Hurt feelings

It may be reasonable to expect that people living in the Western world, where the medical system has enjoyed dramatic growth over the past quarter century, would feel healthier. But that is not the case.

Recent research conducted at Ohio State University analyzed several large, multinational datasets and compared the way people in 28 countries rated their health in 1981 and again in 2007, after years of medical expansion. The researchers accounted for other factors that could influence feelings of health, such as economic development, marriage, levels of education, and income.

The results showed that people living in countries with the greatest medical growth reported decreased feelings of health. In the United States the percentage of Americans reporting very good health decreased from 39 percent to 28 percent.

“All of the improvements we might expect to see in subjective health as economies grow and citizens become richer seem to be offset by medical expansion,” said Hui Zheng, assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State.

Several factors may account for the findings, according to Zheng. New diseases may be discovered in areas with greater medical advancement, more aggressive screening may lead to increased diagnosis, overdiagnosis may harm perfectly healthy people, and people living where medical care is more accessible may have unrealistic expectations of better health.

Raw risks

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future found people who consume raw, unpasteurized, milk are 100 times more likely to get foodborne illness than those who drink pasteurized milk. The researchers screened approximately 1,000 articles and reviewed 81 published journal articles relevant to the health risks and benefits of consuming raw cow’s milk. Raw milk has become more popular in recent years because advocates believe it contains more natural antibodies, proteins, and beneficial bacteria; tastes better; and reduces lactose intolerance and allergies. The scientists say that more research is necessary on raw milk’s benefits, but right now they better understand the risks than the benefits. Bacteria commonly found in raw milk, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, and Escherichia coli, can cause diarrhea, vomiting, cramping, fevers, kidney failure, and even death. “Based on our findings, we discourage the consumption of raw milk, especially among vulnerable populations such as the elderly, people with impaired immune systems, pregnant women, and children,” said research assistant Cissy Li. —J.B.

Asteroid mapping

Amateur astronomers can now put their observations to good use through the new Asteroid Data Hunter app. The software, which works on almost any Windows or Mac computer, is a collaborative effort between NASA and Planetary Resources, a company that hopes to mine asteroids for their mineral wealth. NASA is interested in asteroids because of potential threats to Earth. App users need only a small, ground-based telescope, according to ExtremeTech. Asteroid detection is accomplished by taking several images of the same area of sky and looking for small, star-like images that change position in each frame. With sufficient data, the object’s location and orbit around the sun can be determined. The app needs four images to run an analysis and filter out previously discovered objects. Anything legitimately new can be reported to the Minor Planet Center for confirmation. —J.B.