Showing results by author "Alice Callahan"

It seems like every time a new mother turns on her computer, radio, or television she is greeted with news of yet another scientific study about infancy. Ignoring good information isn't the right course, but just how does one tell the difference between solid studies, preliminary results, and snake oil? In this friendly guide through the science of infancy, Science of Mom blogger and PhD scientist Alice Callahan explains how nonscientist mothers can learn the difference between hype and evidence.

The belief that milk might increase mucus production has been around for centuries, but it seems to be more myth than fact.

Supplement makers commonly market biotin, a B vitamin, for nail health, based on two small studies published in the 1990s that found that most patients had stronger, thicker nails within several months of beginning a biotin supplement.

Fat cell number increases through childhood and adolescence and generally stabilizes in adulthood. But this doesn’t mean that fat cells, or adipocytes, are stagnant. The size of individual fat cells is remarkably variable, expanding and contracting with weight gain or weight loss. And as with most cell types in the body, adipocytes die eventually.

"Are Fat Cells Forever?" is from the February 20, 2017 U.S. section of The New York Times. It was written by Alice Callahan and narrated by Kristi Burns.

Why don’t we know more about what causes morning sickness? With millions of data points annually, it seems like there should be good data!

"What Causes Morning Sickness" is from the August 07, 2018 US section of The New York Times. It was written by Alice Callahan and narrated by Kristi Burns.