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iPhone trypophobia and chicken kissin’
Please, no photos
What does the new iPhone have in common with honeycombs and lotus flowers? They all strike terror and nausea in the hearts of trypophobics everywhere.
Trypophobia, in case you haven’t heard, is the fear of irregular patterns of holes or bumps clustered together. It sounds weird, until you look at photos like this and your skin starts to crawl. Now, we can add the iPhone 11 to the list of fear-inducing everyday objects. The new phone design includes three camera lenses, and it’s giving people … issues. Sure, amateur photographers are ecstatic, but social media users collectively shuddered over their keyboards when the tri-camera was revealed.
Trypophobia is not widely studied, but it’s been theorized that the revulsion is a biological instinct against things that look unsafe or diseased. Safe to say this might lead to Apple losing that core demographic – the trypophobe population. They’ll be switching to Androids en masse.
Don’t kiss your chickens after they hatch
All in all, it’s pretty easy to avoid getting salmonella. Refrigerate your food properly. Don’t eat undercooked ground meats. Oh, and don’t kiss the chickens you’ve been raising in your backyard.
Okay, that’s not the only takeaway from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update on the 2019 salmonella outbreak that has so far affected just over a thousand people in 49 states. Because the outbreak has been linked to the increased prevalence of backyard poultry, with 67% of patients interviewed reporting contact with chicks and/or ducklings, the CDC has issued a slew of recommendations on how to avoid salmonella.
Some of them are common sense: Don’t let small children handle livestock, and wash your hands after contact. Some are a bit bizarre: Don’t let poultry wander through your house, and don’t eat or drink where livestock roam and live (eww).
Then there’s the gem: Don’t kiss your chickens, or snuggle them and then touch your face and/or mouth.
We know baby chickens or ducks are adorable. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with loving your livestock like a cat or dog. Just don’t, um, love your livestock.
Dept. of unintended consequences
This week’s case report is brought to you by the entomologists of Texas Medical Center in Houston.
The original problem: Large numbers of birds, such as grackles and pigeons, which may carry diseases and make a mess with their droppings, were gathering in large numbers in Texas Medical Center’s live oak trees. The campus is visited by 10 million people seeking health care each year.
The solution: Cover the trees with nets to prevent the birds from gathering.
The new problem: The lack of predatory birds has “created a haven for a flourishing population of Megalopyge opercularis, commonly referred to as asps,” according to investigators at Rice University. The asp in question happens to be one of North America’s most toxic caterpillars, and they are 7,300% more abundant in the netted trees, compared with nonnetted trees nearby.
The discussion: “I’ve been stung by a lot of things, and an asp sting definitely ranks high up there,” said Mattheau Comerford, one of the investigators. “It feels like a broken bone, and the pain lasts for hours. I was stung on the wrist, and the pain traveled up my arm, into my arm pit, and my jaw started to feel pain.”
The LOTME recommendation: In this case, the rats with wings … er, we mean pigeons, seem to be the lesser of two evils. Of course, compared with poisonous caterpillars, even kissing a chicken would be the lesser of two evils.
Please, no photos
What does the new iPhone have in common with honeycombs and lotus flowers? They all strike terror and nausea in the hearts of trypophobics everywhere.
Trypophobia, in case you haven’t heard, is the fear of irregular patterns of holes or bumps clustered together. It sounds weird, until you look at photos like this and your skin starts to crawl. Now, we can add the iPhone 11 to the list of fear-inducing everyday objects. The new phone design includes three camera lenses, and it’s giving people … issues. Sure, amateur photographers are ecstatic, but social media users collectively shuddered over their keyboards when the tri-camera was revealed.
Trypophobia is not widely studied, but it’s been theorized that the revulsion is a biological instinct against things that look unsafe or diseased. Safe to say this might lead to Apple losing that core demographic – the trypophobe population. They’ll be switching to Androids en masse.
Don’t kiss your chickens after they hatch
All in all, it’s pretty easy to avoid getting salmonella. Refrigerate your food properly. Don’t eat undercooked ground meats. Oh, and don’t kiss the chickens you’ve been raising in your backyard.
Okay, that’s not the only takeaway from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update on the 2019 salmonella outbreak that has so far affected just over a thousand people in 49 states. Because the outbreak has been linked to the increased prevalence of backyard poultry, with 67% of patients interviewed reporting contact with chicks and/or ducklings, the CDC has issued a slew of recommendations on how to avoid salmonella.
Some of them are common sense: Don’t let small children handle livestock, and wash your hands after contact. Some are a bit bizarre: Don’t let poultry wander through your house, and don’t eat or drink where livestock roam and live (eww).
Then there’s the gem: Don’t kiss your chickens, or snuggle them and then touch your face and/or mouth.
We know baby chickens or ducks are adorable. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with loving your livestock like a cat or dog. Just don’t, um, love your livestock.
Dept. of unintended consequences
This week’s case report is brought to you by the entomologists of Texas Medical Center in Houston.
The original problem: Large numbers of birds, such as grackles and pigeons, which may carry diseases and make a mess with their droppings, were gathering in large numbers in Texas Medical Center’s live oak trees. The campus is visited by 10 million people seeking health care each year.
The solution: Cover the trees with nets to prevent the birds from gathering.
The new problem: The lack of predatory birds has “created a haven for a flourishing population of Megalopyge opercularis, commonly referred to as asps,” according to investigators at Rice University. The asp in question happens to be one of North America’s most toxic caterpillars, and they are 7,300% more abundant in the netted trees, compared with nonnetted trees nearby.
The discussion: “I’ve been stung by a lot of things, and an asp sting definitely ranks high up there,” said Mattheau Comerford, one of the investigators. “It feels like a broken bone, and the pain lasts for hours. I was stung on the wrist, and the pain traveled up my arm, into my arm pit, and my jaw started to feel pain.”
The LOTME recommendation: In this case, the rats with wings … er, we mean pigeons, seem to be the lesser of two evils. Of course, compared with poisonous caterpillars, even kissing a chicken would be the lesser of two evils.
Please, no photos
What does the new iPhone have in common with honeycombs and lotus flowers? They all strike terror and nausea in the hearts of trypophobics everywhere.
Trypophobia, in case you haven’t heard, is the fear of irregular patterns of holes or bumps clustered together. It sounds weird, until you look at photos like this and your skin starts to crawl. Now, we can add the iPhone 11 to the list of fear-inducing everyday objects. The new phone design includes three camera lenses, and it’s giving people … issues. Sure, amateur photographers are ecstatic, but social media users collectively shuddered over their keyboards when the tri-camera was revealed.
Trypophobia is not widely studied, but it’s been theorized that the revulsion is a biological instinct against things that look unsafe or diseased. Safe to say this might lead to Apple losing that core demographic – the trypophobe population. They’ll be switching to Androids en masse.
Don’t kiss your chickens after they hatch
All in all, it’s pretty easy to avoid getting salmonella. Refrigerate your food properly. Don’t eat undercooked ground meats. Oh, and don’t kiss the chickens you’ve been raising in your backyard.
Okay, that’s not the only takeaway from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update on the 2019 salmonella outbreak that has so far affected just over a thousand people in 49 states. Because the outbreak has been linked to the increased prevalence of backyard poultry, with 67% of patients interviewed reporting contact with chicks and/or ducklings, the CDC has issued a slew of recommendations on how to avoid salmonella.
Some of them are common sense: Don’t let small children handle livestock, and wash your hands after contact. Some are a bit bizarre: Don’t let poultry wander through your house, and don’t eat or drink where livestock roam and live (eww).
Then there’s the gem: Don’t kiss your chickens, or snuggle them and then touch your face and/or mouth.
We know baby chickens or ducks are adorable. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with loving your livestock like a cat or dog. Just don’t, um, love your livestock.
Dept. of unintended consequences
This week’s case report is brought to you by the entomologists of Texas Medical Center in Houston.
The original problem: Large numbers of birds, such as grackles and pigeons, which may carry diseases and make a mess with their droppings, were gathering in large numbers in Texas Medical Center’s live oak trees. The campus is visited by 10 million people seeking health care each year.
The solution: Cover the trees with nets to prevent the birds from gathering.
The new problem: The lack of predatory birds has “created a haven for a flourishing population of Megalopyge opercularis, commonly referred to as asps,” according to investigators at Rice University. The asp in question happens to be one of North America’s most toxic caterpillars, and they are 7,300% more abundant in the netted trees, compared with nonnetted trees nearby.
The discussion: “I’ve been stung by a lot of things, and an asp sting definitely ranks high up there,” said Mattheau Comerford, one of the investigators. “It feels like a broken bone, and the pain lasts for hours. I was stung on the wrist, and the pain traveled up my arm, into my arm pit, and my jaw started to feel pain.”
The LOTME recommendation: In this case, the rats with wings … er, we mean pigeons, seem to be the lesser of two evils. Of course, compared with poisonous caterpillars, even kissing a chicken would be the lesser of two evils.
Werewolf babies, blinding fries, and the gut library
Someone needs carrots, stat
Eat your veggies or you’ll … go blind? A U.K. teen took picky eating to a whole new level, literally losing his vision after a steady decade-long diet of strictly fries, Pringles, white bread, and ham.
Looks like Pringles needs to change their tagline a little bit: “Once you pop, the fun don’t stop – until you start losing hearing and vision!” We think it’s really catchy.
The teen first visited a doctor several years ago complaining of tiredness and was given B12 injections and sent on his merry way. Unfortunately, he quickly developed hearing and vision loss, and by age 17 years was diagnosed with nutritional optic neuropathy.
Somehow through all of this, he maintained a normal weight, proving once and for all the metabolism of teenage boys can withstand just about anything.
The chip-loving teen now joins the (very small) Nutritional Optic Neuropathy Hall of Fame of Developed Countries, previously only occupied by a man who pretty much drank vodka every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cheers!
Teen wolf? Try baby wolf
Every parent just wants their child to be happy, healthy, and covered in a thick layer of hair, right?
No?
Well, that’s too bad for dozens of parents in Spain, whose children developed hypertrichosis, aka “werewolf syndrome,” and suddenly sprouted full-body hair growth that Tom Selleck would be jealous of. After a brief investigation, they discovered the fast-paced hair growth was caused by an unfortunate medicine mix-up at the lab. Instead of receiving omeprazole for their gastric reflux, the children had been given minoxidil, a drug that treats alopecia.
Luckily for the children who don’t want to impersonate Michael J. Fox anymore, the hair will go away when they stop taking the drug.
No official statement yet on the mysterious sightings of wolf children roaming the Spanish countryside terrorizing locals and howling at the full moon.
Mouthwash in my veins
Let’s say you’re a person with hypertension. After years of your doctor badgering you to do more cardio exercise, you’ve finally committed to the morning jog. It’s a pain getting up that early in the morning, but the benefits will be worth it, right? You head back to your physician, eager to show off the new you. The doctor weighs you (down a few pounds, not bad), then takes a blood pressure reading, and ... it’s exactly the same.
What happened? Was all that work wasted?
Well, according to a study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, you may have an excuse: mouthwash usage.
It all has to do with nitric acid. Normally during cardio exercise, bacteria in the mouth convert nitrates into nitrites, and when these nitrites are swallowed, they are converted into nitric acid after being absorbed by the circulatory system. That widens the blood vessels and reduces blood pressure. Mouthwash changes all that. It inhibits those oral bacteria, and the whole process is stopped before it can begin.
The investigators found that, after 1 hour of exercise on a treadmill, study participants who received mouthwash beforehand saw their systolic blood pressure reduced by 2 mm Hg. And those who received the placebo (mint-flavored water)? They saw a 5.2-mm Hg reduction.
Bottom line to those with hypertension: You may have to start flossing. We know it’s annoying, but it’ll make your doctor happy, and it’ll make your dentist especially happy.
No books at this library
The human microbiome is a pretty hot scientific topic right now, but we here at LOTME are not scientists, or doctors, or experts of any kind, so we have a simple question: What’s in a gut?
Happily (yes, this is the sort of thing that makes us happy), researchers at MIT and the Broad Institute, both in Cambridge, Mass., have taken a very detailed look at the guts of about 90 people, with a dozen or so providing samples for up to 2 years, and can now tell us what’s in a gut: bacteria. Lots of bacteria … 7,758 different strains of bacteria.
According to a statement from MIT, the samples were obtained “through the OpenBiome organization, which collects stool samples for research and therapeutic purposes.” It also sounds like a fun place to work.
Those samples presented “a unique opportunity, and we thought that would be a great set of individuals to really try to dig down and characterize the microbial populations more thoroughly,” said Eric Alm, PhD, one of the investigators.
All of their data, along with samples of the bacteria strains they isolated, are available online at the Broad Institute–OpenBiome Microbiome Library. Which, if you think about it (and that is what we do here), makes it kind of like an Amazon for bacteria.
Hmmm … Alexa, order Turicibacter sanguinis. Uncle Leo’s birthday is coming up.
Someone needs carrots, stat
Eat your veggies or you’ll … go blind? A U.K. teen took picky eating to a whole new level, literally losing his vision after a steady decade-long diet of strictly fries, Pringles, white bread, and ham.
Looks like Pringles needs to change their tagline a little bit: “Once you pop, the fun don’t stop – until you start losing hearing and vision!” We think it’s really catchy.
The teen first visited a doctor several years ago complaining of tiredness and was given B12 injections and sent on his merry way. Unfortunately, he quickly developed hearing and vision loss, and by age 17 years was diagnosed with nutritional optic neuropathy.
