There's No 'Safe' Level of Alcohol Consumption, Global Study Finds

 Posted on March 4, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  788 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Drinking alcohol in moderation is more harmful than previously thought, according to a new study that concludes there's no "safe" level of alcohol consumption. The comprehensive study, which analyzed information from millions of people in nearly 200 countries, found that alcohol is tied to nearly 3 million deaths globally each year, with about 1 in 10 deaths linked to alcohol use among people ages 15 to 49. What's more, any protective health effects of alcohol were offset by the drink's risk, including strong links between alcohol consumption and the risk of cancer and injuries such as those resulting from car accidents. [Read More]

Tracking Japan's Tsunami Debris (Infographic)

 Posted on March 4, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  217 words  |  Fernande Dalal

The devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, claimed nearly 16,000 lives, injured 6,000 people, and destroyed or damaged countless buildings. As a result of the disaster, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expects remnants of the debris that the tsunami washed into the ocean to reach U.S. and Canadian shores over the next several years. The Japanese government estimated that the tsunami swept about 5 million tons of wreckage into the ocean. [Read More]

Yoga May Improve Memory Better Than Brain Training

 Posted on March 4, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  423 words  |  Patria Henriques

Yoga isn't just good for the body; it might help your memory too, a small new study suggests. The study involved 25 adults ages 55 and over who had mild cognitive impairment, or problems with thinking and memory that sometimes precede Alzheimer's disease. The participants were randomly assigned to complete either a three-month course in yoga and meditation, or to practice memory-training exercises, consisting of skills and tricks already known to boost memory. [Read More]

10 Real-Life Technologies That Will Turn You Into a Superhero

 Posted on March 3, 2023  |  7 minutes  |  1435 words  |  Trudie Dory

Science fiction vs. science factWhether you're looking to scale skyscrapers like Spider-Man or wish you could have Wolverine's amazing powers of self-healing, researchers are devising ways to bring extraordinary abilities to the average mortal, and some of these amazing technologies may make you feel like a real-life superhero. Flying exosuit | Superhero: Iron ManA British oil trader has fashioned himself into a real-life Tony Stark, by building a jet engine-powered exoskeleton suit that lets him take flight. [Read More]

10 Ways Earth Revealed Its Weirdness in 2019

 Posted on March 3, 2023  |  8 minutes  |  1580 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

We live on a strange planet. In a solar system of fiery, poisonous hellscapes, icy slush balls and ballooning orbs of gas, Earth is the only planet teeming with sentient, oxygen-breathing life-forms. It is also the only world in the solar system known to be slowly but steadily turning itself inside out through plate tectonics, as the surface crust of the planet dives deep into the mantle.  But Earth's strangeness goes way, way deeper than that. [Read More]

1st 'gapless' human genome finally sequenced

 Posted on March 3, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  984 words  |  Trudie Dory

Scientists have finally mapped an entire human genome, nearly two decades after researchers first announced that they had sequenced the majority of the roughly 3 billion letters contained in human DNA.  Though the Human Genome Project was hailed worldwide when it was completed in 2003, at the time, many sections of the genome still couldn't be placed. The new work — achieved by a consortium of scientists led by the National Human Genome Research Institute, the University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Washington in Seattle — finally fills in the last 8% of DNA letters, or base pairs, that had no home in the sequence before. [Read More]

4,300-Year-Old Statue Head Depicts Mystery Pharaoh

 Posted on March 3, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  573 words  |  Trudie Dory

A sculpture of an unknown Egyptian pharaoh's head, found at the ancient city of Hazor in Israel, dates back around 4,300 years, to a time when Egyptians were building pyramids. The sculpture was smashed apart around 3,300 years ago, possibly after an Israeli force led by Joshua destroyed the city, researchers have found. Researchers said the sculpture, excavated and reconstructed in 1995 and discussed in the recently published book " [Read More]

Animal Sacrifice Reaches South Beach

 Posted on March 3, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  330 words  |  Patria Henriques

The posh Miami neighborhood of South Beach gets a lot of visitors every day, from European supermodels to tourists gawking at the area's splendid Art Deco architecture. But other, less welcome visitors have found their way to South Beach's sun-splashed shores — the mutilated bodies of animals killed in what some believe was a Santeria ritual sacrifice, reports NBC News. Early this morning, the butchered remains of a goat and two roosters were found in a popular waterfront park; the animals' heads had been cut off and their bodies tossed into the water. [Read More]

Brains Scans Reveal How People with Insomnia May Be Wired Differently

 Posted on March 3, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  825 words  |  Trudie Dory

To sleep, perchance to dream … and to keep your brain working: Scientists have long known about the importance of getting a good night's sleep to improve memory, learning and mental health. But the underlying cause of primary insomnia — a chronic inability to sleep soundly that's not associated with the use of stimulants, or medical disorders such as depression — has eluded researchers. Now, a small study comparing healthy participants to patients who have primary insomnia has found that the people with insomnia have weakened neural connections to and from the thalamus, the region of the brain that regulates consciousness, sleep and alertness. [Read More]

Cereal Science: Why Floating Objects Stick Together

 Posted on March 3, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  826 words  |  Patria Henriques

You may or may not have pondered why your breakfast cereal tends to clump together or cling to the sides of a bowl of milk. Now there is an easy explanation. Dubbed the Cheerio Effect by scientists, this clumping phenomenon applies to anything that floats, including fizzy soda bubbles and hair particles in water after a morning shave. The effect has been known for some time, but an explanation for non-scientists has been lacking. [Read More]