Obese But Healthy? Gray Area Confounds Science

 Posted on July 7, 2023  |  6 minutes  |  1231 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Is it possible to be fat and fit? Perhaps, researchers say, but losing weight may make you even better off. A new study, published in the September issue of the journal Diabetes Care, finds that people who are obese but metabolically healthy (meaning they have healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels as well as normal blood pressure), can still improve their health profile by dropping a few pounds. The study contradicts an earlier finding that people who are obese and yet healthy may actually be worse off if they lose weight. [Read More]

Same-Sex Marriage Gains Acceptance (Infographic)

 Posted on July 7, 2023  |  1 minutes  |  131 words  |  Fernande Dalal

In 2012, Pew Research Center polling found slightly more support for same-sex marriage (48 percent) than opposition to it (43 percent). The public has gradually become more supportive of granting legal recognition to same-sex marriages over the past decade. Younger generations express higher levels of support for same-sex marriage. Millennials (born in 1981 or later) showed the strongest support (70 percent). The so-called Silent Generation (born 1928 to 1945) showed the least support (31 percent). [Read More]

Scientists Across the Globe Are Hunting for Pure Randomness

 Posted on July 7, 2023  |  8 minutes  |  1595 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

You take the interstate to get home and rely on the water utility for a drink. But have you ever felt the need for some publicly available randomness? Governments and researchers around the world think you might, with projects in the works to produce public sources, or "beacons," of randomness. From quantum-physics experiments to distributed projects that anyone with a laptop could help produce, a wide range of efforts aim to bring randomness to your fingertips. [Read More]

Spring-Loaded Jaws Help Ants Escape from Death Pits

 Posted on July 7, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  738 words  |  Fernande Dalal

When threatened, some trap-jaw ants can use their powerful jaws like a spring to fling themselves out of death pits dug by stealthy predators, a new study finds. The ant's acrobatic, springlike feat doubles the insect's survival rate when facing a deadly predator called the antlion, an insect that digs pits in the ground to help it catch and eat prey, the researchers said. The finding suggests that although trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus Brunneus) likely developed their mighty jaws to hunt and crush prey, their use as a getaway trait is a " [Read More]

Stressed about 'cost of living crisis'? 10 simple ways to ease anxiety and depression

 Posted on July 7, 2023  |  10 minutes  |  1987 words  |  Trudie Dory

If you're feeling anxious or depressed because you can't afford to fuel up your car or buy groceries, you aren't alone. With the cost of living at an all-time high in the U.K., and individuals still reeling from pandemic lockdowns, who could blame you? Though you can't change the economy, there are simple actions you can take to stay sane and even boost your mental health.  Dips in mental health for a variety of reasons have been stark across the globe. [Read More]

Texas Man Survived a Shark Bite. Now the Wound Has Flesh-Eating Bacteria.

 Posted on July 7, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  506 words  |  Patria Henriques

A Texas man who survived a shark bite earlier this month has since developed a "flesh-eating" bacteria infection in his wounds, according to news reports. In the late morning of Aug. 9, Blaine Shelton, a 42-year-old construction worker, was enjoying a solo dip in the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, about 200 yards (183 meters) from the shore at Crystal Beach, Texas, local news station KHOU11 reported. But his refreshing swim was painfully interrupted when a shark suddenly attacked him, biting him just above his knee. [Read More]

Are Conspiracy Beliefs on the Rise?

 Posted on July 6, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  529 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Have the internet and social media created a climate where Americans believe anything is possible? With headlines citing now as the age of conspiracy, is it really true? In a word, no. While it may be true that the internet has allowed people who believe in conspiracies to communicate more, it has not increased the number of Americans who believe in conspiracies, according to the data available. Current beliefsA " [Read More]

Documentary Shows Jane Goodall in New Light with Unseen Footage

 Posted on July 6, 2023  |  6 minutes  |  1244 words  |  Fernande Dalal

In the early 1960s, Jane Goodall's revolutionary studies of wild chimpanzees challenged the scientific establishment's ideas about animals, as well as about women. The story never gets old, but it's also been told in multiple films, many more books and countless articles. That's why it's astounding that the documentary "Jane" (2017), directed by Brett Morgen and scored by Philip Glass, has something new to contribute to the lexicon of information about Goodall. [Read More]

Egypt Threatens Removal of Ancient Central Park Obelisk

 Posted on July 6, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  626 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Since 1881, the obelisk known as Cleopatra's Needle has stood in New York's Central Park, but a letter from the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities indicates that this may change if the monument is not taken better care of. Recently, Zahi Hawass, the aforementioned secretary general and archaeologist, wrote to the Central Park Conservancy and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to inform them that if steps are not taken to protect the obelisk, it would be removed. [Read More]

German Scientists Harvest Their 1st Antarctic Salad, and It Looks Amazing

 Posted on July 6, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  512 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Antarctica is not the most likely place to find fresh ingredients for a salad. But German scientists have just collected — and eaten — their first batch of lettuce, cucumbers and radishes from a new greenhouse on the frozen continent. "It tasted as if we had harvested it fresh from the garden," Bernhard Gropp, the manager of the Neumayer Station III, a German research facility in Antarctica, said in a statement. [Read More]