Somehow through all of this, he maintained a normal weight, proving once and for all the metabolism of teenage boys can withstand just about anything.
The chip-loving teen now joins the (very small) Nutritional Optic Neuropathy Hall of Fame of Developed Countries, previously only occupied by a man who pretty much drank vodka every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cheers!
Teen wolf? Try baby wolf
Every parent just wants their child to be happy, healthy, and covered in a thick layer of hair, right?
No?
Well, that’s too bad for dozens of parents in Spain, whose children developed hypertrichosis, aka “werewolf syndrome,” and suddenly sprouted full-body hair growth that Tom Selleck would be jealous of. After a brief investigation, they discovered the fast-paced hair growth was caused by an unfortunate medicine mix-up at the lab. Instead of receiving omeprazole for their gastric reflux, the children had been given minoxidil, a drug that treats alopecia.
Luckily for the children who don’t want to impersonate Michael J. Fox anymore, the hair will go away when they stop taking the drug.
No official statement yet on the mysterious sightings of wolf children roaming the Spanish countryside terrorizing locals and howling at the full moon.
Mouthwash in my veins
Let’s say you’re a person with hypertension. After years of your doctor badgering you to do more cardio exercise, you’ve finally committed to the morning jog. It’s a pain getting up that early in the morning, but the benefits will be worth it, right? You head back to your physician, eager to show off the new you. The doctor weighs you (down a few pounds, not bad), then takes a blood pressure reading, and ... it’s exactly the same.
What happened? Was all that work wasted?
Well, according to a study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, you may have an excuse: mouthwash usage.
It all has to do with nitric acid. Normally during cardio exercise, bacteria in the mouth convert nitrates into nitrites, and when these nitrites are swallowed, they are converted into nitric acid after being absorbed by the circulatory system. That widens the blood vessels and reduces blood pressure. Mouthwash changes all that. It inhibits those oral bacteria, and the whole process is stopped before it can begin.
The investigators found that, after 1 hour of exercise on a treadmill, study participants who received mouthwash beforehand saw their systolic blood pressure reduced by 2 mm Hg. And those who received the placebo (mint-flavored water)? They saw a 5.2-mm Hg reduction.
Bottom line to those with hypertension: You may have to start flossing. We know it’s annoying, but it’ll make your doctor happy, and it’ll make your dentist especially happy.
No books at this library
The human microbiome is a pretty hot scientific topic right now, but we here at LOTME are not scientists, or doctors, or experts of any kind, so we have a simple question: What’s in a gut?
Happily (yes, this is the sort of thing that makes us happy), researchers at MIT and the Broad Institute, both in Cambridge, Mass., have taken a very detailed look at the guts of about 90 people, with a dozen or so providing samples for up to 2 years, and can now tell us what’s in a gut: bacteria. Lots of bacteria … 7,758 different strains of bacteria.
According to a statement from MIT, the samples were obtained “through the OpenBiome organization, which collects stool samples for research and therapeutic purposes.” It also sounds like a fun place to work.
Those samples presented “a unique opportunity, and we thought that would be a great set of individuals to really try to dig down and characterize the microbial populations more thoroughly,” said Eric Alm, PhD, one of the investigators.
All of their data, along with samples of the bacteria strains they isolated, are available online at the Broad Institute–OpenBiome Microbiome Library. Which, if you think about it (and that is what we do here), makes it kind of like an Amazon for bacteria.
Hmmm … Alexa, order Turicibacter sanguinis. Uncle Leo’s birthday is coming up.
Someone needs carrots, stat
Eat your veggies or you’ll … go blind? A U.K. teen took picky eating to a whole new level, literally losing his vision after a steady decade-long diet of strictly fries, Pringles, white bread, and ham.
Looks like Pringles needs to change their tagline a little bit: “Once you pop, the fun don’t stop – until you start losing hearing and vision!” We think it’s really catchy.
The teen first visited a doctor several years ago complaining of tiredness and was given B12 injections and sent on his merry way. Unfortunately, he quickly developed hearing and vision loss, and by age 17 years was diagnosed with nutritional optic neuropathy.
Somehow through all of this, he maintained a normal weight, proving once and for all the metabolism of teenage boys can withstand just about anything.
The chip-loving teen now joins the (very small) Nutritional Optic Neuropathy Hall of Fame of Developed Countries, previously only occupied by a man who pretty much drank vodka every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cheers!
Teen wolf? Try baby wolf
Every parent just wants their child to be happy, healthy, and covered in a thick layer of hair, right?
No?
Well, that’s too bad for dozens of parents in Spain, whose children developed hypertrichosis, aka “werewolf syndrome,” and suddenly sprouted full-body hair growth that Tom Selleck would be jealous of. After a brief investigation, they discovered the fast-paced hair growth was caused by an unfortunate medicine mix-up at the lab. Instead of receiving omeprazole for their gastric reflux, the children had been given minoxidil, a drug that treats alopecia.
Luckily for the children who don’t want to impersonate Michael J. Fox anymore, the hair will go away when they stop taking the drug.
No official statement yet on the mysterious sightings of wolf children roaming the Spanish countryside terrorizing locals and howling at the full moon.
Mouthwash in my veins
Let’s say you’re a person with hypertension. After years of your doctor badgering you to do more cardio exercise, you’ve finally committed to the morning jog. It’s a pain getting up that early in the morning, but the benefits will be worth it, right? You head back to your physician, eager to show off the new you. The doctor weighs you (down a few pounds, not bad), then takes a blood pressure reading, and ... it’s exactly the same.
What happened? Was all that work wasted?
Well, according to a study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, you may have an excuse: mouthwash usage.
It all has to do with nitric acid. Normally during cardio exercise, bacteria in the mouth convert nitrates into nitrites, and when these nitrites are swallowed, they are converted into nitric acid after being absorbed by the circulatory system. That widens the blood vessels and reduces blood pressure. Mouthwash changes all that. It inhibits those oral bacteria, and the whole process is stopped before it can begin.
The investigators found that, after 1 hour of exercise on a treadmill, study participants who received mouthwash beforehand saw their systolic blood pressure reduced by 2 mm Hg. And those who received the placebo (mint-flavored water)? They saw a 5.2-mm Hg reduction.
Bottom line to those with hypertension: You may have to start flossing. We know it’s annoying, but it’ll make your doctor happy, and it’ll make your dentist especially happy.
No books at this library
The human microbiome is a pretty hot scientific topic right now, but we here at LOTME are not scientists, or doctors, or experts of any kind, so we have a simple question: What’s in a gut?
Happily (yes, this is the sort of thing that makes us happy), researchers at MIT and the Broad Institute, both in Cambridge, Mass., have taken a very detailed look at the guts of about 90 people, with a dozen or so providing samples for up to 2 years, and can now tell us what’s in a gut: bacteria. Lots of bacteria … 7,758 different strains of bacteria.
According to a statement from MIT, the samples were obtained “through the OpenBiome organization, which collects stool samples for research and therapeutic purposes.” It also sounds like a fun place to work.
Those samples presented “a unique opportunity, and we thought that would be a great set of individuals to really try to dig down and characterize the microbial populations more thoroughly,” said Eric Alm, PhD, one of the investigators.
All of their data, along with samples of the bacteria strains they isolated, are available online at the Broad Institute–OpenBiome Microbiome Library. Which, if you think about it (and that is what we do here), makes it kind of like an Amazon for bacteria.
Hmmm … Alexa, order Turicibacter sanguinis. Uncle Leo’s birthday is coming up.
Cat ladies, heroic music, and Canadian cannabis
Cat ladies: They’re just like you and me
Crazy cat ladies are … not so crazy after all. Bad news for stereotypes, but good news for women who love kitties.
A research team from UCLA observed over 500 pet owners to analyze how people reacted to distress calls from their pets. The investigators also looked at possible links between pet ownership and any mental health or social difficulties.
– meaning cat owners are scientifically proven to be normal.
The study authors specifically stated, “We found no evidence to support the ‘cat lady’ stereotype: cat-owners did not differ from others on self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety or their experiences in close relationships.” Who would’ve thought?
Music is my hero
If you’re feeling down and need a little more motivation in life, try putting in your headphones and listening to some Hans Zimmer scores. A recently published study found that “heroic” music stimulates motivating and empowering thoughts in listeners.
Researchers had participants listen to heroic and sad music samples and fill out questionnaires after listening. They found that listening to heroic music while the mind starts wandering promotes positive, constructive, and motivating thoughts.
No word yet, though, on whether any of the participants attempted to fly or save some kittens from a tree.
The arms race continues
Intrauterine devices, pacemakers, insulin pumps, gastric bands, coronary stents, car keys: What do all of these things have in common? Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Well, I know what those first five have in common, but … car keys? There’s no way.” Yes way.
Aime Dansby, a software engineer from Dallas, had the key to her Tesla 3 – not the entire key, just the RFID chip from the credit-card-sized valet key – implanted into her arm by a body modification artist named “Pineapple,” according to Car & Driver. Seems she couldn’t get a physician to perform the procedure.
To make the chip “safe” for implantation, Ms. Dansby dissolved the rest of the card with acetone and then had the chip itself encased “in a biopolymer that is safe to use in the body and under the skin,” Popular Mechanics reported.
Ms. Dansby discusses some of her reasoning in a video on YouTube: “They say you can’t, like, start your car with that. It’s not secure. It won’t work. It makes me want to do it more.” We here at LOTME understand and support that kind of thinking, but we also hope that no one ever tells her she can’t start her car by sticking her finger in an electrical socket.
O (THC)anada
It can be difficult to get a precise estimate on the level of drug use within a city or country. Perhaps not surprisingly, many people aren’t entirely forthcoming about their drug habits, legal or not. But their poop … the poop never lies.
That’s why Stats Canada, in an effort to find new ways to collect data relating to the legalization of cannabis, conducted a survey of wastewater from five Canadian cities: Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver. In other words, they looked through the poop of about 8.4 million people to find out what drugs they preferred, gathering information on cannabis, cocaine, opioids, and methamphetamine.
Despite its legal status, cannabis usage was not uniform across the country, as Halifax and Montreal wastewater had THC levels more than twice as high as the other three cities. Stats Canada noted that Nova Scotia has higher-than-average cannabis usage, but Quebec as a whole has lower-than-average usage. Apparently the people of Montreal just really like their weed.
In fact, only cocaine showed no geographic bent. Opioids were significantly less popular in Toronto and Montreal, and methamphetamine was much more common in Edmonton and Vancouver.
In the end, Stats Canada concluded that wastewater analysis was an effective way to test drug usage, though we suspect they may have come to a different conclusion had they made anyone other than a bunch of polite Canadians sample the sewage of over 8 million people.
Cat ladies: They’re just like you and me
Crazy cat ladies are … not so crazy after all. Bad news for stereotypes, but good news for women who love kitties.
A research team from UCLA observed over 500 pet owners to analyze how people reacted to distress calls from their pets. The investigators also looked at possible links between pet ownership and any mental health or social difficulties.
– meaning cat owners are scientifically proven to be normal.
The study authors specifically stated, “We found no evidence to support the ‘cat lady’ stereotype: cat-owners did not differ from others on self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety or their experiences in close relationships.” Who would’ve thought?
Music is my hero
If you’re feeling down and need a little more motivation in life, try putting in your headphones and listening to some Hans Zimmer scores. A recently published study found that “heroic” music stimulates motivating and empowering thoughts in listeners.
Researchers had participants listen to heroic and sad music samples and fill out questionnaires after listening. They found that listening to heroic music while the mind starts wandering promotes positive, constructive, and motivating thoughts.
No word yet, though, on whether any of the participants attempted to fly or save some kittens from a tree.
The arms race continues
Intrauterine devices, pacemakers, insulin pumps, gastric bands, coronary stents, car keys: What do all of these things have in common? Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Well, I know what those first five have in common, but … car keys? There’s no way.” Yes way.
Aime Dansby, a software engineer from Dallas, had the key to her Tesla 3 – not the entire key, just the RFID chip from the credit-card-sized valet key – implanted into her arm by a body modification artist named “Pineapple,” according to Car & Driver. Seems she couldn’t get a physician to perform the procedure.
To make the chip “safe” for implantation, Ms. Dansby dissolved the rest of the card with acetone and then had the chip itself encased “in a biopolymer that is safe to use in the body and under the skin,” Popular Mechanics reported.
Ms. Dansby discusses some of her reasoning in a video on YouTube: “They say you can’t, like, start your car with that. It’s not secure. It won’t work. It makes me want to do it more.” We here at LOTME understand and support that kind of thinking, but we also hope that no one ever tells her she can’t start her car by sticking her finger in an electrical socket.
O (THC)anada
It can be difficult to get a precise estimate on the level of drug use within a city or country. Perhaps not surprisingly, many people aren’t entirely forthcoming about their drug habits, legal or not. But their poop … the poop never lies.
That’s why Stats Canada, in an effort to find new ways to collect data relating to the legalization of cannabis, conducted a survey of wastewater from five Canadian cities: Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver. In other words, they looked through the poop of about 8.4 million people to find out what drugs they preferred, gathering information on cannabis, cocaine, opioids, and methamphetamine.
Despite its legal status, cannabis usage was not uniform across the country, as Halifax and Montreal wastewater had THC levels more than twice as high as the other three cities. Stats Canada noted that Nova Scotia has higher-than-average cannabis usage, but Quebec as a whole has lower-than-average usage. Apparently the people of Montreal just really like their weed.
In fact, only cocaine showed no geographic bent. Opioids were significantly less popular in Toronto and Montreal, and methamphetamine was much more common in Edmonton and Vancouver.
