Science & Medicine

It seems like every day there's some new research about whether our favorite drinks are good for us. One day, science says a glass of red wine a day will help us live longer. The next day, maybe not. It seems journalists are pretty interested in wine research, as Deborah Blum over at the Knight Science Foundation recently pointed out, and the same might be said for coffee.

WBAA's Mike Loizzo talks with Clinical Dietician Anna Busenburg, of Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health, about getting kids to eat healthy meals.

You may contact her with questions at (765) 502-4232.

Links to websites Anna mentions:

www.kidseatright.org

www.eatright.org/Foundation/kidseatright/

The unseasonable warm, and relatively dry, weather since January is expected to stay for a while longer. That's the outlook from the Indiana State Climate Office.

Officials with the state Climate Office based at Purdue say the weather pattern that’s producing the early summer-like temperatures well before they usually appear won’t change much.

However, they warn there could be frost at any time, and there is a higher-than-normal risk of severe weather, including tornadoes and thunderstorms. As far as rainfall goes, it’s expected to return to normal in May and June.

Experts say Arctic Oscillation and La Niña are the reasons for unseasonably warm and dry weather in Indiana. The positive oscillation locked cold air in Canada, instead of moving it into Indiana.

Purdue is launching a new research institute through its College of Health and Human Sciences.

The Women’s Global Health Institute will focus on prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer, bone health and Alzheimer's disease.

Head of Nutrition Science Connie Weaver will serve as the director of the Institute. She says the effort at Purdue to focus on these women’s health issues is unique.

"Many women's health institutes have shifted to advocacy. That's not what we will be about. We will use research to try to prevent disease and improve the lives of women. Purdue is a place where we can bring together medicine and engineering. That's very different.”

There's a new explanation for why the citizens of Clintonville, Wis., have been hearing booms this week:

"Thursday afternoon, geophysicists said it was likely a 'swarm of microquakes,' " as the Green Bay Press Gazette reports.

The Avon Foundation for Women is helping to fight cancer in the Lafayette area.

The nonprofit has awarded a $50,000 grant to YWCA Greater Lafayette Women’s Cancer Program for this year. It will increase awareness of the benefits of early detection of breast cancer and to pay for breast cancer screenings and diagnostic procedures for low-income uninsured and underinsured women.