C in the key of A minor — that’s the note that infects millions of people every year. It’s one of seven actually. University graduate student Alexandra Pajak assigned pitches to the amino acids and proteins that define HIV and, as it turns out, the virus is shockingly soothing. “It just sounds nice,” Pajak said. [...]

Oh, the endless appeals of studying abroad: new cultures, enlightening experiences, hands-on courses — and drinking. A recent study by the University of Washington claims alcohol consumption by college students doubles while studying abroad. “There is definitely a cultural difference in drinking habits,” said Uttiyo Raychaudhuri, associate director of Studies Abroad in the South Pacific. [...]

University researchers studying vampire bats don’t fear for loss of blood. Sonia Altizer, associate professor at the University School of Ecology, and Daniel Streicker, a doctoral student at the school of ecology, are researching rabies transmission among vampire bats in Peru. The team hopes the research will lead to predicting, and eventually preventing, rabies outbreaks [...]

Headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, irritability. Hangovers affect many students who have spent the night drinking downtown, but there’s no magic cure to make your hangover disappear. A hangover results from dehydration after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. The morning after drinking, people will often search for a remedy. This search could lead [...]

Some Greeks are going pink. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and  Zeta Tau Alpha is sponsoring a “pink week” with fundraising and breast cancer awareness events. The week’s events kicked off Sunday with a percentage night at Barberitos on the east side of Athens. Barberitos had pink chips for the event. Starting today [...]

Waterless hand sanitizer is spreading as fast as the germs it kills, especially during flu season. “By washing your hands thoroughly or using hand sanitizer, it significantly decreases the bacteria count on our hands,” said Angela Bouknecht, physician assistant at the University Health Center. She pointed out hand sanitizer is particularly important during flu season [...]

Taking shots could be the next new health craze. A paper published in the journal “Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research” entitled “Late-Life Alcohol Consumption and 20-Year Mortality” suggests both heavy and moderate drinkers live longer than non-drinkers. Above all, moderate drinkers in the study lived the longest. Non-drinkers had an increased risk of death of [...]

When it comes to stress, it’s easy to have too much of a good thing. “Stress, or anxiety, as we call it, is effective in small doses to motivate us to do things,” said Alana Seibert-Hatalsky, associate director of the psychology department’s psychology clinic. “Stress in high doses can have less adaptive consequences.” With many [...]

They’re climbing in your windows and biting people up — but students at the University say that they’re not too worried about the recent infestation of bed bugs sweeping the nation. Students at Reinhardt University in northern Georgia were forced to spend one night in the school gym after bed bugs took over dorm rooms. [...]

Bed bugs: they’ve invaded Denver, Baltimore and even Howard Stern’s office. Now University Housing is working to provide programs that will prevent cases of the blood-feeding pests on campus. Reports of bed bug infestations have flooded national news during the past few weeks. Infestation problems have been reported in major cities across the nation, and [...]