In the end, Stats Canada concluded that wastewater analysis was an effective way to test drug usage, though we suspect they may have come to a different conclusion had they made anyone other than a bunch of polite Canadians sample the sewage of over 8 million people.
Cat ladies: They’re just like you and me
Crazy cat ladies are … not so crazy after all. Bad news for stereotypes, but good news for women who love kitties.
A research team from UCLA observed over 500 pet owners to analyze how people reacted to distress calls from their pets. The investigators also looked at possible links between pet ownership and any mental health or social difficulties.
– meaning cat owners are scientifically proven to be normal.
The study authors specifically stated, “We found no evidence to support the ‘cat lady’ stereotype: cat-owners did not differ from others on self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety or their experiences in close relationships.” Who would’ve thought?
Music is my hero
If you’re feeling down and need a little more motivation in life, try putting in your headphones and listening to some Hans Zimmer scores. A recently published study found that “heroic” music stimulates motivating and empowering thoughts in listeners.
Researchers had participants listen to heroic and sad music samples and fill out questionnaires after listening. They found that listening to heroic music while the mind starts wandering promotes positive, constructive, and motivating thoughts.
No word yet, though, on whether any of the participants attempted to fly or save some kittens from a tree.
The arms race continues
Intrauterine devices, pacemakers, insulin pumps, gastric bands, coronary stents, car keys: What do all of these things have in common? Right now, you’re probably thinking, “Well, I know what those first five have in common, but … car keys? There’s no way.” Yes way.
Aime Dansby, a software engineer from Dallas, had the key to her Tesla 3 – not the entire key, just the RFID chip from the credit-card-sized valet key – implanted into her arm by a body modification artist named “Pineapple,” according to Car & Driver. Seems she couldn’t get a physician to perform the procedure.
To make the chip “safe” for implantation, Ms. Dansby dissolved the rest of the card with acetone and then had the chip itself encased “in a biopolymer that is safe to use in the body and under the skin,” Popular Mechanics reported.
Ms. Dansby discusses some of her reasoning in a video on YouTube: “They say you can’t, like, start your car with that. It’s not secure. It won’t work. It makes me want to do it more.” We here at LOTME understand and support that kind of thinking, but we also hope that no one ever tells her she can’t start her car by sticking her finger in an electrical socket.
O (THC)anada
It can be difficult to get a precise estimate on the level of drug use within a city or country. Perhaps not surprisingly, many people aren’t entirely forthcoming about their drug habits, legal or not. But their poop … the poop never lies.
That’s why Stats Canada, in an effort to find new ways to collect data relating to the legalization of cannabis, conducted a survey of wastewater from five Canadian cities: Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, and Vancouver. In other words, they looked through the poop of about 8.4 million people to find out what drugs they preferred, gathering information on cannabis, cocaine, opioids, and methamphetamine.
Despite its legal status, cannabis usage was not uniform across the country, as Halifax and Montreal wastewater had THC levels more than twice as high as the other three cities. Stats Canada noted that Nova Scotia has higher-than-average cannabis usage, but Quebec as a whole has lower-than-average usage. Apparently the people of Montreal just really like their weed.
In fact, only cocaine showed no geographic bent. Opioids were significantly less popular in Toronto and Montreal, and methamphetamine was much more common in Edmonton and Vancouver.
In the end, Stats Canada concluded that wastewater analysis was an effective way to test drug usage, though we suspect they may have come to a different conclusion had they made anyone other than a bunch of polite Canadians sample the sewage of over 8 million people.
Selfie hate, emoji love, and sexy lichen
Stop the selfies
If you’re a selfie aficionado, this is crucial information. People hate your selfies, and people hate you.
Okay, maybe that’s being a little aggressive, but a new study from Washington State University has shown that, if you’re a chronic selfie poster, people (aka your loyal Instagram audience) are more likely to view you as unlikable, unsuccessful, insecure, and closed off to new experiences.
The study was born from the idea that chronic selfie takers are more narcissistic than the rest of us. Chris Barry, PhD, the lead author of this study, conducted research into that hypothesis and found inconclusive results: Selfie prevalence just wasn’t indicative of personality. However, Dr. Barry realized there may be a stronger link between the amount of selfies posted and how people (whom the selfies are forced upon) perceive the selfie taker. [Editor’s note: I am more tired of reading the word “selfie” than of seeing them at this point.]
Study participants were asked to rate the Instagram profiles of 30 undergrad students on attributes such as low self-esteem, self-absorption, and success. The profiles with more posed photos were viewed as being more adventurous, more outgoing, and having high self-esteem, while the reverse was true for profiles with lots of selfies. And for the men trying online dating: Flexing-in-the-mirror selfies were viewed extra negatively.
So what have we learned from this all-important selfie study? If you want to step up your online profile, start by deleting a few of those selfies. Send them to Grandma instead, who will really appreciate your pretty face.
Emoji emotion
You’re setting up your online dating profile. You’ve removed all the selfies and have only the most flattering posed photos of yourself: with your dog, climbing a mountain, at the beach, all the greatest hits. You’ve been messaging the ladies nonstop, impressing them with your witty wordplay and impeccable spelling. But so far, not much is happening. What gives? According to a study from the Kinsey Institute, you’ve got to use more emojis.
Surveying more than 5,000 adults, researchers found that frequent emoji use predicted more first dates and more frequent sexual activity. The findings suggest that
Is an emoji worth a thousand words? For some, apparently. The authors noted that emojis can be used in addition to words to strategically infuse digital communication with expression and emotion that typed words often lack. For many, a smiley emoji carries more emotional weight than writing that you’re happy. If you’re looking to spice up your love life, say it with emojis instead. And if you’re not well-versed in emoji speak, make sure to look up the meaning of the eggplant emoji before you use it.
The nomination would have been enough, really
We here at LOTME love a good survey ... Okay, most of us here at LOTME love a good survey ... All right, it looks like three out of four LOTME staffers surveyed are quite fond of a good survey.
Here, now, finally, is some news about a survey. The good folks at Crestline – whose custom-imprinted promotional products “bring your logo to life!” – asked 1,630 U.S. residents about “America’s Most Memorable Mascots.” The respondents were asked to identify and rate 82 characters representing the best of American marketing, including Colonel Sanders, Little Debbie, Chuck E. Cheese, and the Aflac duck.
In a sweep of epic proportions, the top ranking in each of five measures – least likable, least persuasive, least trustworthy, most annoying, and most creepy – went to the same character: Mr. Mucus, the face of the Mucinex brand.
After hearing the big news, Elyse Altabet, marketing director for Mucinex, had this to say to FiercePharma: “We agree that Mr. Mucus is thoroughly annoying – after all, he is the personification of your most annoying cold. Far from being our mascot, though, it is our sole goal to help get rid of him whenever he tries to invade our lives. Which is why every American knows that when sick happens, we reach for Mucinex.”
Not so sexy after all
Another day, another organism being marketed as an aphrodisiac thanks to some dubious science, according to a report from the New Zealand Newsroom. To be fair, though, advertising a product called sexy pavement lichen as a natural male enhancement isn’t the worst-sounding idea in the world.
The sexy lichen in question, Xanthoparmelia scabrosa, most commonly found in Australia and New Zealand, isn’t that much more attractive than any other lichen. It’s more of a nuisance than anything else, as it loves to grow in pavement and makes roads covered in the stuff dangerously slick when it rains.
As for any benefit as an aphrodisiac, the plant does contain a PDE5 inhibitor, which can inhibit an enzyme causing impotence but may also be toxic on its own. Plus you’ll be getting a dose of such heavy metals as copper, lead, cadmium, mercury, and basically anything else you’d find in asphalt.
The “legitimate” business people involved claim to grind up the actual lichen, and their product is then marketed as an ancient Chinese therapy for erectile dysfunction. A thriving market has been built around sexy pavement lichen, with thousands of tons available on websites such as Alibaba at the premium price of $100 per kg.
In reality, people are buying a combination of Viagra and grass clippings, as harvesting that much lichen would be both unfeasible and unsustainable, according to the Newsroom report. Sadly, it seems that “legitimate” business people have once again let us all down. But hey, at least they’re not selling poisonous lichen. 
Stop the selfies
If you’re a selfie aficionado, this is crucial information. People hate your selfies, and people hate you.
Okay, maybe that’s being a little aggressive, but a new study from Washington State University has shown that, if you’re a chronic selfie poster, people (aka your loyal Instagram audience) are more likely to view you as unlikable, unsuccessful, insecure, and closed off to new experiences.
The study was born from the idea that chronic selfie takers are more narcissistic than the rest of us. Chris Barry, PhD, the lead author of this study, conducted research into that hypothesis and found inconclusive results: Selfie prevalence just wasn’t indicative of personality. However, Dr. Barry realized there may be a stronger link between the amount of selfies posted and how people (whom the selfies are forced upon) perceive the selfie taker. [Editor’s note: I am more tired of reading the word “selfie” than of seeing them at this point.]
Study participants were asked to rate the Instagram profiles of 30 undergrad students on attributes such as low self-esteem, self-absorption, and success. The profiles with more posed photos were viewed as being more adventurous, more outgoing, and having high self-esteem, while the reverse was true for profiles with lots of selfies. And for the men trying online dating: Flexing-in-the-mirror selfies were viewed extra negatively.
So what have we learned from this all-important selfie study? If you want to step up your online profile, start by deleting a few of those selfies. Send them to Grandma instead, who will really appreciate your pretty face.
Emoji emotion
You’re setting up your online dating profile. You’ve removed all the selfies and have only the most flattering posed photos of yourself: with your dog, climbing a mountain, at the beach, all the greatest hits. You’ve been messaging the ladies nonstop, impressing them with your witty wordplay and impeccable spelling. But so far, not much is happening. What gives? According to a study from the Kinsey Institute, you’ve got to use more emojis.
Surveying more than 5,000 adults, researchers found that frequent emoji use predicted more first dates and more frequent sexual activity. The findings suggest that
Is an emoji worth a thousand words? For some, apparently. The authors noted that emojis can be used in addition to words to strategically infuse digital communication with expression and emotion that typed words often lack. For many, a smiley emoji carries more emotional weight than writing that you’re happy. If you’re looking to spice up your love life, say it with emojis instead. And if you’re not well-versed in emoji speak, make sure to look up the meaning of the eggplant emoji before you use it.
The nomination would have been enough, really
We here at LOTME love a good survey ... Okay, most of us here at LOTME love a good survey ... All right, it looks like three out of four LOTME staffers surveyed are quite fond of a good survey.
Here, now, finally, is some news about a survey. The good folks at Crestline – whose custom-imprinted promotional products “bring your logo to life!” – asked 1,630 U.S. residents about “America’s Most Memorable Mascots.” The respondents were asked to identify and rate 82 characters representing the best of American marketing, including Colonel Sanders, Little Debbie, Chuck E. Cheese, and the Aflac duck.
In a sweep of epic proportions, the top ranking in each of five measures – least likable, least persuasive, least trustworthy, most annoying, and most creepy – went to the same character: Mr. Mucus, the face of the Mucinex brand.
After hearing the big news, Elyse Altabet, marketing director for Mucinex, had this to say to FiercePharma: “We agree that Mr. Mucus is thoroughly annoying – after all, he is the personification of your most annoying cold. Far from being our mascot, though, it is our sole goal to help get rid of him whenever he tries to invade our lives. Which is why every American knows that when sick happens, we reach for Mucinex.”
Not so sexy after all
Another day, another organism being marketed as an aphrodisiac thanks to some dubious science, according to a report from the New Zealand Newsroom. To be fair, though, advertising a product called sexy pavement lichen as a natural male enhancement isn’t the worst-sounding idea in the world.
The sexy lichen in question, Xanthoparmelia scabrosa, most commonly found in Australia and New Zealand, isn’t that much more attractive than any other lichen. It’s more of a nuisance than anything else, as it loves to grow in pavement and makes roads covered in the stuff dangerously slick when it rains.
As for any benefit as an aphrodisiac, the plant does contain a PDE5 inhibitor, which can inhibit an enzyme causing impotence but may also be toxic on its own. Plus you’ll be getting a dose of such heavy metals as copper, lead, cadmium, mercury, and basically anything else you’d find in asphalt.
The “legitimate” business people involved claim to grind up the actual lichen, and their product is then marketed as an ancient Chinese therapy for erectile dysfunction. A thriving market has been built around sexy pavement lichen, with thousands of tons available on websites such as Alibaba at the premium price of $100 per kg.
In reality, people are buying a combination of Viagra and grass clippings, as harvesting that much lichen would be both unfeasible and unsustainable, according to the Newsroom report. Sadly, it seems that “legitimate” business people have once again let us all down. But hey, at least they’re not selling poisonous lichen.
Stop the selfies
If you’re a selfie aficionado, this is crucial information. People hate your selfies, and people hate you.
Okay, maybe that’s being a little aggressive, but a new study from Washington State University has shown that, if you’re a chronic selfie poster, people (aka your loyal Instagram audience) are more likely to view you as unlikable, unsuccessful, insecure, and closed off to new experiences.
The study was born from the idea that chronic selfie takers are more narcissistic than the rest of us. Chris Barry, PhD, the lead author of this study, conducted research into that hypothesis and found inconclusive results: Selfie prevalence just wasn’t indicative of personality. However, Dr. Barry realized there may be a stronger link between the amount of selfies posted and how people (whom the selfies are forced upon) perceive the selfie taker. [Editor’s note: I am more tired of reading the word “selfie” than of seeing them at this point.]
