A study released today in the December issue of Significance confirms that homo floresiensis, colloquially known as the hobbit for its tiny stature, is a genuine ancient human ancestor and not a genetically flawed version of modern humans.

 People living in individualistic societies are more susceptible to depression and anxiety according to a new study.

American teenagers are facing serious issues with their weight.Social worker Rachel Siegel and nutritionist Carly Weiss at Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center in New York City formed T.E.E.N. F.I.T. to focus on helping teens balance their nutritional habits and create a healthy lifestyle. An important lesson they teach about food is to modify recipes. With holidays and temptations on the horizon, Siegel and Weiss answer a few questions about creating a healthy lifestyle.

Transgender individuals still face many hurdles, even within the LGBT world. And the photo identification policy at northwest suburban Hunters Nightclub has come to represent some of them.

Sixteen senior centers are scattered throughout Chicago, providing resources for socializing, taking classes and, at some, a hot meal. The centers are places for seniors’ to socialize, take classes and simply to get out of the house. “As people age, they experience many losses in their lives and we offer the too

Eight inmates from the Illinois Department of Corrections have filed a lawsuit to stop the soy diet they are forced to eat in prison. The inmates contend the soy has caused severe health problems, including digestive disorders, irritable bowel syndrome and hypothyroidism.

Caution: If you're reading this, you might have a problem. The first Internet addiction treatment center opened this summer outside of Seattle; however, concerns have spread all over the nation. Dr. Daniel Yohanna describes this relatively new problem and offers solutions just short of traveling to Seattle for treatment.

When it comes to astroke, immediate treatment can make the difference between a full recovery and a life of disability.Simple symptoms can alert you to a stroke and healthy lifestyles can help avert one. 

Eight small business owners from around the country told a rally that they have been hit hard by high insurance costs for their employees. Chicago-area advocates joined them to rally for health care reform.

Kendahl Lauren Gardner Even toddlers learn to make a tasty mint pea soup at the kids' cooking school in Bucktown that tax attorney Elena Marre gave up her law practice to open. “I realized I had to leave law when all the tax partners were reading tax journals in bed and I thought that was crazy. I was reading co

Supply cannot keep up with demand in this unusual flu season. Google found a way to save vaccine-seekers time and frustration by adding a flu shot application. The California-based company is making its mark in web world as the "go-to" search engine. Visit www.google.com/flushot to use the application.   

Students with developmental speech issues have been  labeled with a special education condition.  Now that’s going to change, and will be classified as a medical condition under a new federal mandate.

Marita Vera Pascale Lacor dreamed of becoming a scientist as a 15-year-old attending a poorly performing inner-city high school in Paris. She met with her guidance counselor for advice and the woman laughed at Lacor’s intention to study neurobiology, insisting that the teenager come up with a more realistic care

Early detection has been shown to increase breast cancer survival rates. New advice from a government-sponsored panel suggests that women in their 40s don’t need mammograms, and that women over 50 can reduce their screening to every other year. But is it sound medical advice? Some say no.

He walked out from the kitchen dressed in a pristine white chef’s coat, a tell-tale sign of years of experience. There were no chocolate smears, dribbles or powder spots. Just white cotton, freshly pressed. From a purely physical appearance, you’d never know Robert Piron was a Belgian-trained chocolatier. But when the faint aroma of sugar and unsweetened cocoa wafts in from the back room after he greets you, you’ll realize this man knows his chocolate.  

The holiday season’s busy pace and easy access to unhealthy food can make these merry times dreary for diabetics. A dietitian and doctor share tips on how to eat healthy throughout the holiday season, and even loose a few pounds.

Children who eat sweets and chocolate every day are more likely to be violent adults, according to a 34-year research survey at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom.

Girls on the Run is a free educational and athletic program for girls ages eight to 13 years old. The after-school program was founded in Charlotte, N.C., in 1996, and the Chicago affiliate opened in 1999. The program combines physical training for 5K runs in the Fall and Spring with volunteers. Volunteers provide coaching and teach programs to encourage positive emotional, social, mental and spiritual development.

Arnell A. Brady is a speech pathologist committed to giving children a better life through clear speech. They bounce through the door of his Hyde Park offices and run right to the room where their treatment involves computer games and even a high-tech gadget called an Interactive Metronome.

The South and rural America has a higher concentration of disabled veterans, a recent report from the University of New Hampshire reveals.

Hundreds of seniors gathered at the Du Page Expo Center in St. Charles Wednesday for the last installment of the Active Senior Expo 2009. Silver Star Expositions organizes these annual events hosted in neighboring suburbs of Chicago several times throughout the year. More than 50 exhibitors were at the event, ranging from health care services to financial advisors.

Hyde Park’s parakeet population is on the move. Researchers from three Chicago area universities are enlisting the public’s help as they track the birds’ spread across the city and into the suburbs.

When it comes to plastic surgery, some go bigger, some go smaller, and some just want a little lift. In the end, it’s all about confidence.

At 10 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, the small lot across from Evanston Township High School is filled with horticulture students. A small horde of them trudge across the street carrying metal gardening tools and brown cotton work gloves. They are cultivating to reclaim an unused lot infamously known as the “smoker’s corner.”

Meet a naturopathic doctor and chef who combines the lessons of good health, nutrition and cooking. Doc Rob applies the wisdom of childhood stories such as Mary Poppins to deliver the message in his book "A Healthier Ever After." He cooks up a healthy, family meal at home for under $10 in our video.

