Super Sale Alert: Get 20% off sitewide, and the first 20 orders will get a free gift with a purchase at Barb using our promo code REFINERY20, now through August 25.

AI researchers at Microsoft have made a huge mistake. According to a new report from

Chocolate milk may become a thing of the past in elementary and middle schools across the US. In

Consumer groups in Europe are urging authorities to protect consumers against the risks of generative

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 18, 2023--

Bolivia's president has asked Pope Francis for files on sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in the South American country following revelations of...

By Radhika Anilkumar (Reuters) -Coca-Cola HBC lifted its annual revenue forecast on Wednesday as the bottler benefited from higher prices

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 12, 2023--

While many classical music institutions are struggling to regain audience, the Salzburg Festival in Mozart's hometown is on track to draw people from over 75 nations to opera, concerts and drama

Final Cut Pro, Apple's professional and prosumer-level video editing software, targets both consumers who want

The more you talk to a toddler, the more it helps their brains to develop in early childhood, a study has found. Researchers discovered that two-and-a-half-year-olds who heard more speech in everyday life had more myelin in language-related areas of their brains. Myelin is a material produced by the body that forms around nerves, including those in the brain, that allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently. Scientists from the University of East Anglia said their findings demonstrate how speaking to toddlers can shape their developing brains. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, involved 163 babies and toddlers being given small recording devices to wear for three days. Researchers analysed just over 6,000 hours of language data in total, including words spoken by the children and speech from adults. When the children were asleep, they were carefully placed in an MRI scanner to measure myelin in their brains. The researchers found that toddlers who heard more speech everyday had more myelin, which they said is “likely to support more sophisticated language processing”. Lead researcher Prof John Spencer, from UEA’s School of Psychology, said: “We know that children’s brains develop very rapidly in the first two years of life, with brain volume at about 80 per cent that of an adult brain by the age of two. “Myelin is made up of protein and fatty substances and forms an insulating layer around nerves in the brain.” He added: “Imagine you have a hosepipe with lots of holes in it. “Myelin is like wrapping the hosepipe with duct tape – it insulates neural fibres, bringing more of the ‘signal’ from one brain area to the next.” The researchers said their study is one of the first to show that listening to speech is associated with brain structure early in development. Prof Spencer said: “Prior work showed a similar association in four to six-year-olds, but our findings push this association much earlier in development. Indeed, we even found associations between language input and brain structure in six-month-old infants.” He added: “Although there is still much more to learn about these processes, the message to caregivers is clear – talk to your baby, your toddler, your child. “Not only are they listening, but your language input is literally shaping their brains.” Additional reporting by PA Read More Rihanna and A$AP Rocky celebrate son’s first birthday ‘I don’t get angry’: Pierce Brosnan says meditation is key to managing anger TikTok Tattoogate: How a tattoo artist sparked backlash for ‘absurd’ pricing and design changes Dean Gaffney says I’m A Celebrity ‘saved his life’ after bowel cancer scare Talented boxer reveals first sign of brain tumour after collapsing at service station GB News in ‘significant breach’ of Ofcom rules over Covid vaccine claims

Oprah Winfrey’s latest book project is one she helped write