Study participants were asked to rate the Instagram profiles of 30 undergrad students on attributes such as low self-esteem, self-absorption, and success. The profiles with more posed photos were viewed as being more adventurous, more outgoing, and having high self-esteem, while the reverse was true for profiles with lots of selfies. And for the men trying online dating: Flexing-in-the-mirror selfies were viewed extra negatively.
So what have we learned from this all-important selfie study? If you want to step up your online profile, start by deleting a few of those selfies. Send them to Grandma instead, who will really appreciate your pretty face.
Emoji emotion
You’re setting up your online dating profile. You’ve removed all the selfies and have only the most flattering posed photos of yourself: with your dog, climbing a mountain, at the beach, all the greatest hits. You’ve been messaging the ladies nonstop, impressing them with your witty wordplay and impeccable spelling. But so far, not much is happening. What gives? According to a study from the Kinsey Institute, you’ve got to use more emojis.
Surveying more than 5,000 adults, researchers found that frequent emoji use predicted more first dates and more frequent sexual activity. The findings suggest that
Is an emoji worth a thousand words? For some, apparently. The authors noted that emojis can be used in addition to words to strategically infuse digital communication with expression and emotion that typed words often lack. For many, a smiley emoji carries more emotional weight than writing that you’re happy. If you’re looking to spice up your love life, say it with emojis instead. And if you’re not well-versed in emoji speak, make sure to look up the meaning of the eggplant emoji before you use it.
The nomination would have been enough, really
We here at LOTME love a good survey ... Okay, most of us here at LOTME love a good survey ... All right, it looks like three out of four LOTME staffers surveyed are quite fond of a good survey.
Here, now, finally, is some news about a survey. The good folks at Crestline – whose custom-imprinted promotional products “bring your logo to life!” – asked 1,630 U.S. residents about “America’s Most Memorable Mascots.” The respondents were asked to identify and rate 82 characters representing the best of American marketing, including Colonel Sanders, Little Debbie, Chuck E. Cheese, and the Aflac duck.
In a sweep of epic proportions, the top ranking in each of five measures – least likable, least persuasive, least trustworthy, most annoying, and most creepy – went to the same character: Mr. Mucus, the face of the Mucinex brand.
After hearing the big news, Elyse Altabet, marketing director for Mucinex, had this to say to FiercePharma: “We agree that Mr. Mucus is thoroughly annoying – after all, he is the personification of your most annoying cold. Far from being our mascot, though, it is our sole goal to help get rid of him whenever he tries to invade our lives. Which is why every American knows that when sick happens, we reach for Mucinex.”
Not so sexy after all
Another day, another organism being marketed as an aphrodisiac thanks to some dubious science, according to a report from the New Zealand Newsroom. To be fair, though, advertising a product called sexy pavement lichen as a natural male enhancement isn’t the worst-sounding idea in the world.
The sexy lichen in question, Xanthoparmelia scabrosa, most commonly found in Australia and New Zealand, isn’t that much more attractive than any other lichen. It’s more of a nuisance than anything else, as it loves to grow in pavement and makes roads covered in the stuff dangerously slick when it rains.
As for any benefit as an aphrodisiac, the plant does contain a PDE5 inhibitor, which can inhibit an enzyme causing impotence but may also be toxic on its own. Plus you’ll be getting a dose of such heavy metals as copper, lead, cadmium, mercury, and basically anything else you’d find in asphalt.
The “legitimate” business people involved claim to grind up the actual lichen, and their product is then marketed as an ancient Chinese therapy for erectile dysfunction. A thriving market has been built around sexy pavement lichen, with thousands of tons available on websites such as Alibaba at the premium price of $100 per kg.
In reality, people are buying a combination of Viagra and grass clippings, as harvesting that much lichen would be both unfeasible and unsustainable, according to the Newsroom report. Sadly, it seems that “legitimate” business people have once again let us all down. But hey, at least they’re not selling poisonous lichen.
Chernobyl vodka, music-enhanced cheese, and bong bacteria
Cheers, comrades
In the eternal words of Dr. Ian Malcolm, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” While he was talking about resurrecting dinosaurs, today we’re applying it to making Chernobyl vodka.
Excuse me? Yes, that’s right – an international team of scientists decided to combine the two most famous elements from the former U.S.S.R. As if taking shots isn’t hard enough, let’s make ’em radioactive.
The (potentially glowing) spirit was produced from rye grown in the exclusion zone, the area immediately surrounding the entombed power plant that was off limits to humans for decades. The (potentially drunk) research team decided to create their nuclear moonshine to show the now-tiny levels of radiation that live in soil and crops near Chernobyl today. After distilling the liquor, they reported there was no Chernobyl-related radioactivity in the bottle.
We want to believe them, but we don’t fancy sprouting a third hand after a night of partying. Perhaps it’s best to keep that one far, far back on the shelf.
Play that funky music, cheddar
It’s the most important experiment of all time: How does music affect cheese?
The vital research was conducted in Switzerland (but, in a surprising twist, not with Swiss cheese) and examined how the flavorful microorganisms in cheese react to sound waves. Nine wheels of Emmental were exposed to five different genres of music, including such hits as Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” “Jazz (We’ve Got)” by A Tribe Called Quest, and Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
After 6 months of music exposure, food technologists then taste-tested the cheese (we’re sending our resumes in immediately for this job) and found that the cheeses that listened to music were overall more mild than the control cheese, which sadly was given no music at all.
A panel of Swiss chefs also conducted a blind taste of the various cheeses, and overwhelmingly agreed that the cheeses that listened to hip-hop music were better than the rest.
Hosting a dinner party soon? Drag that wheel of Brie out of the fridge and play it some Jay-Z. Your guests will thank you.
Dude, where’s my disinfectant?
What’s the dirtiest, most bacteria-covered thing you can think of? Dog’s food bowl? Dumpster? Public toilet seat?
Think again.
Our friends at Moose Labs, maker of the MouthPeace (“Providing excellent germ protection when sharing bongs”) and other fine smoking products, decided to take a break from their extensive product testing and do some science instead.
They used a Hygiena Luminometer in conjunction with adenosine triphosphate swabs to determine the bacterial contamination of cannabis pipes and some other, more mundane surfaces, which produced a measurement in relative light units (RLUs). A pipe was provided to participants at two social consumption cannabis events in California and then swabbed several times through 100 uses.
Additional swabbing took place at a number of real-world locations, and as the company noted, “it was difficult to find a neutral object in daily life that was as contaminated as a cannabis pipe.”
Before we look at the data, here’s an observation: There is one object on the list that people put their mouths on (we hope) and one that dogs put their mouths on.
And now, some average bacterial measurements:
- Dog food bowls: 248.5 RLU.
- ATM keypad buttons: 1,819 RLU.
- Public toilet seats: 2,350 RLU.
- Cannabis pipes: 3,497 RLU.
When reached for comment, a bacterium inhabiting a cannabis pipe had this to say: “It’s like the big book says, dude: Be totally excellent and multiply.”
You may want to skip that morning coffee
It’s no secret that Earth’s climate is changing. The planet is heating up as record amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are pumped into the atmosphere every year. It’s a complex and dire problem with no easy solution.
Well, unless you’re Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil. He’s come up with a very simple, very elegant way to save the environment: Poop less.
To be more precise, pooping every other day “will be better for the whole world,” according to Mr. Bolsonaro. His statement, made in response to criticism that clear-cutting of the Brazilian rainforest has accelerated dramatically in the past year (870 square miles in July 2019, a 278% increase from the year before), also included a call to eat less, which is fair enough. As for the poop advice, we run into a slight problem.
According to a 2018 study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, healthy adults poop anywhere from three times a day (the Taco Bell enthusiasts, no doubt) to three times a week, and only 40% poop at least once a day. A “poop every other day” law would likely result only in a lot of brown pants and not a lot of healthier environment.
So, back to the drawing board, we’re afraid. Maybe nix that whole clear-cutting the rainforest thing?
Cheers, comrades
In the eternal words of Dr. Ian Malcolm, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” While he was talking about resurrecting dinosaurs, today we’re applying it to making Chernobyl vodka.
Excuse me? Yes, that’s right – an international team of scientists decided to combine the two most famous elements from the former U.S.S.R. As if taking shots isn’t hard enough, let’s make ’em radioactive.
The (potentially glowing) spirit was produced from rye grown in the exclusion zone, the area immediately surrounding the entombed power plant that was off limits to humans for decades. The (potentially drunk) research team decided to create their nuclear moonshine to show the now-tiny levels of radiation that live in soil and crops near Chernobyl today. After distilling the liquor, they reported there was no Chernobyl-related radioactivity in the bottle.
We want to believe them, but we don’t fancy sprouting a third hand after a night of partying. Perhaps it’s best to keep that one far, far back on the shelf.
Play that funky music, cheddar
It’s the most important experiment of all time: How does music affect cheese?
The vital research was conducted in Switzerland (but, in a surprising twist, not with Swiss cheese) and examined how the flavorful microorganisms in cheese react to sound waves. Nine wheels of Emmental were exposed to five different genres of music, including such hits as Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” “Jazz (We’ve Got)” by A Tribe Called Quest, and Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
After 6 months of music exposure, food technologists then taste-tested the cheese (we’re sending our resumes in immediately for this job) and found that the cheeses that listened to music were overall more mild than the control cheese, which sadly was given no music at all.
A panel of Swiss chefs also conducted a blind taste of the various cheeses, and overwhelmingly agreed that the cheeses that listened to hip-hop music were better than the rest.
Hosting a dinner party soon? Drag that wheel of Brie out of the fridge and play it some Jay-Z. Your guests will thank you.
Dude, where’s my disinfectant?
What’s the dirtiest, most bacteria-covered thing you can think of? Dog’s food bowl? Dumpster? Public toilet seat?
Think again.
Our friends at Moose Labs, maker of the MouthPeace (“Providing excellent germ protection when sharing bongs”) and other fine smoking products, decided to take a break from their extensive product testing and do some science instead.
They used a Hygiena Luminometer in conjunction with adenosine triphosphate swabs to determine the bacterial contamination of cannabis pipes and some other, more mundane surfaces, which produced a measurement in relative light units (RLUs). A pipe was provided to participants at two social consumption cannabis events in California and then swabbed several times through 100 uses.
Additional swabbing took place at a number of real-world locations, and as the company noted, “it was difficult to find a neutral object in daily life that was as contaminated as a cannabis pipe.”
Before we look at the data, here’s an observation: There is one object on the list that people put their mouths on (we hope) and one that dogs put their mouths on.
And now, some average bacterial measurements:
- Dog food bowls: 248.5 RLU.
- ATM keypad buttons: 1,819 RLU.
- Public toilet seats: 2,350 RLU.
- Cannabis pipes: 3,497 RLU.
When reached for comment, a bacterium inhabiting a cannabis pipe had this to say: “It’s like the big book says, dude: Be totally excellent and multiply.”
You may want to skip that morning coffee
It’s no secret that Earth’s climate is changing. The planet is heating up as record amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are pumped into the atmosphere every year. It’s a complex and dire problem with no easy solution.
Well, unless you’re Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil. He’s come up with a very simple, very elegant way to save the environment: Poop less.
To be more precise, pooping every other day “will be better for the whole world,” according to Mr. Bolsonaro. His statement, made in response to criticism that clear-cutting of the Brazilian rainforest has accelerated dramatically in the past year (870 square miles in July 2019, a 278% increase from the year before), also included a call to eat less, which is fair enough. As for the poop advice, we run into a slight problem.
According to a 2018 study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, healthy adults poop anywhere from three times a day (the Taco Bell enthusiasts, no doubt) to three times a week, and only 40% poop at least once a day. A “poop every other day” law would likely result only in a lot of brown pants and not a lot of healthier environment.
So, back to the drawing board, we’re afraid. Maybe nix that whole clear-cutting the rainforest thing?
Cheers, comrades
In the eternal words of Dr. Ian Malcolm, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” While he was talking about resurrecting dinosaurs, today we’re applying it to making Chernobyl vodka.
Excuse me? Yes, that’s right – an international team of scientists decided to combine the two most famous elements from the former U.S.S.R. As if taking shots isn’t hard enough, let’s make ’em radioactive.
The (potentially glowing) spirit was produced from rye grown in the exclusion zone, the area immediately surrounding the entombed power plant that was off limits to humans for decades. The (potentially drunk) research team decided to create their nuclear moonshine to show the now-tiny levels of radiation that live in soil and crops near Chernobyl today. After distilling the liquor, they reported there was no Chernobyl-related radioactivity in the bottle.
We want to believe them, but we don’t fancy sprouting a third hand after a night of partying. Perhaps it’s best to keep that one far, far back on the shelf.
Play that funky music, cheddar
It’s the most important experiment of all time: How does music affect cheese?
The vital research was conducted in Switzerland (but, in a surprising twist, not with Swiss cheese) and examined how the flavorful microorganisms in cheese react to sound waves. Nine wheels of Emmental were exposed to five different genres of music, including such hits as Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” “Jazz (We’ve Got)” by A Tribe Called Quest, and Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
After 6 months of music exposure, food technologists then taste-tested the cheese (we’re sending our resumes in immediately for this job) and found that the cheeses that listened to music were overall more mild than the control cheese, which sadly was given no music at all.
A panel of Swiss chefs also conducted a blind taste of the various cheeses, and overwhelmingly agreed that the cheeses that listened to hip-hop music were better than the rest.
Hosting a dinner party soon? Drag that wheel of Brie out of the fridge and play it some Jay-Z. Your guests will thank you.