Maclaren recalled its popular umbrella strollers Monday, following reports the strollers were involved in the amputation of  fingers in a dozen children. A federal report shows that strollers overall were the leading product associated with injuries to children under 5 in 2008..

Kristen MinogueThe world needs a solar revolution to enter the era of energy sustainability and avert the floods, droughts and crop losses expected to result from global warming, according to one scientist. But politics, economics and technical hurdles ensure the world will

A new study on the usage of intelligence enhancing drugs by students finds that preventative methods are ineffective and unrealistic, and that usage will become more widespread in the future. Also, a college student talks off the record about her usage of off-label Adderall, and how it affected her grades and experience.

Alternative energies could return us to 19th century emissions levels, but the politics and economics are proving just as tough as the science.

Verizon, the nation's larges wireless company, and Schaumburg-based Motorola debuted the new Droid smartphone a week prior to its Friday launch, where it was well received by the technology community.  Though reviewers are quick to note that the Droid is the best among Verizon’s smartphone portfolio, critics don’t think the Droid has usurped the iPhone’s position as reigning smartphone.

Researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with the University of Chicago have developed ice slurries that would allow quick and safe means of inducing hypothermia that would be useful in medical emergencies.

Gene Yale has been growing a miniature orchard of rare apples for 40 years in his Skokie backyard. Just as the trees in his neighbors’ yards struck their prime fall colors, Yale picked the last of the apples from his 178 dwarf trees.

Glaciers are retreating, lakes are drying up, and sea levels are rising faster than expected. Extreme weather is on the rise and predicted to become more extreme as temperatures climb with global warming. Yet, paradoxically, scientists realize the evidence of climate change may still be a hard sell.

Exercise may hold the key to preventing memory loss and other serious side effects cancer patients face after receiving brain irradiation treatment, according to researchers at Duke University.

Experts who express uncertainty may appear more credible, according to a new Stanford University study. The researchers' findings will appear in spring in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Jason Salavon aims to showcase the growing dynamism of technology within art. In his newest exhibition at the Hyde Park Art Center, Spigot (Oracle's Reflection) he uses his history of Google searches as source material, and projects blocks of shifting text over rhythmically fluctuating colors.

Do the alarming recent reports about women’s diminishing happiness mean they are doomed to depression? Not so, says motivational author Marcus Buckingham, who calls for a little imbalance in life.

Retired Chicago businessman Edwin H. Weig, 101, shared the secrets of living a long life in an interview last week, just two days before he peacefully and unexpectedly died. More people are likely to celebrate centenarian birthdays in coming decades - the British medical journal Lancet reports that most babies born and raised in developed countries during this century will reach their 100th birthdays.

Being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36 is terrifying. But even more frightening for Genae Girard is the idea that one company owns her right to know her risk of getting cancer.

Are you more likely to buy a cupcake or carrot sticks? Whether or not we indulge depends on how the choices are presented, a new study shows.

Vital Bridges, a Chicago food assistance program serving impoverished individuals living with HIV/AIDS, hands out its 10 millionth meal Thursday. The company has seen an increase in new clients this year, which is believed to be due to the worsening economy.

Imagine being thrilled to learn that the hardened material in your hands is dried...well, poop.  You might feel differently if the dropping potentially belonged to aviator Amelia Earhart. Richard Gillespie, executive director of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, said his team has unearthed several artifacts from Earhart's last fight.

 Chicago knows what's "Good Eats." Local families learn cooking wisdom and science tidbits from TV chef Alton Brown.

The advances made in nanotechnology show how many advancements have been made in nanotechnology in a short amount of time, according to experts who shared their findings at the International Institute of Nanotechnology's symposium.

Physicians treat obese patients with less respect according to study conducted by Johns Hopkins researchers. The findings stir up many questions involving the level of care offered to obese patients.

Thousands of people are raising cash in the recession as paid volunteers pariticipating in clinical trials.

Chicago area experts express concerns about overdose and other potential problems from a vaccine to immunize addicts against the pleasures of cocaine. With the release of a Phase 1 study reporting that an injection can block the "high" of cocaine, researchers at Yale and Baylor universities may be paving the way to an anti-addiction vaccine.

The "Saw" horror series solidified its position as the 45th most successful franchise in film history thanks to the earning power of its sixth film. The success of the series has left many people wondering why viewers are attracted to horror films.

“Top Chef” host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi is in her second trimester of pregnancy. And though she’s constantly surrounded by delicious dishes prepared by the best chefs in America, she’s only adding 300 calories a day to her diet.

Pan fried. Seared. Braised. Slow roasted. Deep fried. Sliced and served to perfection. Ten Chicago area chefs whipped up a variety of bacon dishes last Saturday, filling the lofty main room of The Publican with the meat’s smoky, distinct smell. It was the inaugural edition of The VIP Pro Bacon Cook-Off. Held at the restaurant in the Fulton Market district, it was an opportunity for the chefs to show off their bacon-wielding skills.  

Laughter yoga could be a new way to combat stress. It combines small aerobic movements, breathing and laughing, to leave you feeling relaxed. Scientists agree that it is contagious, and if it feels good, it can't be bad.

The 12 steps embroiled in white-collar crime involve positions of power, feelings of superiority and the need for control, according to a new study.

Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is continuing his crusade to assist struggling NFL retirees in getting the medical treatment they need for injuries stemming from their playing days. Retirees who demonstrate financial need will be eligible to receive discounted prescription drug coverage and "pro bono" medical care at a rate of up to 60 percent off the total cost of treatment.

A judge's decision on motions for a summary judgment or dismissal of a lawsuit involving the patenting of genes could decide the fate of genetic testing for increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.