From Our Blogs

Studies have suggested that something about chewing gum reduces stress, improves alertness and relieves anxiety. But most of this research has been found in a laboratory setting. Now, the first study in people also supports the idea that chewing gum boosts academic performance.

The study was conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and was sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute, part of the Wrigley chewing gum giant. The study included 108 students, ages 13 to 16, who were assigned to either chew sugar-free gum during math class, while doing math homework and during math tests or to refrain from gum-chewing. After 14 weeks, the students’ took a math test and their grades were assessed.

Those who chewed gum had a 3% increase in standardized math test scores and had final math grades that were significantly better than the other students. Teachers observed that those who chewed gum seemed to require fewer breaks, sustain attention longer and remain quieter.

Just how chomping gum helps kids crunch numbers is not quite clear.

“We did not explore the mechanism behind this relationship. However, there is research demonstrating an increase in blood flow in the brain during chewing,” the lead author of the study, Dr. Craig Johnston of Baylor college of medicine, said in an e-mail.

-- Shari Roan

From: Booster Shots: Oddities, musings and news from the world of health

For more, go to latimes.com/boostershots

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MONEY & CO.

Mobility drops in U.S. in 2008

Another casualty of the recession and the housing bust: our national mobility.

The percentage of Americans who changed residences last year fell to the lowest since the government began keeping records in 1948, the Census Bureau reported.

Just 11.9% of the population moved last year, down from 13.2% in 2007. The rate was as high as 16.1% as recently as 2000.

With the crash in housing prices many people naturally are unable or unwilling to sell their homes. And with unemployment rising nationwide there is less incentive for people to move in search of better jobs.

But the national mobility rate has been in general decline since the mid-1980s.

-- Tom Petruno

From: Money & Co.: Tracking the market and economic trends that shape your finances

For more, go to latimes.com/moneyco

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BABYLON & BEYOND

Bahais accused of inciting sedition

The religious saga of the Bahai community is not over yet.

A prominent hard-line Islamist filed a complaint last week with Egypt’s prosecutor-general against two Bahais, accusing them of defaming monotheistic religions, fomenting sedition and threatening national security, according to a report by a local newspaper.

Youssef el Badry -- along with a couple of other clerics and 18 lawyers -- has reportedly singled out Basma Moussa, a prominent Bahai follower who has recently become known for her outspoken criticism of the state’s discrimination against Bahais, and Ahmed Abouel Ela, who appeared on TV last month and said he converted from Islam to the Bahai faith.

The case follows a recent verdict that acknowledged the right of Bahais to receive official identification documents that don’t categorize them as either Muslims or Christians. Bahais are cautiously contemplating the implementation of the verdict.

Yet, even if implemented, the verdict does not necessarily mean that Bahais would be fully tolerated in a society immersed in Islamic conservatism.

Plaintiffs accused Bahais of being responsible for the violence that has recently erupted in southern Egypt. Muslim radicals set the houses of some Bahai families in the upper Egypt province of Sohag on fire in the wake of a TV show in which Ahmed Abouel Ela appeared and reportedly claimed that the province hosted a large number of Bahais.

-- Noha El-Hennawy in Cairo

From: Babylon & Beyond: Observations from Iraq, Iran, Israel, the Arab world and beyond

For more, go to latimes.com/babylon

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TECHNOLOGY

AT&T; plans network upgrade

It’s a common complaint among iPhone users: The device is great, but the much-heralded 3G network, provided by AT&T;, needs work. Now, it seems AT&T; may be listening.

AT&T; is testing increased download speeds on its 3G network, according to spokesman Geoff Mordock. The tests, if implemented, would bring the theoretical maximum speed to 7.2 megabits per second -- double the current maximum speed.

AT&T; is also increasing network capacity by adding new cell sites and nearly doubling the total network capacity in most markets via an additional spectrum at 850 MHz, according to Mordock. That frequency makes it easier to get coverage inside buildings. Network capacity determines how much information can be sent over the network, including calls and data connections.

-- Alana Semuels

From: Technology Blog: The business and culture of our digital lives

For more, go to latimes.com/technology