Dude, where’s my disinfectant?
What’s the dirtiest, most bacteria-covered thing you can think of? Dog’s food bowl? Dumpster? Public toilet seat?
Think again.
Our friends at Moose Labs, maker of the MouthPeace (“Providing excellent germ protection when sharing bongs”) and other fine smoking products, decided to take a break from their extensive product testing and do some science instead.
They used a Hygiena Luminometer in conjunction with adenosine triphosphate swabs to determine the bacterial contamination of cannabis pipes and some other, more mundane surfaces, which produced a measurement in relative light units (RLUs). A pipe was provided to participants at two social consumption cannabis events in California and then swabbed several times through 100 uses.
Additional swabbing took place at a number of real-world locations, and as the company noted, “it was difficult to find a neutral object in daily life that was as contaminated as a cannabis pipe.”
Before we look at the data, here’s an observation: There is one object on the list that people put their mouths on (we hope) and one that dogs put their mouths on.
And now, some average bacterial measurements:
- Dog food bowls: 248.5 RLU.
- ATM keypad buttons: 1,819 RLU.
- Public toilet seats: 2,350 RLU.
- Cannabis pipes: 3,497 RLU.
When reached for comment, a bacterium inhabiting a cannabis pipe had this to say: “It’s like the big book says, dude: Be totally excellent and multiply.”
You may want to skip that morning coffee
It’s no secret that Earth’s climate is changing. The planet is heating up as record amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are pumped into the atmosphere every year. It’s a complex and dire problem with no easy solution.
Well, unless you’re Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil. He’s come up with a very simple, very elegant way to save the environment: Poop less.
To be more precise, pooping every other day “will be better for the whole world,” according to Mr. Bolsonaro. His statement, made in response to criticism that clear-cutting of the Brazilian rainforest has accelerated dramatically in the past year (870 square miles in July 2019, a 278% increase from the year before), also included a call to eat less, which is fair enough. As for the poop advice, we run into a slight problem.
According to a 2018 study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, healthy adults poop anywhere from three times a day (the Taco Bell enthusiasts, no doubt) to three times a week, and only 40% poop at least once a day. A “poop every other day” law would likely result only in a lot of brown pants and not a lot of healthier environment.
So, back to the drawing board, we’re afraid. Maybe nix that whole clear-cutting the rainforest thing?
Smartphone mind control, wasp gyn remedy, and seagull stare downs
Don’t put THAT THERE!
As a doctor, you’ve probably thought, “I can’t believe I have to tell them this” more than once. Warnings that you think are common sense – please don’t try that home remedy, please don’t put that there, please don’t eat that anymore.
Well, here’s a new one for all doctors with female patients out there: Please don’t put a ground-up wasp’s nest into your vagina.
An intrepid ob.gyn. with a large Internet following found that someone has been selling oak galls online as vaginal medicine. Oak galls are little bumps that grow on a tree after the gall wasp lays its larvae. Fun insect-plant behavior! Very bad to put inside your body in any way!
One would think you don’t need to warn patients that tree/wasp paste is not the correct medicine to use on an episiotomy cut, as the Etsy seller suggested.
But with Gwyneth Paltrow out there trying to convince people that purposeful bee stings, healing stickers, and goat milk cleanses are all valid health tips, sometimes the obvious things just need to be spelled out.
Eye of the seagull
Rising up/Back on the beach/Did my time, made my sandwich
Went to the kitchen/Now I’m back on the street
Just a man and his will to surviiiiiiiiiive
It’s the eye of the seagull/It’s the thrill of the fight
Research shows you have to stare them down
When a seagull eyes your sandwich/Don’t let it have a bite
Don’t give in to the eye of the seagull.
That’s just a little ditty for you to sing this summer while enjoying your time on the sand, surrounded by those greedy flying sandwich thieves. Research out of the University of Exeter, England, suggests that staring down approaching seagulls can actually slow them down or even completely deter them from attempting to steal your snacks.
Perhaps the seagulls don’t like being watched while they commit their crimes? Maybe they can’t stand the shame of it all.
Whatever the reason, if you’re assaulted by a flock of seagulls this summer (the birds, not the band), try engaging in a staring contest to keep your food safe.
A gut microbe with a rye smile
Rye is not exactly a huge deal here in the good old U.S. of A., but rye bread happens to be the national food of Finland. So when the Finns say something about rye, it pays to listen.
Investigators at the University of Eastern Finland used metabolomics – which, we discovered the hard way, is the “analysis of metabolites in a biological specimen” and not the Finnish word for a “financial system based on rye bread” – to examine the effects of rye sourdough on the gut microbes of mice and an in vitro gastrointestinal model that mimicked the function of the human gut.
Many compounds found in rye sourdough, such as branched-chain amino acids and amino acid–containing small peptides known to have an impact on insulin metabolism, are processed by gut bacteria before getting absorbed into the body.
The gut microbes of mice fed rye sourdough also produce derivatives of trimethylglycine known as betaine, and at least one of these derivatives reduces the need for oxygen in heart muscle cells, which may protect the heart from ischemia or possibly even enhance its performance, the investigators said.
“The major role played by gut microbes in human health has become more and more evident over the past decades, and this is why gut microbes should be taken very good care of. It’s a good idea to avoid unnecessary antibiotics and feed gut microbes with optimal food, such as rye,” researcher Ville M. Koistinen said in a written statement.
The bottom line? A rye-filled gut microbe is a happy gut microbe. And this comes from Finland, the nation that gave the world “pantsdrunk,” so it must be true. On behalf of the Finns, you’re welcome, world.
This is your brain on smartphones
Hey. Hey, you. Do you want some scientists to install a small device in your brain that uses light and drugs to control your neurons and can be controlled externally by a smartphone? No?
Sounds like a terrible idea only fit for a cheesy science fiction dystopia, you say? Too bad, because a group of researchers from South Korea and the University of Colorado already have invented such a device.
To be fair, their study, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, is relatively free of nefariousness. The device is meant to be used to search for brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as disorders such as depression, addiction, and pain.
The researchers say that their device is superior to current diagnostic technology available – which uses a similar drug/light combo but is bulkier, stationary, and causes long-term brain damage – because it can be used long term and outside the lab and – we’re sorry – but we’re straying back into dystopia here.
Okay, let’s try again. To test their device, the researchers conducted an animal study and found that, by manipulating the behavior of one animal using the drug/light combo from behind their smartphones, they could influence the behavior of the entire group.
Did we say that the study was relatively free of nefariousness? Sorry about that. At this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing was bankrolled by a couple of genetically engineered lab mice from Acme Labs bent on world domination.
Don’t put THAT THERE!
As a doctor, you’ve probably thought, “I can’t believe I have to tell them this” more than once. Warnings that you think are common sense – please don’t try that home remedy, please don’t put that there, please don’t eat that anymore.
Well, here’s a new one for all doctors with female patients out there: Please don’t put a ground-up wasp’s nest into your vagina.
An intrepid ob.gyn. with a large Internet following found that someone has been selling oak galls online as vaginal medicine. Oak galls are little bumps that grow on a tree after the gall wasp lays its larvae. Fun insect-plant behavior! Very bad to put inside your body in any way!
One would think you don’t need to warn patients that tree/wasp paste is not the correct medicine to use on an episiotomy cut, as the Etsy seller suggested.
But with Gwyneth Paltrow out there trying to convince people that purposeful bee stings, healing stickers, and goat milk cleanses are all valid health tips, sometimes the obvious things just need to be spelled out.
Eye of the seagull
Rising up/Back on the beach/Did my time, made my sandwich
Went to the kitchen/Now I’m back on the street
Just a man and his will to surviiiiiiiiiive
It’s the eye of the seagull/It’s the thrill of the fight
Research shows you have to stare them down
When a seagull eyes your sandwich/Don’t let it have a bite
Don’t give in to the eye of the seagull.
That’s just a little ditty for you to sing this summer while enjoying your time on the sand, surrounded by those greedy flying sandwich thieves. Research out of the University of Exeter, England, suggests that staring down approaching seagulls can actually slow them down or even completely deter them from attempting to steal your snacks.
Perhaps the seagulls don’t like being watched while they commit their crimes? Maybe they can’t stand the shame of it all.
Whatever the reason, if you’re assaulted by a flock of seagulls this summer (the birds, not the band), try engaging in a staring contest to keep your food safe.
A gut microbe with a rye smile
Rye is not exactly a huge deal here in the good old U.S. of A., but rye bread happens to be the national food of Finland. So when the Finns say something about rye, it pays to listen.
Investigators at the University of Eastern Finland used metabolomics – which, we discovered the hard way, is the “analysis of metabolites in a biological specimen” and not the Finnish word for a “financial system based on rye bread” – to examine the effects of rye sourdough on the gut microbes of mice and an in vitro gastrointestinal model that mimicked the function of the human gut.
Many compounds found in rye sourdough, such as branched-chain amino acids and amino acid–containing small peptides known to have an impact on insulin metabolism, are processed by gut bacteria before getting absorbed into the body.
The gut microbes of mice fed rye sourdough also produce derivatives of trimethylglycine known as betaine, and at least one of these derivatives reduces the need for oxygen in heart muscle cells, which may protect the heart from ischemia or possibly even enhance its performance, the investigators said.
“The major role played by gut microbes in human health has become more and more evident over the past decades, and this is why gut microbes should be taken very good care of. It’s a good idea to avoid unnecessary antibiotics and feed gut microbes with optimal food, such as rye,” researcher Ville M. Koistinen said in a written statement.
The bottom line? A rye-filled gut microbe is a happy gut microbe. And this comes from Finland, the nation that gave the world “pantsdrunk,” so it must be true. On behalf of the Finns, you’re welcome, world.
This is your brain on smartphones
Hey. Hey, you. Do you want some scientists to install a small device in your brain that uses light and drugs to control your neurons and can be controlled externally by a smartphone? No?
Sounds like a terrible idea only fit for a cheesy science fiction dystopia, you say? Too bad, because a group of researchers from South Korea and the University of Colorado already have invented such a device.
To be fair, their study, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, is relatively free of nefariousness. The device is meant to be used to search for brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as disorders such as depression, addiction, and pain.
The researchers say that their device is superior to current diagnostic technology available – which uses a similar drug/light combo but is bulkier, stationary, and causes long-term brain damage – because it can be used long term and outside the lab and – we’re sorry – but we’re straying back into dystopia here.
Okay, let’s try again. To test their device, the researchers conducted an animal study and found that, by manipulating the behavior of one animal using the drug/light combo from behind their smartphones, they could influence the behavior of the entire group.
Did we say that the study was relatively free of nefariousness? Sorry about that. At this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing was bankrolled by a couple of genetically engineered lab mice from Acme Labs bent on world domination.
Don’t put THAT THERE!
As a doctor, you’ve probably thought, “I can’t believe I have to tell them this” more than once. Warnings that you think are common sense – please don’t try that home remedy, please don’t put that there, please don’t eat that anymore.
Well, here’s a new one for all doctors with female patients out there: Please don’t put a ground-up wasp’s nest into your vagina.
An intrepid ob.gyn. with a large Internet following found that someone has been selling oak galls online as vaginal medicine. Oak galls are little bumps that grow on a tree after the gall wasp lays its larvae. Fun insect-plant behavior! Very bad to put inside your body in any way!
One would think you don’t need to warn patients that tree/wasp paste is not the correct medicine to use on an episiotomy cut, as the Etsy seller suggested.
But with Gwyneth Paltrow out there trying to convince people that purposeful bee stings, healing stickers, and goat milk cleanses are all valid health tips, sometimes the obvious things just need to be spelled out.
Eye of the seagull
Rising up/Back on the beach/Did my time, made my sandwich
Went to the kitchen/Now I’m back on the street
Just a man and his will to surviiiiiiiiiive
It’s the eye of the seagull/It’s the thrill of the fight
Research shows you have to stare them down
When a seagull eyes your sandwich/Don’t let it have a bite
Don’t give in to the eye of the seagull.
That’s just a little ditty for you to sing this summer while enjoying your time on the sand, surrounded by those greedy flying sandwich thieves. Research out of the University of Exeter, England, suggests that staring down approaching seagulls can actually slow them down or even completely deter them from attempting to steal your snacks.
Perhaps the seagulls don’t like being watched while they commit their crimes? Maybe they can’t stand the shame of it all.
Whatever the reason, if you’re assaulted by a flock of seagulls this summer (the birds, not the band), try engaging in a staring contest to keep your food safe.
A gut microbe with a rye smile
Rye is not exactly a huge deal here in the good old U.S. of A., but rye bread happens to be the national food of Finland. So when the Finns say something about rye, it pays to listen.
Investigators at the University of Eastern Finland used metabolomics – which, we discovered the hard way, is the “analysis of metabolites in a biological specimen” and not the Finnish word for a “financial system based on rye bread” – to examine the effects of rye sourdough on the gut microbes of mice and an in vitro gastrointestinal model that mimicked the function of the human gut.
Many compounds found in rye sourdough, such as branched-chain amino acids and amino acid–containing small peptides known to have an impact on insulin metabolism, are processed by gut bacteria before getting absorbed into the body.
The gut microbes of mice fed rye sourdough also produce derivatives of trimethylglycine known as betaine, and at least one of these derivatives reduces the need for oxygen in heart muscle cells, which may protect the heart from ischemia or possibly even enhance its performance, the investigators said.
“The major role played by gut microbes in human health has become more and more evident over the past decades, and this is why gut microbes should be taken very good care of. It’s a good idea to avoid unnecessary antibiotics and feed gut microbes with optimal food, such as rye,” researcher Ville M. Koistinen said in a written statement.
