A fresh, approachable read on questions from across science. Explore everyday observations, surprising connections, and the explanations worth slowing down for.
A slower read. A wider world of science. ↓No, you should not eat crackers during the 24 hours before a colonoscopy. Standard prep requires a clear-liquid diet for the full day before the procedure, and crackers of any type, saltine, soda, wheat, or whole grain, are solid food.
Read the story ↗
Yes. A tetanus vaccine can and often should be given after a wound, and it still works because the tetanus vaccine is one of the few post-exposure vaccines that prevents disease rather than just priming the immune system.
A little more about this →Yes, you can and usually should eat with a fever, but the goal shifts from three full meals to small, frequent, easily digested portions, and hydration matters more than calories.
A little more about this →You cannot drive after a transient ischemic attack (TIA) until you have been medically assessed, and the exact wait depends on your country and your treatment.
A little more about this →You can drink alcohol while on blood thinners, but only within strict limits, and the answer depends entirely on which drug you take.
A little more about this →Yes, you can drink ginger tea while breastfeeding. Ginger is generally recognized as safe during lactation, and the amounts used in tea are far below levels linked to any documented harm in infants.
A little more about this →Yes, you can do calisthenics every day, but only if you split the work by intensity: high-effort strength sets for the same muscle group should be spaced 48 to 72 hours apart, while low-intensity movement such as easy push-ups, hangs, and…
A little more about this →You can drink alcohol with a UTI, but timing and dose matter more than most advice admits. No credible guideline lists alcohol as a cause of urinary tract infection, and moderate drinking will not make a kidney infection inevitable.
A little more about this →Yes, you can drink black coffee before a bone density test, and you do not need to fast for a DXA scan. Coffee contains no calcium and does not alter the X-ray attenuation the scanner measures, so a morning cup will not change your T-score.
A little more about this →No — you should not drink wine while you have acute COVID-19, and the safest rule is zero alcohol from the day symptoms start until at least 7 days after you test negative or your fever has been gone for 48 hours, whichever is later.
A little more about this →No, you cannot buy herpes medicine over the counter in the United States.
A little more about this →Yes, most people can drink milk after taking antibiotics, but the timing and the specific drug matter more than most advice suggests. Dairy does not damage your gut or "cancel out" antibiotics in general.
A little more about this →Yes, you can drink alcohol after taking azithromycin, because the two substances do not interact chemically: azithromycin is not metabolized by the liver enzymes that alcohol competes for, and alcohol does not block the antibiotic from…
A little more about this →Yes, you can donate plasma after a COVID-19 vaccine, and in most cases you do not need to wait at all.
A little more about this →Yes, hypothyroidism can cause a persistent cough, though it is an unusual and indirect symptom rather than a direct one.
A little more about this →Yes, you can usually drink alcohol after an iron infusion, but not immediately.
A little more about this →Yes, you can color your hair while using ketoconazole shampoo, and the standard approach is to wait at least 72 hours after your last ketoconazole wash before applying dye.
A little more about this →Yes, hypoxia can cause a seizure, and it does so through a specific sequence: when brain oxygen falls far enough that ATP production fails, the sodium-potassium pumps lose power, neurons depolarize uncontrollably, and excitatory glutamate…
A little more about this →Yes, you can be allergic to olive oil, but it is rare. True IgE-mediated olive allergy is driven by proteins that survive pressing, chiefly a 9–10 kDa lipid transfer protein (LTP) called Ole e 1 and related Ole e 7 and Ole e 9 proteins,…
A little more about this →Yes, hypothyroidism can cause depression and anxiety, and it does so through measurable biology rather than mood alone.
A little more about this →Yes, hypothyroidism can cause prediabetes, but usually indirectly and slowly.
A little more about this →Yes, hypothyroidism can cause or worsen GERD, though it acts as an indirect driver rather than a direct cause.
A little more about this →Yes, hypothyroidism can go undetected for years, and it does so through two distinct routes.
A little more about this →Yes, humans can have eyes that appear black, but true black irises do not exist in the human species.
A little more about this →
Spend a little time with
Or settle into the whole journal →AI-generated editorial images · Image policy
