Air Pollution May Damage the Brain

Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with lower scores on tests of mental acuity, researchers have found. And one reason may be that air pollution causes changes in brain structure that resemble those of Alzheimer’s disease. The scientists studied 998 women ages 73 to 87 and free of dementia, periodically giving them tests of…

‘I Have a Ph.D. in Not Having Money’

David Velasquez learned his first clinical lesson early on: The health care system wasn’t made to care for people like him. Mr. Velasquez, 24, never had a primary care physician, because his parents, immigrants from Nicaragua, couldn’t afford the bills. When he was 12, his undocumented godmother died of cancer, having avoided hospitals until it…

New Scissors Reporting for Kitchen Duty

Joyce Chen kitchen shears have been my do-it-all utensil for decades. But now, Material, a direct-to-consumer kitchenware company, has come up with an improvement. These new shears with cushioned handles are similar in shape to mine but sturdier, with 3-inch-long stainless-steel blades. One of the blades has microscopic serrations, and the silicone handle cushions can…