The bottom line? A rye-filled gut microbe is a happy gut microbe. And this comes from Finland, the nation that gave the world “pantsdrunk,” so it must be true. On behalf of the Finns, you’re welcome, world.
This is your brain on smartphones
Hey. Hey, you. Do you want some scientists to install a small device in your brain that uses light and drugs to control your neurons and can be controlled externally by a smartphone? No?
Sounds like a terrible idea only fit for a cheesy science fiction dystopia, you say? Too bad, because a group of researchers from South Korea and the University of Colorado already have invented such a device.
To be fair, their study, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, is relatively free of nefariousness. The device is meant to be used to search for brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as disorders such as depression, addiction, and pain.
The researchers say that their device is superior to current diagnostic technology available – which uses a similar drug/light combo but is bulkier, stationary, and causes long-term brain damage – because it can be used long term and outside the lab and – we’re sorry – but we’re straying back into dystopia here.
Okay, let’s try again. To test their device, the researchers conducted an animal study and found that, by manipulating the behavior of one animal using the drug/light combo from behind their smartphones, they could influence the behavior of the entire group.
Did we say that the study was relatively free of nefariousness? Sorry about that. At this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if the whole thing was bankrolled by a couple of genetically engineered lab mice from Acme Labs bent on world domination.
Predatory journals and HULLK’s prostate
The incredible HULLK
HULLK TYPE OF RNA THAT CONTROLS GROWTH OF PROSTATE CANCER CELLS. HULLK IS STRONGEST RNA THERE IS. HULLK SMASH CANCER!
Is everyone’s favorite not-so-jolly green giant the key to crushing prostate cancer? Not exactly: HULLK is a noncoding type of RNA. Which means, instead of coding a protein, it helps regulate cellular processes.
Cancer researchers from the University of Virginia found there was more HULLK in tumors from patients with advanced prostate cancer. They also found that decreasing the incredible RNA slows tumor cell growth.
In other words, we need a little more Bruce Banner, a little less HULLK.
The scientists who identified HULLK are hopeful that it can function as a biomarker and a therapeutic target in the future, and could be an integral discovery on the way to curing prostate cancer. HULLK LIKE.
Trading places with Sigmund Freud
Sometimes, it can be helpful to talk to someone about your problems. We’re not really going out on a limb here. That is, after all, pretty much the basis of psychotherapy.
But what if that someone else was really you, disguised as Sigmund Freud?
That was the premise for a recent study involving body swapping and immersive virtual reality. The investigators scanned each subject to create a 3D avatar that functioned as an online representation and moved as he or she moved during the experiment. In virtual reality, the subject’s avatar sat across a table from Sigmund Freud, who was the variable element in the study.
For the control group, Freud responded with prescripted questions and comments about the subject’s problem. The other group, however, was able to swap virtual bodies and respond to their own bodies as Freud. In other words, they could have a conversation with themselves, but it looked like they were talking to Freud.
A week after the virtual conversations, more than 80% of those in the body-swapping group experienced some sort of change with respect to their problem, compared with less than 50% of controls.
“We found that those in the body-swapping group got better knowledge, understanding, control, and new ideas about their problem, compared to the control group,” one of the investigators said.
We’re just wondering about their choice of Freud. It kind of makes sense, because that was his line of work; but would another person have been even more helpful?
How about Dr. Phil? Or maybe Oprah? Seems like Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is everywhere else, so why not virtual reality? It would be hard to go wrong with some type of Kardashian, right?
Cue the ‘Jaws’ music
Doctors with freshly written studies beware, for you are not alone. Lurking in the undergrowth, stalking your every move, are the predatory journals. They’ve come for you. And they pose a danger not only to you, but to the entire field of medical literature.
However, there’s no need to fear, as you have a guide through the great Serengeti of the publication process: a new guideline on avoiding predatory journals from the American Medical Writers Association, European Medical Writers Association, and International Society for Medical Publication Professionals.
According to the guideline, some telltale characteristics of these journals include a lack of information, poorly made websites, a lack of indexing in a recognized system, promises of unrealistically quick peer review, and an insatiable thirst for your blood. We may have made that last one up.
The guideline authors call for all medical authors to conduct research while submitting to journals, and only submit to those journals that conduct a full peer review process and that genuinely seek to contribute to medical literature.
Failure to do so may result in a damaged reputation, being unwittingly appointed to an editorial board, losing your paper, or having your liver eaten by an eagle day after day until Hercules finally frees you from your torture.
We may have made that one up as well.
The incredible HULLK
HULLK TYPE OF RNA THAT CONTROLS GROWTH OF PROSTATE CANCER CELLS. HULLK IS STRONGEST RNA THERE IS. HULLK SMASH CANCER!
Is everyone’s favorite not-so-jolly green giant the key to crushing prostate cancer? Not exactly: HULLK is a noncoding type of RNA. Which means, instead of coding a protein, it helps regulate cellular processes.
Cancer researchers from the University of Virginia found there was more HULLK in tumors from patients with advanced prostate cancer. They also found that decreasing the incredible RNA slows tumor cell growth.
In other words, we need a little more Bruce Banner, a little less HULLK.
The scientists who identified HULLK are hopeful that it can function as a biomarker and a therapeutic target in the future, and could be an integral discovery on the way to curing prostate cancer. HULLK LIKE.
Trading places with Sigmund Freud
Sometimes, it can be helpful to talk to someone about your problems. We’re not really going out on a limb here. That is, after all, pretty much the basis of psychotherapy.
But what if that someone else was really you, disguised as Sigmund Freud?
That was the premise for a recent study involving body swapping and immersive virtual reality. The investigators scanned each subject to create a 3D avatar that functioned as an online representation and moved as he or she moved during the experiment. In virtual reality, the subject’s avatar sat across a table from Sigmund Freud, who was the variable element in the study.
For the control group, Freud responded with prescripted questions and comments about the subject’s problem. The other group, however, was able to swap virtual bodies and respond to their own bodies as Freud. In other words, they could have a conversation with themselves, but it looked like they were talking to Freud.
A week after the virtual conversations, more than 80% of those in the body-swapping group experienced some sort of change with respect to their problem, compared with less than 50% of controls.
“We found that those in the body-swapping group got better knowledge, understanding, control, and new ideas about their problem, compared to the control group,” one of the investigators said.
We’re just wondering about their choice of Freud. It kind of makes sense, because that was his line of work; but would another person have been even more helpful?
How about Dr. Phil? Or maybe Oprah? Seems like Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is everywhere else, so why not virtual reality? It would be hard to go wrong with some type of Kardashian, right?
Cue the ‘Jaws’ music
Doctors with freshly written studies beware, for you are not alone. Lurking in the undergrowth, stalking your every move, are the predatory journals. They’ve come for you. And they pose a danger not only to you, but to the entire field of medical literature.
However, there’s no need to fear, as you have a guide through the great Serengeti of the publication process: a new guideline on avoiding predatory journals from the American Medical Writers Association, European Medical Writers Association, and International Society for Medical Publication Professionals.
According to the guideline, some telltale characteristics of these journals include a lack of information, poorly made websites, a lack of indexing in a recognized system, promises of unrealistically quick peer review, and an insatiable thirst for your blood. We may have made that last one up.
The guideline authors call for all medical authors to conduct research while submitting to journals, and only submit to those journals that conduct a full peer review process and that genuinely seek to contribute to medical literature.
Failure to do so may result in a damaged reputation, being unwittingly appointed to an editorial board, losing your paper, or having your liver eaten by an eagle day after day until Hercules finally frees you from your torture.
We may have made that one up as well.
The incredible HULLK
HULLK TYPE OF RNA THAT CONTROLS GROWTH OF PROSTATE CANCER CELLS. HULLK IS STRONGEST RNA THERE IS. HULLK SMASH CANCER!
Is everyone’s favorite not-so-jolly green giant the key to crushing prostate cancer? Not exactly: HULLK is a noncoding type of RNA. Which means, instead of coding a protein, it helps regulate cellular processes.
Cancer researchers from the University of Virginia found there was more HULLK in tumors from patients with advanced prostate cancer. They also found that decreasing the incredible RNA slows tumor cell growth.
In other words, we need a little more Bruce Banner, a little less HULLK.
The scientists who identified HULLK are hopeful that it can function as a biomarker and a therapeutic target in the future, and could be an integral discovery on the way to curing prostate cancer. HULLK LIKE.
Trading places with Sigmund Freud
Sometimes, it can be helpful to talk to someone about your problems. We’re not really going out on a limb here. That is, after all, pretty much the basis of psychotherapy.
But what if that someone else was really you, disguised as Sigmund Freud?
That was the premise for a recent study involving body swapping and immersive virtual reality. The investigators scanned each subject to create a 3D avatar that functioned as an online representation and moved as he or she moved during the experiment. In virtual reality, the subject’s avatar sat across a table from Sigmund Freud, who was the variable element in the study.
For the control group, Freud responded with prescripted questions and comments about the subject’s problem. The other group, however, was able to swap virtual bodies and respond to their own bodies as Freud. In other words, they could have a conversation with themselves, but it looked like they were talking to Freud.
A week after the virtual conversations, more than 80% of those in the body-swapping group experienced some sort of change with respect to their problem, compared with less than 50% of controls.
“We found that those in the body-swapping group got better knowledge, understanding, control, and new ideas about their problem, compared to the control group,” one of the investigators said.
We’re just wondering about their choice of Freud. It kind of makes sense, because that was his line of work; but would another person have been even more helpful?
How about Dr. Phil? Or maybe Oprah? Seems like Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson is everywhere else, so why not virtual reality? It would be hard to go wrong with some type of Kardashian, right?
Cue the ‘Jaws’ music
Doctors with freshly written studies beware, for you are not alone. Lurking in the undergrowth, stalking your every move, are the predatory journals. They’ve come for you. And they pose a danger not only to you, but to the entire field of medical literature.
However, there’s no need to fear, as you have a guide through the great Serengeti of the publication process: a new guideline on avoiding predatory journals from the American Medical Writers Association, European Medical Writers Association, and International Society for Medical Publication Professionals.
According to the guideline, some telltale characteristics of these journals include a lack of information, poorly made websites, a lack of indexing in a recognized system, promises of unrealistically quick peer review, and an insatiable thirst for your blood. We may have made that last one up.
The guideline authors call for all medical authors to conduct research while submitting to journals, and only submit to those journals that conduct a full peer review process and that genuinely seek to contribute to medical literature.
Failure to do so may result in a damaged reputation, being unwittingly appointed to an editorial board, losing your paper, or having your liver eaten by an eagle day after day until Hercules finally frees you from your torture.
We may have made that one up as well.
Robust microbiota, cat dominance, and a nice Martian red
Aesop’s infant fecal microbiotas
There once was a city baby who visited his Amish country cousin. (Actually, this study involved two groups of five babies each; but for our purposes, one child will do.)
Amish baby served a simple meal, and the two relations talked of an odd experience they had shared.
City baby said that one day, a group of scientists from The Ohio State University visited his home in Wooster, where he had no known contact with livestock. The scientists asked if they could have some of city baby’s poop so they could examine his microbiome. Amish baby said that scientists also had visited her rural home, where the family raised goats and pigs, and asked for some of her poop.
Amish baby said that there was “an abundance of beneficial bacteria” in her gut, as the researchers had put it, that wasn’t found in city baby’s gut. The reason, the scientists told Amish baby, was her “exposure to the livestock and the fact that the Amish tend to live a relatively less-sanitized lifestyle than most other Americans.”
City baby frowned and pulled out his smartphone. After some quick Googling, he found a written statement from the study’s co-lead author, Zhongtang Yu of Ohio State’s Food Innovation Center: “Good hygiene is important, but from the perspective of our immune systems, a sanitized environment robs our immune systems of the opportunity to be educated by microbes. Too clean is not necessarily a good thing.”
City baby became a little sad, so Amish baby tried to comfort him. But then his Uber showed up, and he had to go home.
The Red (wine) Planet
The first astronauts who make the long voyage to Mars will face many health challenges. The hostility of space itself. Years of isolation cooped up inside a tiny metal can. Potentially lethal doses of radiation.
Comparatively speaking, the degrading effects of the Red Planet’s lighter gravity on the human body seem almost trivial. But the weakening of both bone and muscle is a serious problem; luckily, it’s a problem that seems to have a solution. Just bring some wine along.
Specifically, red wine.
According to a study undertaken by researchers in Boston, resveratrol – a chemical found in red wine with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antidiabetic effects – may stave off the musculoskeletal degradation effects of lighter gravity.
Rats placed in an environment simulating Mars’s lighter gravity that received resveratrol had significantly greater limb grip force, muscle weight, myofiber size, and muscle composition protection than did rats placed in Mars-like gravity that did not receive the chemical.
While some muscle atrophy did occur, the results were definitely impressive, and the researchers noted that a greater dose may further improve results.
We eagerly await the first fateful words when the first Mars expedition touches down: “Tranquility Base here, the commander’s gotten into the wine cellar again. Give us a few minutes to sober him up.”
The purrrrfect pet
There’s more than one way to pet a cat, but what’s the very best way? Cats are notoriously fickle – one second they could be enjoying a nice back rub and the next, you’ve been eviscerated. How do you avoid this fate when you’re just trying to bond with Mittens? Science has your answer.
A surprising amount of studies are done on domestic cats (surprising to this dog lover, anyway). Unlike man’s best friend, domestic cats display only a slight genetic divergence from their ancestors, which means they still have strong wildcat instincts. That’s right, your precious Snowball knows she’s actually a lion. It might be best not to dissuade her of this notion.
