Keto, Mediterranean or Vegan: Which Diet Is Best for the Heart?
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 5 minutes
| 1026 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
CHICAGO — In the room, physicians and nutritionists clung to their idea of an ideal diet like a parent clings to his or her child.
On Nov. 10, here at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions annual meeting, a group of panelists discussed which diets they thought were the best for heart health, pulling on already-published data from recent years. Though there wasn't a clear winner, the panelists agreed that an ideal diet is one that is high in vegetables, high in non-processed whole foods, and low in processed meat, added sugar and carbohydrates.
[Read More]Microbes Were Just Found in 'Dark Biosphere' Where They Shouldn't Exist
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 504 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Thousands of feet below Earth's surface and far beyond the reach of sunlight, scientists recently discovered an unexpected form of life: microbes that typically produce their energy through photosynthesis.
Known as cyanobacteria, these hardy microorganisms have been around for billions of years, and though they're tiny, their photosynthesis prowess — in which they use the sun's energy to turn carbon dioxide into food for growth — played a big part in the planet's history.
[Read More]News Clip Linked Coal to Climate Change — 106 Years Ago Today
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 382 words
| Patria Henriques
A note published in a New Zealand paper 106 years ago today (Aug. 14) predicted the Earth's temperature would rise because of 7 billion tons of carbon dioxide produced by coal consumption.
"The effect may be considerable in a few centuries," the article stated.
The clip was one of several one-paragraph stories in the "Science Notes and News" section of The Rodney and Otamatea Times, published Wednesday, Aug. 14, 1912.
[Read More]Save $100 on Bowflex adjustable dumbbells for Cyber Monday
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 633 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
This Cyber Monday dumbbells deal could be the perfect purchase for yourself or anyone interested in adding to their home gym. Even if you are just considering getting in shape, the Bowflex adjustable dumbbells are a smart buy. Not only do you save loads of space — 30 dumbbells versus 2 adjustable ones — you can also switch from one weight amount to another without having to pick up new dumbbells.
[Read More]Spiders hoist big prey with silk 'pulleys' — and now scientists know how
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 837 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Tangle-web spiders are eight-legged engineers, crafting silk pulleys to snag oversized prey like lizards or even small mammals walking on the ground below.
Until now, scientists didn't know exactly how the arachnids were able to capture such hefty victims. For the first time, researchers analyzed the spiders' building techniques and silk construction for trapping and lifting heavy animals.
Turns out, the spiders actively "tuned" their silk mechanisms once the prey was caught, attaching pre-stretched threads in pulleys to maximize their lifting power and elevate prey much heavier than the arachnids themselves, the researchers reported in a new study.
[Read More]The 20 Most and Least Wired Countries
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 265 words
| Arica Deslauriers
A report published Oct. 7 by the International Telecommunication Union, a branch of the United Nations focusing on information and communication technologies, reveals which countries have the highest percentage of digital natives, or youth ages 15 to 24 who have been using the Internet for five years.
Here are the 20 most and least wired countries, with numbers indicating the percentage of youth who are "wired" relative to the country's total population and relative to the total youth population.
[Read More]The world's largest iceberg is on a collision course with an Antarctic penguin refuge
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 462 words
| Fernande Dalal
The world's largest iceberg may be on a collision course with a wildlife haven in the South Atlantic Ocean, researchers at the British Antarctic Society (BAS) reported. If the gargantuan berg becomes grounded near South Georgia island (a British overseas territory and one of the South Sandwich Islands), it could crush animals and block off foraging routes for thousands of penguins and seals — potentially disrupting the island's ecosystem for a decade or more, according to BAS scientists.
[Read More]Vaping Is Causing Severe Breathing Problems in Some Teens
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 349 words
| Trudie Dory
UPDATE: On Aug. 17, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it is now investigating a cluster of lung illnesses tied to vaping. There are currently 94 possible cases in 14 states. Live Science published this article (below) on Aug. 14.
Adolescents and young adults in the Midwest are landing in hospitals after developing severe breathing problems from vaping, and no one knows why.
A total of 22 people in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois have been hospitalized after vaping, according to NBC News.
[Read More]Who Created These Strange, Ancient Sculptures Hidden in the Saudi Desert?
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 379 words
| Patria Henriques
There's a place in the desert where the ghosts of camels seem to loom out of ancient rocks. Their faint smiles, humped bodies and even their heads are so old and eroded that a visitor could be forgiven for thinking their eyes were playing tricks on them. But the camel reliefs, along with perhaps some horse-like creatures, are real, the faded remnants of at least two schools of ancient sculptors on the Arabian Peninsula.
[Read More]Why Are Thousands of Clay Caterpillars Swarming the Globe?
Posted on March 30, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 729 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Scientific discovery takes patience, determination, focus and perseverance. And sometimes, it also takes 2,879 bright-green, Plasticine caterpillars.
An international team of researchers attached thousands of diminutive clay caterpillars to plants in 31 sites across six continents, from the Arctic Circle to Australia. The faux caterpillars were designed to tempt insect-eating predators in a study of global feeding patterns.
After the scientists assessed their caterpillar "casualties" at locations in both hemispheres, an intriguing pattern emerged: Even when a caterpillar's a dummy, it stands a much higher chance of being eaten if it's at a lower elevation or closer to the equator.
[Read More]