely not water vapor) and explores the disturbing marketing tactics being used to target kids. "Our health, the health of our children and our future generations is far too valuable to let it go up in smoke -- or even in aerosol," she says.

Despite the fact that having too many morning cold brews makes you feel like your heart will explode, a study from PLOS Biology released Thursday shows that there’s an optimum amount of coffee you can drink to maintain a healthy heart. “We’ve disproved what doctors have told your grandma: Don’t drink coffee if you have a heart problem,” study co-authors Joachim Altschmied, Ph.D. and Judith Haendeler, Ph.D., tell Inverse.

The students wait eagerly for their teachers to turn their backs.

That’s their cue to reach quietly for a small, sleek device they can easily conceal in their palms. It resembles a flash drive, but instead of computer files, this device stores nicotine.

They take a hit, sucking on the device as they would a cigarette. Then, “they blow into their backpacks … or into their sweater when the teacher isn’t looking,” said Elijah Luna, 16, a sophomore at Vista del Lago High School in Folsom, Calif., about 30 miles east of Sacramento.

 One Juul "pod," the nicotine cartridge inserted into the smoking device and heated, delivers about 200 puffs, about as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes, according to the product website. Brianna Soukup / Press Herald Via Getty Images File
The vapor cloud is so small and dissipates so quickly that teachers are usually none the wiser, said Luna, who added he’s never tried it himself.

The device is a Juul, a popular electronic cigarette that’s a sensation among teens, especially in wealthier neighborhoods — and a nightmare for school administrators and public health advocates.

Silence is a rare commodity these days. There's traffic, construction, air-conditioning, your neighbor's lawnmower ... and all this unwanted sound can have a surprising impact on your health, says noise researcher Mathias Basner. Discover the science behind how noise affects your health and sleep -- and how you can get more of the benefits of the sound of silenc

The Common Vision - A Canada where all Canadians move more and sit less, more often.

Being physically active is key to good overall health and to preventing chronic disease. Levels of physical inactivity and sedentary living among Canadians are critical issues in Canada. 

Never before has Canada had a singular policy focus on physical activity and its relationship to sport, recreation, health, and other relevant policy areas. The Common Vision is a new, collective way forward that will guide the country towards ways of increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary living. It is a national policy document that is intended to move the country.Footnote *

Informed and inspired by Indigenous perspectives, and input from many organizations and leaders, the Common Vision is for all that have a stake in promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary living in Canada. To make progress, bold, new steps must be taken together.

The Common Vision serves to complement and align with other relevant policies, strategies and frameworks.

Most of us don’t need more than one whiff to identify that generally unpleasant, characteristic smell we call body odor. But it’s a surprisingly complex phenomenon, influenced by our genetic makeup, age, diet, and hygiene. So what is this odor, exactly? Where does it come from? And can we do anything about it? Mel Rosenberg dives into the stinky science of body odor.

Take a movement break every 30 minutes, say experts. No matter how much you exercise, sitting for excessively long periods of time is a risk factor for early death, a new study published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine found.

There's a direct relationship between time spent sitting and your risk of early mortality of any cause, researchers said, based on a study of nearly 8,000 adults. As your total sitting time increases, so does your risk of an early death.