Cats vary widely in whether they like being touched or not. Many cats simply tolerate their humans in order to receive food – although a tolerant cat is not always a happy cat. The best way to pet your cat is to let them be in control. A study on the human-cat relationship found that the most successful interactions happened when the cat initiated. Basically, just wait until your cat pets you. As any cat parent will tell you, they don’t own a cat – the cat owns them.
Aesop’s infant fecal microbiotas
There once was a city baby who visited his Amish country cousin. (Actually, this study involved two groups of five babies each; but for our purposes, one child will do.)
Amish baby served a simple meal, and the two relations talked of an odd experience they had shared.
City baby said that one day, a group of scientists from The Ohio State University visited his home in Wooster, where he had no known contact with livestock. The scientists asked if they could have some of city baby’s poop so they could examine his microbiome. Amish baby said that scientists also had visited her rural home, where the family raised goats and pigs, and asked for some of her poop.
Amish baby said that there was “an abundance of beneficial bacteria” in her gut, as the researchers had put it, that wasn’t found in city baby’s gut. The reason, the scientists told Amish baby, was her “exposure to the livestock and the fact that the Amish tend to live a relatively less-sanitized lifestyle than most other Americans.”
City baby frowned and pulled out his smartphone. After some quick Googling, he found a written statement from the study’s co-lead author, Zhongtang Yu of Ohio State’s Food Innovation Center: “Good hygiene is important, but from the perspective of our immune systems, a sanitized environment robs our immune systems of the opportunity to be educated by microbes. Too clean is not necessarily a good thing.”
City baby became a little sad, so Amish baby tried to comfort him. But then his Uber showed up, and he had to go home.
The Red (wine) Planet
The first astronauts who make the long voyage to Mars will face many health challenges. The hostility of space itself. Years of isolation cooped up inside a tiny metal can. Potentially lethal doses of radiation.
Comparatively speaking, the degrading effects of the Red Planet’s lighter gravity on the human body seem almost trivial. But the weakening of both bone and muscle is a serious problem; luckily, it’s a problem that seems to have a solution. Just bring some wine along.
Specifically, red wine.
According to a study undertaken by researchers in Boston, resveratrol – a chemical found in red wine with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antidiabetic effects – may stave off the musculoskeletal degradation effects of lighter gravity.
Rats placed in an environment simulating Mars’s lighter gravity that received resveratrol had significantly greater limb grip force, muscle weight, myofiber size, and muscle composition protection than did rats placed in Mars-like gravity that did not receive the chemical.
While some muscle atrophy did occur, the results were definitely impressive, and the researchers noted that a greater dose may further improve results.
We eagerly await the first fateful words when the first Mars expedition touches down: “Tranquility Base here, the commander’s gotten into the wine cellar again. Give us a few minutes to sober him up.”
The purrrrfect pet
There’s more than one way to pet a cat, but what’s the very best way? Cats are notoriously fickle – one second they could be enjoying a nice back rub and the next, you’ve been eviscerated. How do you avoid this fate when you’re just trying to bond with Mittens? Science has your answer.
A surprising amount of studies are done on domestic cats (surprising to this dog lover, anyway). Unlike man’s best friend, domestic cats display only a slight genetic divergence from their ancestors, which means they still have strong wildcat instincts. That’s right, your precious Snowball knows she’s actually a lion. It might be best not to dissuade her of this notion.
Cats vary widely in whether they like being touched or not. Many cats simply tolerate their humans in order to receive food – although a tolerant cat is not always a happy cat. The best way to pet your cat is to let them be in control. A study on the human-cat relationship found that the most successful interactions happened when the cat initiated. Basically, just wait until your cat pets you. As any cat parent will tell you, they don’t own a cat – the cat owns them.
Aesop’s infant fecal microbiotas
There once was a city baby who visited his Amish country cousin. (Actually, this study involved two groups of five babies each; but for our purposes, one child will do.)
Amish baby served a simple meal, and the two relations talked of an odd experience they had shared.
City baby said that one day, a group of scientists from The Ohio State University visited his home in Wooster, where he had no known contact with livestock. The scientists asked if they could have some of city baby’s poop so they could examine his microbiome. Amish baby said that scientists also had visited her rural home, where the family raised goats and pigs, and asked for some of her poop.
Amish baby said that there was “an abundance of beneficial bacteria” in her gut, as the researchers had put it, that wasn’t found in city baby’s gut. The reason, the scientists told Amish baby, was her “exposure to the livestock and the fact that the Amish tend to live a relatively less-sanitized lifestyle than most other Americans.”
City baby frowned and pulled out his smartphone. After some quick Googling, he found a written statement from the study’s co-lead author, Zhongtang Yu of Ohio State’s Food Innovation Center: “Good hygiene is important, but from the perspective of our immune systems, a sanitized environment robs our immune systems of the opportunity to be educated by microbes. Too clean is not necessarily a good thing.”
City baby became a little sad, so Amish baby tried to comfort him. But then his Uber showed up, and he had to go home.
The Red (wine) Planet
The first astronauts who make the long voyage to Mars will face many health challenges. The hostility of space itself. Years of isolation cooped up inside a tiny metal can. Potentially lethal doses of radiation.
Comparatively speaking, the degrading effects of the Red Planet’s lighter gravity on the human body seem almost trivial. But the weakening of both bone and muscle is a serious problem; luckily, it’s a problem that seems to have a solution. Just bring some wine along.
Specifically, red wine.
According to a study undertaken by researchers in Boston, resveratrol – a chemical found in red wine with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antidiabetic effects – may stave off the musculoskeletal degradation effects of lighter gravity.
Rats placed in an environment simulating Mars’s lighter gravity that received resveratrol had significantly greater limb grip force, muscle weight, myofiber size, and muscle composition protection than did rats placed in Mars-like gravity that did not receive the chemical.
While some muscle atrophy did occur, the results were definitely impressive, and the researchers noted that a greater dose may further improve results.
We eagerly await the first fateful words when the first Mars expedition touches down: “Tranquility Base here, the commander’s gotten into the wine cellar again. Give us a few minutes to sober him up.”
The purrrrfect pet
There’s more than one way to pet a cat, but what’s the very best way? Cats are notoriously fickle – one second they could be enjoying a nice back rub and the next, you’ve been eviscerated. How do you avoid this fate when you’re just trying to bond with Mittens? Science has your answer.
A surprising amount of studies are done on domestic cats (surprising to this dog lover, anyway). Unlike man’s best friend, domestic cats display only a slight genetic divergence from their ancestors, which means they still have strong wildcat instincts. That’s right, your precious Snowball knows she’s actually a lion. It might be best not to dissuade her of this notion.
Cats vary widely in whether they like being touched or not. Many cats simply tolerate their humans in order to receive food – although a tolerant cat is not always a happy cat. The best way to pet your cat is to let them be in control. A study on the human-cat relationship found that the most successful interactions happened when the cat initiated. Basically, just wait until your cat pets you. As any cat parent will tell you, they don’t own a cat – the cat owns them.
Weaponized ticks, pothead parents, and spider smoothies
Spider smoothie, anyone?
Eating spiders, grasshoppers, and cicadas – does that idea BUG you? Plenty of people around the world chomp down on insects as part of a balanced diet. But here in the United States, there’s definitely still an “ick” factor – as in, “ick, that thing has far too many legs to put in my mouth.”
These creepy crawlers, however, could be the key to a healthier lifestyle. Scientists have been recently looking at insects as a source of protein and antioxidants, among other health buzzwords.
Researchers from the University of Teremo in Italy took a look at commercially available insects (ever heard that phrase before?) and found that certain bugs, such as crickets, silkworms, caterpillars, and cicadas, displayed two or three times as much antioxidant activity as orange juice and olive oil. Perhaps you’d like a nice glass of cicada juice to go with your morning cereal?
Barclays also recently predicted that the insect protein market could be worth as much as $8 billion in the next decade, because of several factors. The earth’s population is rising, and people need new sources of food. We know bugs are plentiful – just go outside in the summer and stand with your mouth open, and you’ve got a three-course meal in 5 minutes.
We can also thank the teens: Barclays stated that Gen Z is the “most health-aware and environmentally conscious” generation yet, and therefore are all aboard the bug-eating train.
So, are you ready to start making eggs with a side of fried crickets? Perhaps a nice plant-based burger topped with cicada crumbles? Just make sure to stay away from the zombie ones.
Mom, put the joint down!
Way to harsh my mellow. You might think that smoking a little Mary Jane would chill parents out a bit. Turns out, that’s not the case.
A study from Ohio State University examined California parents, their substance use, and their disciplinarian styles. This is one of the first studies to look at how substance use relates to parenting, and the news is not good for the kids.
If you’re thinking about getting your parents into pot, think again. Parents who used marijuana in the past year tended to discipline their children more than parents who hadn’t used. Researchers also found similar trends with parents who used alcohol in the past.
Kids, if you’ve got a no-smoking, no-drinking square of a parent, be happy. It might save you a few groundings.
The true power of the dark side
When people go the grocery store, the produce department is – for many people – a big waste of space. It’s something to be skipped over. Who wants to buy fruits or vegetables anyway? Sure, they’re healthy, but they’re totally gross.
Turns out, there may be a way to get even your stubborn Uncle Joe, who probably thinks the food pyramid is a communist plot, to buy veggies. The key is a little black dress.
Okay, we’re not literally talking about sticking pineapples or broccoli in actual black dresses. But according to a study published in Food Quality and Preference, placing various types of produce against a black background made them more attractive to consumers over white or shades of gray. Even the lowly carrot, rated least attractive by the study participants when placed in front of every other color, got a big boost when placed on a black background. Something about black just brought out its natural shine.
So, next time you go through the produce department and it looks like it’s been designed by a teenager going through a particularly rough Goth phase, now you’ll know why.
The Lyme disease truth is out there
The setting is Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Mont. A man and a woman, both wearing dark suits, are standing in a large, poorly lit room full of file cabinets. Each is holding a flashlight.
Sculder: Explain to me again, Mully, why we couldn’t just ask to see these files?
Mully: C’mon, Sculder. My very secret and very reliable source said that Dr. Willy Burgdorfer, the scientist who discovered Lyme disease and worked in this lab, was actually a bioweapons specialist. My source said that Burgdorfer and “other bioweapons specialists stuffed ticks with pathogens to cause severe disability, disease – even death – to potential enemies.” If we had asked to see the records, they would have been destroyed by operatives of the shadow government.
Sculder: Where did you find this secret and reliable source, Mully?
Mully: I read his press release.
Sculder: Did the press release say anything about releases of diseased ticks, either accidental or by design?
Mully: Not until I ran it past a Navajo code talker.
Sculder stares at him blankly for several seconds.
Mully: Okay, okay. There’s this congressman, Rep. Chris Smith from New Jersey. The House of Representatives just approved his amendment to the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment “directs the Inspector General of the Department of Defense to investigate the possible involvement of DOD biowarfare labs in the weaponization of Lyme disease in ticks and other insects from 1950 to 1975.” Honestly, it does.
Sculder turns around and quickly walks away. Mully follows her.
Mully: It could’ve happened! What if it’s another in the long line of government conspiracies that were too crazy to be true? Like Roswell. Or birtherism. Or New Coke. I suppose you’re going to tell me that Elvis and J. Edgar Hoover didn’t help NASA fake the moon landings?
Spider smoothie, anyone?
Eating spiders, grasshoppers, and cicadas – does that idea BUG you? Plenty of people around the world chomp down on insects as part of a balanced diet. But here in the United States, there’s definitely still an “ick” factor – as in, “ick, that thing has far too many legs to put in my mouth.”
These creepy crawlers, however, could be the key to a healthier lifestyle. Scientists have been recently looking at insects as a source of protein and antioxidants, among other health buzzwords.
Researchers from the University of Teremo in Italy took a look at commercially available insects (ever heard that phrase before?) and found that certain bugs, such as crickets, silkworms, caterpillars, and cicadas, displayed two or three times as much antioxidant activity as orange juice and olive oil. Perhaps you’d like a nice glass of cicada juice to go with your morning cereal?
Barclays also recently predicted that the insect protein market could be worth as much as $8 billion in the next decade, because of several factors. The earth’s population is rising, and people need new sources of food. We know bugs are plentiful – just go outside in the summer and stand with your mouth open, and you’ve got a three-course meal in 5 minutes.
We can also thank the teens: Barclays stated that Gen Z is the “most health-aware and environmentally conscious” generation yet, and therefore are all aboard the bug-eating train.
So, are you ready to start making eggs with a side of fried crickets? Perhaps a nice plant-based burger topped with cicada crumbles? Just make sure to stay away from the zombie ones.
Mom, put the joint down!
Way to harsh my mellow. You might think that smoking a little Mary Jane would chill parents out a bit. Turns out, that’s not the case.
A study from Ohio State University examined California parents, their substance use, and their disciplinarian styles. This is one of the first studies to look at how substance use relates to parenting, and the news is not good for the kids.
If you’re thinking about getting your parents into pot, think again. Parents who used marijuana in the past year tended to discipline their children more than parents who hadn’t used. Researchers also found similar trends with parents who used alcohol in the past.
Kids, if you’ve got a no-smoking, no-drinking square of a parent, be happy. It might save you a few groundings.
The true power of the dark side
When people go the grocery store, the produce department is – for many people – a big waste of space. It’s something to be skipped over. Who wants to buy fruits or vegetables anyway? Sure, they’re healthy, but they’re totally gross.
