Health

Brain Health Challenge: Try a Brain Teaser

Published

3 weeks ago

January 8, 2026

Brain Health Challenge: Try a Brain Teaser

Welcome back! For Day 4 of the challenge, let’s do a short and fun activity based around a concept called cognitive reserve.

Decades of research show that people who have more years of education, more cognitively demanding jobs or more mentally stimulating hobbies all tend to have a reduced risk of cognitive impairment as they get older.

Experts think this is partly thanks to cognitive reserve: Basically, the more brain power you’ve built up over the years, the more you can stand to lose before you experience impairment. Researchers still don’t agree on how to measure cognitive reserve, but one theory is that better connections between different brain regions corresponds with more cognitive reserve.

To build up these connections, you need to stimulate your brain, said Dr. Joel Salinas, a neurologist at NYU Langone Health and the founder and chief medical officer of the telehealth platform Isaac Health. To do that, try an activity that is “challenging enough that it requires some effort but not so challenging that you don’t want to do it anymore,” he said.

Speaking a second language has been shown to be good for cognition, as has playing a musical instrument, visiting a museum and doing handicrafts like knitting or quilting. Reading is considered a mentally stimulating hobby, and experts say you’ll get an even bigger benefit if you join a book club to make it social. Listen to a podcast to learn something new, or, better yet, attend a lecture in person at a local college or community center, said Dr. Zaldy Tan, the director of the Memory and Healthy Aging Program at Cedars-Sinai. That adds a social component, plus the extra challenge of having to navigate your way there, he said.

A few studies have found that playing board games like chess can be good for your brain; the same goes for doing crossword puzzles. It’s possible that other types of puzzles, like those you find in brain teaser books or from New York Times Games, can also offer a cognitive benefit.

But there’s a catch: To get the best brain workout, the activity should not only be challenging but also new. If you do “Wordle every day, it’s like well, then you’re very, very good at Wordle, and the Wordle part of your brain has grown to be fantastic,” said Dr. Linda Selwa, a clinical professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. “But the rest of your mind might still need work.”

So play a game you’re not used to playing, Dr. Selwa said. “The novelty seems to be what’s driving brain remodeling and growth.”

Today, we want you to push yourself out of your cognitive comfort zone. Check out an online lecture or visit a museum with your challenge partner. Or try your hand at a new game, below. Share what novel thing you did today in the comments, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 5.

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Health

Colorado declares disaster emergency as presumptive bird flu outbreak hits facility with 1.3M chickens

Published

4 hours ago

January 31, 2026

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Colorado declares disaster emergency as presumptive bird flu outbreak hits facility with 1.3M chickens

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Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera on Thursday declared a disaster emergency for a massive outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Weld County north of Denver.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) told local outlet FOX31 News there was a presumptive positive test for HPAI, also known as the bird flu, at an egg laying facility in the county.

CDA officials told the outlet dead chickens are being tested at the facility, which is home to 1.3 million chickens, due to an “elevated mortality report.”

It is unclear how many birds are potentially infected.

USDA workers disinfect a work crew amid a bird flu outbreak on a farm. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

GOV ABBOTT ISSUES DISASTER DECLARATION TO PREVENT SCREWWORM FLY INFESTATION FROM SPREADING INTO TEXAS

HPAI was first detected in the U.S. in February 2022, impacting wild birds and poultry.

Records released by the CDA show there was a rash of outbreaks in Weld County in July 2024, affecting three commercial poultry facilities housing a total of nearly 3.4 million chickens.

Though the names of the businesses are not public, one of the affected facilities reported having 1,313,800 chickens.

A baby chick is tested for avian influenza. (iStock)

DEAD BIRDS ON FLORIDA BEACHES HAVE EXPERTS WORRIED ABOUT AVIAN FLU

It is unclear if that facility is the same facility potentially affected in the latest outbreak.

The state’s declaration activates the State Emergency Operations Plan and directs the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to take all necessary and appropriate actions to assist the affected jurisdictions with their response, recovery and mitigation efforts.

The action also authorizes the use of disaster emergency funds and allows the OEM to mobilize state resources, make contracts and awards using emergency procurement procedures and encumber and expend funds as determined by the director of the OEM.

CDA officials told the outlet dead chickens are being tested at the facility. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

At the time of the declaration, Primavera was acting as governor; Gov. Jared Polis was in Washington, D.C., attending a Colorado River negotiation meeting.

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The governor’s office said the decision was made in coordination with Polis.

Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.

She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.

Health

Kids need snow days, not more screen time, doctors say amid winter storms

Published

17 hours ago

January 30, 2026

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Kids need snow days, not more screen time, doctors say amid winter storms

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On the lookout

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Quote of the week

“The less you drink, the better.”

→ Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said he agrees with shifting alcohol guidelines, because any set standard sends an “unintentional message that some amount of alcohol is safe.”

This article was written by Fox News staff.

Health

GLP-1 Menus Are Here! What to Order at Every Chain

Published

1 day ago

January 30, 2026

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GLP-1 Menus Are Here! What to Order at Every Chain

Your Favorite Restaurant Has a GLP-1 Menu! Here’s What Dietitians Order | Woman’s World

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