Your Body Harbors Pounds of Microbes, Study Reveals

 Posted on December 7, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  262 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Congratulations! You actually weigh a few pounds less than you thought! Scientists have discovered that several handfuls of bacteria, fungi and other microbes live in and on each of our bodies, collectively composing 1 to 3 percent of our body mass. If you're a 200-pound person, up to six pounds of you are not you, but them. That's the new finding of researchers working on a collaboration called the Human Microbiome Project. [Read More]

'Magic' Mushroom: Chinese Fungus Glows in the Dark (Op-Ed)

 Posted on December 6, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  393 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Taylor Lockwood is a mushroom hunter and photographer who has presented his work at shows throughout the world for over twenty-five years and has archived his photographs on the site Mushroom.Pro. Lockwood contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. On a recent trip to southern China, I came across glowing mushrooms while walking through a bamboo forest on my way home from dinner. People have recognized bioluminescence in mushrooms for thousands of years, but the advent of LED lights, better photographic technology and expanding general interest have increased the numbers of known glowing mushroom species and the knowledge about such mushrooms. [Read More]

Africa Is Splitting in Two, and Here's the Proof

 Posted on December 6, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  452 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A piece of East Africa is expected to break off the main continent in tens of millions of years. And if you need any proof, look no further than Kenya's Rift Valley, where a giant, gaping tear opened up following heavy rains and seismic activity, according to Face2Face Africa. The enormous crack appeared on March 19 and measures more than 50 feet (15 meters) wide and several miles along, Face2Face Africa and other news sources reported. [Read More]

Did Leonardo da Vinci's 'quick eye' help him capture Mona Lisa's fleeting smile?

 Posted on December 6, 2022  |  5 minutes  |  854 words  |  Trudie Dory

The famed Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci may have been blessed with the same "quick eye" that may give top tennis and baseball players an edge. In Leonardo's case, this super-vision may have enabled him to see and capture fleeting moments in his paintings — such as the enigmatic half-smile of the Mona Lisa. This ability to see details in even the fastest-moving or fleeting phenomenon may be a result of a higher flicker fusion frequency, said David Thaler, a geneticist at the University of Basel in Switzerland. [Read More]

Herbal Tea Error Leads to ER Visit

 Posted on December 6, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  470 words  |  Trudie Dory

A woman in England was rushed to an emergency room with life-threatening symptoms after she mistakenly used the leaves of a poisonous plant to make an herbal tea, according to a new report of her case. The 63-year-old woman recovered after receiving treatment, according to the report, which was published today (Dec. 1) in the journal BMJ Case Reports. The plant that the woman used to make the tea, called foxglove, contains potentially harmful compounds that act on proteins called ion channels in heart cells, and can cause a person's heart rate to slow down, said the lead author of the report, Dr. [Read More]

How to Pee a Brick (And Help Save the Planet While You Do It)

 Posted on December 6, 2022  |  3 minutes  |  584 words  |  Fernande Dalal

At the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa, contributing to a sustainable future might be as easy as using the men's bathroom. Dyllon Randall, a senior lecturer in water quality engineering at UCT, has been leading an effort to turn human urine into the zero-waste building material of tomorrow. While about 90 percent of urine is made of water, the remainder contains vital nutrients — like phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium — for anyone brave enough to retrieve them. [Read More]

Kraft Foods Recalls Tassimo T Discs

 Posted on December 6, 2022  |  2 minutes  |  331 words  |  Trudie Dory

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with Kraft Foods Global Inc., of Northfield, Ill., announced a voluntary recall of about 2.1 million packages of Tassimo espresso T Discs in the United States and an additional 1.9 million in Canada. Hazard: The recalled espresso T Discs can become clogged and spray hot liquid and coffee grounds onto consumers and bystanders during or after brewing, posing a burn hazard. [Read More]

Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice

 Posted on December 6, 2022  |  6 minutes  |  1195 words  |  Patria Henriques

There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy. The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. [Read More]

Suicide Stereotypes Exposed as Myths

 Posted on December 6, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  777 words  |  Trudie Dory

No single cookie-cutter model for suicide can explain an individual's desire to take his or her life. And that's good news, said one psychologist who studies suicidal behaviors across cultures. To the surprise of many people, suicide is more common than homicide. Many suicide stereotypes would suggest men and women differ in their suicidal behaviors in predictable ways that hold true regardless of culture. For instance, experts have thought that women are more likely to engage in suicidal behavior than men, yet they ultimately die of suicide at a lower rate because their suicide attempts tend less often to be fatal. [Read More]

These Personality Traits Could Put You At Risk for Social Media Addiction

 Posted on December 6, 2022  |  4 minutes  |  645 words  |  Trudie Dory

Whether it's scrolling through Instagram or constantly refreshing your Facebook feed, social media can eat up hours of your day. But if you find it particularly hard to stay away from social media, your personality may be partly to blame. According to a new study, people with certain personality traits are more likely to develop a social media addiction. "There has been plenty of research on how the interaction of certain personality traits affects addiction to things like alcohol and drugs," [Read More]