Study

Americans expect to delay retirement by 4 years as cost of living rises, study finds

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Americans expect to work about four years longer than they’d like as rising living costs and health care expenses reshape their retirement plans, according to new research from Economist Enterprise. Only 1 in 5 workers say they want to stay in the labor force longer because they enjoy their jobs, according to the report, which was published … Read more

Raising a child now costs over $300,000 in the U.S., study finds. See how your state compares.

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Raising a child comes with a long list of expenses, from child care to additional groceries. But how much does that add up to over 18 years? A new estimate from LendingTree puts the price tag at $303,418 for 2026, or an average of $16,857 per year. It’s the first time the figure has topped $300,000 … Read more

The upper middle class is now the largest income group in the U.S., study finds

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The U.S. middle class is shrinking, but not because more Americans are poorer. Instead, more households are climbing into the echelons of the upper middle class due to income gains in recent decades, according to research from the nonpartisan American Enterprise Institute.  About 31% of U.S. households earn enough to be considered upper middle class, … Read more

Cocaine and caffeine detected in shark in The Bahamas, study shows

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A new study is revealing that sharks in The Bahamas have tested positive for cocaine, caffeine and other substances. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. According to ScienceDirect, substances like cocaine and painkillers, also known as contaminants of emerging concern, are being recognized in marine environments, … Read more

Native Americans had dice and games of probability long before other cultures, study finds

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In dusty excavation reports and antiquarian volumes, a lawyer-turned-archaeologist has uncovered evidence that upends the known history of human gambling. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The findings, published Thursday in the journal American Antiquity, suggest that Native Americans had dice and games of probability 12,000 … Read more

HHS announces $144 million program to study effect of microplastics on the human body

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The Department of Health and Human Services will is introducing a first-of-its-kind program to study microplastics and the effect they have on the human body, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday.  Kennedy said the $144 million national program will be called STOMP, which stands for “Systemic Targeting of MicroPlastics.” The program will bring … Read more

‘Mentally active’ sitting may reduce dementia risk, study finds

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Sitting for hours on a regular basis can be bad for your body and brain. A new study suggests that keeping your brain engaged helps counteract some of the harms of sedentary behavior. Engagement means activities such as knitting or solving a puzzle, instead of mindlessly scrolling or passively watching a screen. Scientists at the … Read more

Cocaine, caffeine and painkillers consumed by sharks in Bahamas, study finds

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Sharks in the Bahamas are consuming substances including caffeine, painkillers and even cocaine, according to a new study by marine scientists who say it could potentially impact the animals’ health and behavior. The research team, made up of marine biologists and scientists from a variety of international programs, analyzed blood samples from 85 sharks of … Read more

Parents are refusing routine preventative care for newborns at rising rates, study finds

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One day at an Idaho hospital, half the newborns Dr. Tom Patterson saw didn’t get the vitamin K shots that have been given to babies for decades to prevent potentially deadly bleeding. On another recent day, more than a quarter didn’t get the shot. Their parents wouldn’t allow it. “When you look at a child … Read more