Study: Homophobes May Be Hidden Homosexuals
Posted on January 13, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 850 words
| Trudie Dory
Homophobes should consider a little self-reflection, suggests a new study finding those individuals who are most hostile toward gays and hold strong anti-gay views may themselves have same-sex desires, albeit undercover ones.
The prejudice of homophobia may also stem from authoritarian parents, particularly those with homophobic views as well, the researchers added.
"This study shows that if you are feeling that kind of visceral reaction to an out-group, ask yourself, 'Why?
[Read More]Teen's Junk Food Diet Caused Him to Go Blind, Doctors Say
Posted on January 13, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 633 words
| Trudie Dory
A teen who ate nothing but fries, chips and other junk food for years slowly went blind as a result of his poor diet, according to a new report of the case.
The case highlights a perhaps little-known fact about poor diets: In addition to being tied to obesity, heart disease and cancer, they "can also permanently damage the nervous system, particularly vision," according to the report, published today (Sept. 2) in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
[Read More]Wavy vs. Straight: Physics of Curly Hair Teased Out
Posted on January 13, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 621 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
The first detailed model of a 3D strand of curly hair has been created, a development that could be a boon for the film and computer animation industries, researchers say.
Previously, scientists had no simple mathematical way to describe the motion of curly hair, including the way curls bounce as they move around. As such, many animated characters had hair that was either rigidly straight or only swung from side to side.
[Read More]'Blood Lake' Blooms in Iran
Posted on January 12, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 507 words
| Patria Henriques
Iran's briny Lake Urmia recently appeared in satellite images with blood-red waters resembling the aftermath of a particularly gruesome crime scene — and the perpetrators are likely microorganisms that thrive on salt and light.
As water levels in the lake have receded over the summer months, salt concentration in the water has gone up, according to NASA. Lake Urmia's deep-red tones, captured on July 18 by the agency's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on the Aqua satellite, are thought to be a byproduct of certain bacteria and algae in the lake that thrive in high-salt conditions.
[Read More]Blood Levels of Magnesium May Predict Dementia Risk
Posted on January 12, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 479 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
The levels of magnesium in your blood may be linked to your risk of developing dementia later in life, a new study from the Netherlands finds.
Compared with people in the study who had high or low levels of the mineral in their blood, those with levels in the middle range were less likely to develop dementia, according to the study, which was published online today (Sept. 20) in the journal Neurology.
[Read More]Could CBD Fight Superbugs? Marijuana Compound Shows Promise As an Antibiotic.
Posted on January 12, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 632 words
| Trudie Dory
The quest for new antibiotics has led researchers to a surprising candidate: the marijuana compound CBD.
A new study finds that CBD, or cannabidiol, is "remarkably effective" at killing bacteria, at least in a test tube, the researchers in the new study said. The results showed that CBD had antibiotic effects against a number of so-called Gram-positive bacteria, including types of staph and strep bacteria, as well as strains that had become resistant to other antibiotic drugs.
[Read More]Dieters May Unknowingly Buy Dangerous Weight Loss Supplements
Posted on January 12, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 840 words
| Patria Henriques
A potentially hazardous weight loss supplement that has been recalled in the United States continues to be sold and consumed in significant amounts, a new study suggests.
The study found that women are taking Pai You Guo, a weight loss supplement from China that has been found to contain banned pharmaceutical substances, including a drug linked to cancer. In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a voluntary recall of Pai You Guo and issued alerts about the supplement's potential health risks.
[Read More]Dinosaur's Tail Whips Could Have Cracked Sound Barrier
Posted on January 12, 2023
| 6 minutes
| 1263 words
| Fernande Dalal
When an Apatosaurus dinosaur slapped its impressively long tail onto the ground, other beasts likely listened. Turns out, the long-necked dino may have broken the sound barrier with its tail whips more than 150 million years ago.
Paleontologists have all but gone back in time to prove the sonic booms, by creating and test-slapping a model tail made of aluminum, stainless steel, neoprene and Teflon.
The 12-foot-long (3.6 meters) model is just one-quarter the size of a sauropod tail, but it's still able to produce the distinctive crack that indicates it can break the sound barrier when whipped around, said Nathan Myhrvold, founder and CEO of Intellectual Ventures, a company that invests in technology patents and research.
[Read More]Dog Chases Stick, Orca Chases Dog
Posted on January 12, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 366 words
| Trudie Dory
As a species, dogs put a high emphasis on retrieving sticks and a comparatively low emphasis on avoiding contact with killer whales.
That seems to be the clear lesson of a new video out of Leigh, New Zealand, that shows a black Labrador retriever briefly carousing with an orca before thinking better of it and returning to shore.
The video, filmed by Auckland resident Deonette De Jongh, according to The New Zealand Herald, also shows a spear fisherman who makes a quick break to a cluster of rocks when he realizes he's hunting alongside an orca pod.
[Read More]Earliest Oil Paintings Discovered
Posted on January 12, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 593 words
| Trudie Dory
Oil paintings have been found in caves behind the two ancient colossal Buddha statues destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban, suggesting that Asians — not Europeans — were the first to invent oil painting.
Many people worldwide were in shock when the Taliban destroyed the Buddha statues in the Afghan region of Bamiyan.
Behind those statues are caves decorated with paintings from the fifth to ninth centuries.
New experiments performed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) show that the paintings were made of oil, hundreds of years before the technique emerged in Europe.
[Read More]