If there’s one upside to the brutal cold blanketing much of the country, it might be this: Cold weather may cause your body to burn fat — and help you lose weight. Here’s how: When you’re cold, your body has to work harder to keep your core temperature up. You shiver, which burns five times the number of calories as resting, according to LiveScience.com. Cold also activates brown fat — the “good” type of body fat that burns energy, rather...

Frankenstein used lightning to bring his monster to life. The Flash gained super speed after a strike bathed him in chemicals. Thor and Zeus used it to rule. Lightning’s raw power sparks the imagination, leaving many to wonder: “What would actually happen if I were struck by lightning?” Unfortunately, the answer doesn’t involve super powers. The human body isn't meant to withstand30,000 amps of charge and 50,000-degreeFahrenheit temps. “[Lightning] does a lot of damage to the tissues and causes burning....

(Thinkstock/Photodisc) Disease outbreaks tied to swimming happen even in the winter, often after people go in hot tubs or spas, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2009 and 2010, there were 81 outbreaks and 1,326 cases of illness in the United States linked torecreational waterexposure (in pools, lakes, hot tubs, etc.), according to information reported from 28 states and Puerto Rico. (An outbreak is defined as two or more people who visited...