Vaping
Posted on October 12, 2022
| 1 minutes
| 43 words
| Patria Henriques
Could This Contaminant Be Causing the Mysterious Vaping-Related Illnesses?
By Yasemin Saplakoglu published 5 September 19
For weeks, officials have searched for what could be causing a string of vaping-related respiratory illnesses across the country. Now, they may have found a clue.
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Weekends Are Good For You, Study Finds
Posted on October 12, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 419 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Just about everybody – even workaholics – should look forward to the weekend, when most people get a mood boost, a new study suggests.
Participants in the study often reported better moods, greater vitality, and fewer aches and pains from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon as compared with the rest of the week.
"Workers, even those with interesting, high-status jobs, really are happier onthe weekend," said study researcher Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester.
[Read More]What is herd immunity?
Posted on October 12, 2022
| 8 minutes
| 1702 words
| Trudie Dory
Herd immunity describes the point at which a population is sufficiently immune to a disease to prevent its circulation. Researchers at the University of Manchester first coined the term in 1923, to describe how an entire herd of animal subjects (in that case, mice) could become immune to a disease even though not every member of the herd had been immunized.
Widespread vaccination is the most reliable way to achieve herd immunity.
[Read More]Wild Video: Woman Feeds Great White Shark by Hand
Posted on October 12, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 650 words
| Trudie Dory
Circling the Web this week is an incredible video showing Valerie Taylor, a world-renowned shark expert, hand-feeding a great white shark off the side of a boat. After placing a fish into the fearsome creature's mouth, she even leans down and pats it on the nose.
"I think the shark and I had an understanding," Taylor says in a voiceover of the footage, which aired in a TV documentary called "
[Read More]6 Doctors Swallowed and Pooped Lego Minifigures So You Don't Have To
Posted on October 11, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 722 words
| Fernande Dalal
Earlier this year, six pediatric scientists decapitated six Lego minifigures, then swallowed the heads. The researchers did this to answer a simple, scientific question: How long does it take to poop a brick?
The answer, for those of you teetering on the edges of your seats, is about two to three days. The researchers know this because they picked apart every poo they made after swallowing the heads, until the unfortunate yellow faces were successfully retrieved.
[Read More]A dangerous 'Omega block' is trapping scorching hot air over the US and Canada
Posted on October 11, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 457 words
| Trudie Dory
The Northwestern United States and Pacific Canada are in the grips of a heat wave that the National Weather Service called "historic and dangerous" in a bulletin on Sunday (June 27). A weather anomaly called a "heat dome" is partially to blame.
In the last few days, multiple cities across Washington, Oregon, Northern California and British Columbia have seen scorching all-time heat records fall, including a reading of 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) in Seattle on Sunday (June 27) — the city's highest recorded temperature ever — and a high of 117 F (47 C) in Salem, Oregon, on the same day.
[Read More]Archaeologists finally peer inside Egyptian mummies first found in 1615
Posted on October 11, 2022
| 6 minutes
| 1243 words
| Fernande Dalal
Two ancient mummies discovered in a rock-cut tomb in Egypt more than 400 years ago are finally spilling their secrets, now that scientists have CT scanned their remains, a new study finds.
Both mummies, as well as a third on display in Egypt, represent the only known surviving "stucco-shrouded portrait mummies," from Saqqara, an ancient Egyptian necropolis. Unlike other mummies, who were buried in coffins, these individuals were placed on wooden boards, wrapped in a textile and a "
[Read More]Body Beautiful: The 5 Strangest Prosthetic Limbs
Posted on October 11, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 449 words
| Trudie Dory
IntroductionThe body is an amazing thing, but when something goes wrong, people need replacements for eyes, ears, and everything in between.
Luckily, scientists have been working on functional and beautiful body part stand-ins for decades. From bionic eyes to fake penises, here are five of the weirdest prostheses out there.
Penis prosthesesFor men with certain congenital problems or even erectile dysfunction, a penile implantcan be a life-changing technology. Some of these prostheses are simply rigid rods that create an always-erect penis, while others use fluid to pump up and deflate the member depending on the situation.
[Read More]Brain's Link Between Sounds, Smells and Memory Revealed
Posted on October 11, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 716 words
| Fernande Dalal
Sights, sounds and smells can all evoke emotionally charged memories. A new study in rats suggests why: The same part of the brain that's in charge of processing our senses is also responsible, at least in part, for storing emotional memories.
For instance, the smell of turkey could conjure up a smile as it reminds you of a joyful Thanksgiving, while the sound of a drill could make you start in fear, since it may be linked to your last dental appointment.
[Read More]Cannibal Corpse Worm: 3-Foot-Long Creature Had Monster Jaws
Posted on October 11, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 512 words
| Trudie Dory
A newly discovered ancient worm that would have grown to more than 3 feet (1 meter) long is the oldest "Bobbit worm" ever discovered.
Bobbit worm is the colloquial term for giant eunicids, marine worms that still exist today. These creatures, which can grow as long as 10 feet (3 m), bury most of their bodies beneath the sand, waiting for prey to venture by so they can shoot out of their hole in a sneak attack.
[Read More]