Turns out, there may be a way to get even your stubborn Uncle Joe, who probably thinks the food pyramid is a communist plot, to buy veggies. The key is a little black dress.
Okay, we’re not literally talking about sticking pineapples or broccoli in actual black dresses. But according to a study published in Food Quality and Preference, placing various types of produce against a black background made them more attractive to consumers over white or shades of gray. Even the lowly carrot, rated least attractive by the study participants when placed in front of every other color, got a big boost when placed on a black background. Something about black just brought out its natural shine.
So, next time you go through the produce department and it looks like it’s been designed by a teenager going through a particularly rough Goth phase, now you’ll know why.
The Lyme disease truth is out there
The setting is Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Mont. A man and a woman, both wearing dark suits, are standing in a large, poorly lit room full of file cabinets. Each is holding a flashlight.
Sculder: Explain to me again, Mully, why we couldn’t just ask to see these files?
Mully: C’mon, Sculder. My very secret and very reliable source said that Dr. Willy Burgdorfer, the scientist who discovered Lyme disease and worked in this lab, was actually a bioweapons specialist. My source said that Burgdorfer and “other bioweapons specialists stuffed ticks with pathogens to cause severe disability, disease – even death – to potential enemies.” If we had asked to see the records, they would have been destroyed by operatives of the shadow government.
Sculder: Where did you find this secret and reliable source, Mully?
Mully: I read his press release.
Sculder: Did the press release say anything about releases of diseased ticks, either accidental or by design?
Mully: Not until I ran it past a Navajo code talker.
Sculder stares at him blankly for several seconds.
Mully: Okay, okay. There’s this congressman, Rep. Chris Smith from New Jersey. The House of Representatives just approved his amendment to the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment “directs the Inspector General of the Department of Defense to investigate the possible involvement of DOD biowarfare labs in the weaponization of Lyme disease in ticks and other insects from 1950 to 1975.” Honestly, it does.
Sculder turns around and quickly walks away. Mully follows her.
Mully: It could’ve happened! What if it’s another in the long line of government conspiracies that were too crazy to be true? Like Roswell. Or birtherism. Or New Coke. I suppose you’re going to tell me that Elvis and J. Edgar Hoover didn’t help NASA fake the moon landings?
Spider smoothie, anyone?
Eating spiders, grasshoppers, and cicadas – does that idea BUG you? Plenty of people around the world chomp down on insects as part of a balanced diet. But here in the United States, there’s definitely still an “ick” factor – as in, “ick, that thing has far too many legs to put in my mouth.”
These creepy crawlers, however, could be the key to a healthier lifestyle. Scientists have been recently looking at insects as a source of protein and antioxidants, among other health buzzwords.
Researchers from the University of Teremo in Italy took a look at commercially available insects (ever heard that phrase before?) and found that certain bugs, such as crickets, silkworms, caterpillars, and cicadas, displayed two or three times as much antioxidant activity as orange juice and olive oil. Perhaps you’d like a nice glass of cicada juice to go with your morning cereal?
Barclays also recently predicted that the insect protein market could be worth as much as $8 billion in the next decade, because of several factors. The earth’s population is rising, and people need new sources of food. We know bugs are plentiful – just go outside in the summer and stand with your mouth open, and you’ve got a three-course meal in 5 minutes.
We can also thank the teens: Barclays stated that Gen Z is the “most health-aware and environmentally conscious” generation yet, and therefore are all aboard the bug-eating train.
So, are you ready to start making eggs with a side of fried crickets? Perhaps a nice plant-based burger topped with cicada crumbles? Just make sure to stay away from the zombie ones.
Mom, put the joint down!
Way to harsh my mellow. You might think that smoking a little Mary Jane would chill parents out a bit. Turns out, that’s not the case.
A study from Ohio State University examined California parents, their substance use, and their disciplinarian styles. This is one of the first studies to look at how substance use relates to parenting, and the news is not good for the kids.
If you’re thinking about getting your parents into pot, think again. Parents who used marijuana in the past year tended to discipline their children more than parents who hadn’t used. Researchers also found similar trends with parents who used alcohol in the past.
Kids, if you’ve got a no-smoking, no-drinking square of a parent, be happy. It might save you a few groundings.
The true power of the dark side
When people go the grocery store, the produce department is – for many people – a big waste of space. It’s something to be skipped over. Who wants to buy fruits or vegetables anyway? Sure, they’re healthy, but they’re totally gross.
Turns out, there may be a way to get even your stubborn Uncle Joe, who probably thinks the food pyramid is a communist plot, to buy veggies. The key is a little black dress.
Okay, we’re not literally talking about sticking pineapples or broccoli in actual black dresses. But according to a study published in Food Quality and Preference, placing various types of produce against a black background made them more attractive to consumers over white or shades of gray. Even the lowly carrot, rated least attractive by the study participants when placed in front of every other color, got a big boost when placed on a black background. Something about black just brought out its natural shine.
So, next time you go through the produce department and it looks like it’s been designed by a teenager going through a particularly rough Goth phase, now you’ll know why.
The Lyme disease truth is out there
The setting is Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Mont. A man and a woman, both wearing dark suits, are standing in a large, poorly lit room full of file cabinets. Each is holding a flashlight.
Sculder: Explain to me again, Mully, why we couldn’t just ask to see these files?
Mully: C’mon, Sculder. My very secret and very reliable source said that Dr. Willy Burgdorfer, the scientist who discovered Lyme disease and worked in this lab, was actually a bioweapons specialist. My source said that Burgdorfer and “other bioweapons specialists stuffed ticks with pathogens to cause severe disability, disease – even death – to potential enemies.” If we had asked to see the records, they would have been destroyed by operatives of the shadow government.
Sculder: Where did you find this secret and reliable source, Mully?
Mully: I read his press release.
Sculder: Did the press release say anything about releases of diseased ticks, either accidental or by design?
Mully: Not until I ran it past a Navajo code talker.
Sculder stares at him blankly for several seconds.
Mully: Okay, okay. There’s this congressman, Rep. Chris Smith from New Jersey. The House of Representatives just approved his amendment to the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment “directs the Inspector General of the Department of Defense to investigate the possible involvement of DOD biowarfare labs in the weaponization of Lyme disease in ticks and other insects from 1950 to 1975.” Honestly, it does.
Sculder turns around and quickly walks away. Mully follows her.
Mully: It could’ve happened! What if it’s another in the long line of government conspiracies that were too crazy to be true? Like Roswell. Or birtherism. Or New Coke. I suppose you’re going to tell me that Elvis and J. Edgar Hoover didn’t help NASA fake the moon landings?
Dancing parrots, flying spiders, and ER fish tales
Cockatoo cha-cha-cha
Humans love to dance. Whether it’s just a little bobbing back and forth or a full-on tango, spontaneous dancing is a universal expression of feeling and joy. However, feeling the rhythm is nearly unique to the human species. Not even our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, primates, have been observed busting a move to music.
So who are our ballroom brethren? Parrots, strangely enough. Parrots are nature’s great imitators, so how can we be sure they aren’t just mimicking (or mocking) their human owners’ movements?
Several studies have been conducted on a particularly funky cockatoo named Snowball. He’s a viral Internet sensation, and researchers have been watching him for the past decade as he stomps his feet and bangs his head to all kinds of music – he jams to everything from classic rock to modern pop. Snowball’s owner also assured scientists that her bird does not get his dance moves from her; Snowball is a unique choreographer.
A follow-up study about Snowball was recently published, in which the authors suggested the reason for spontaneous parrot dancing could be the strong auditory-motor connections that exist in parrot brains. They’re similar to humans, but not primates. They also detailed Snowball’s 14 distinct dance moves. Someone get that parrot on America’s Got Talent, ASAP.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane – oh no, it’s a spider
Arachnophobes, just skip this one. If you’re not unsettled by spiders yet, you’re about to be!
In case you didn’t know, spiders can fly. Or rather, they float (spiders with wings would just be straight-up horrifying).
Scientists (and fans of Charlotte’s Web) have known for centuries that spiders can turn into their own personal airships, but it wasn’t always clear how they do it. It was commonly believed that spider-flying, aka “ballooning,” was caused by the spider using its silk as a kind of kite, with the wind catching on the silk and bringing the spider along with it. That explanation, however, doesn’t account for the fact that spiders only balloon during light winds, which are rarely strong enough to carry a spider.
Two intrepid spider fans from the University of Bristol (England) think they have solved the mystery of the flying arachnids.
It turns out that spiders are able to sense the earth’s electric field and use that to soar around. They let loose some silk, which picks up a negative charge. This charge repels the negative charge of whatever they are standing on and can create enough force to launch them into the air. Spiders, those smart little buggers, can increase these charges by climbing onto twigs or grass. Plants rooted in the earth have a strong negative charge but stick up into the positively charged air.
All this fancy science-babble to say: Spiders can fly, and we know how! Stay indoors, folks.
Hospital lures fishermen to ED
There are some things you expect to see when you walk into a hospital: an admitting desk, waiting areas full of people, security guards, bad art work, maybe a friendly greeter at the door (sorry, that’s the Walmart).
The main lobby at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, N.Y., however, has something you might not expect: a display of fishing lures.
Each of the more than 100 lures on display originally showed up at the hospital’s emergency department attached to an arm, leg, nose, or lip – pretty much every body part possible, Gary Nye, a physician assistant in the ED, told newyorkupstate.com. He’s even removed lures from several patients’ penises and scrotums. “Usually alcohol has something to do with it,” he noted.
One individual came in with hooks from a lure stuck on both thumbs. He got one set of hooks stuck on one thumb, and as he tried to get it out, he ended up getting the lure’s other set of hooks caught on his other thumb. A nurse who has worked in the ED for 20 years said that alcohol may been involved.
Dr. Michael Pond, the hospital’s former medical director and the one who started the display in 1990, explained why the lures are now kept in a locked case. A number of years ago, when the display was less secure, “someone cut out and stole four to five antique lures out of the case. I mean, these were absolutely gorgeous and expensive lures – Pikie Minnows and [other] things. [They] were made out of wood and painted.”
As with so many fish stories, you should have seen the one that got away.
Inspiration really can come from anywhere
On the surface, a study detailing a new, potentially practice-changing method of converting type A blood to type O doesn’t seem disgusting, silly, or odd enough to make it into Livin’ on the MDedge. But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that the method involves a bacteria in the human microbiome.
Now you might be getting a bit suspicious. This is going to be another story about poop, you might be thinking.
And you’d be right!
But the real star of the show isn’t human poop. No, in this case, we owe this groundbreaking discovery to the humble beaver.
In an earlier study published in the ISME Journal, the same group of researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (of course they’re Canadian) analyzed the microbiomes of beavers to see just how they broke down the complex carbohydrates and glycoproteins found in wood. That was the catalyst that got the researchers thinking about the human microbiome and the problem of stripping red blood cells of their antigens.
Basically, just as the beaver breaks down wood with bacteria in their microbiome, the modified bacteria the researchers conjured up can be used to break down the A and B antigens of red blood cells, leaving a simple type O cell that can be transfused into any patient.
Rumors that all future blood transfusions are required by law to be accompanied by a playing of O Canada remain unsubstantiated.
Cockatoo cha-cha-cha
Humans love to dance. Whether it’s just a little bobbing back and forth or a full-on tango, spontaneous dancing is a universal expression of feeling and joy. However, feeling the rhythm is nearly unique to the human species. Not even our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, primates, have been observed busting a move to music.
So who are our ballroom brethren? Parrots, strangely enough. Parrots are nature’s great imitators, so how can we be sure they aren’t just mimicking (or mocking) their human owners’ movements?
Several studies have been conducted on a particularly funky cockatoo named Snowball. He’s a viral Internet sensation, and researchers have been watching him for the past decade as he stomps his feet and bangs his head to all kinds of music – he jams to everything from classic rock to modern pop. Snowball’s owner also assured scientists that her bird does not get his dance moves from her; Snowball is a unique choreographer.
A follow-up study about Snowball was recently published, in which the authors suggested the reason for spontaneous parrot dancing could be the strong auditory-motor connections that exist in parrot brains. They’re similar to humans, but not primates. They also detailed Snowball’s 14 distinct dance moves. Someone get that parrot on America’s Got Talent, ASAP.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane – oh no, it’s a spider
Arachnophobes, just skip this one. If you’re not unsettled by spiders yet, you’re about to be!
In case you didn’t know, spiders can fly. Or rather, they float (spiders with wings would just be straight-up horrifying).
Scientists (and fans of Charlotte’s Web) have known for centuries that spiders can turn into their own personal airships, but it wasn’t always clear how they do it. It was commonly believed that spider-flying, aka “ballooning,” was caused by the spider using its silk as a kind of kite, with the wind catching on the silk and bringing the spider along with it. That explanation, however, doesn’t account for the fact that spiders only balloon during light winds, which are rarely strong enough to carry a spider.
Two intrepid spider fans from the University of Bristol (England) think they have solved the mystery of the flying arachnids.
It turns out that spiders are able to sense the earth’s electric field and use that to soar around. They let loose some silk, which picks up a negative charge. This charge repels the negative charge of whatever they are standing on and can create enough force to launch them into the air. Spiders, those smart little buggers, can increase these charges by climbing onto twigs or grass. Plants rooted in the earth have a strong negative charge but stick up into the positively charged air.
All this fancy science-babble to say: Spiders can fly, and we know how! Stay indoors, folks.
Hospital lures fishermen to ED
There are some things you expect to see when you walk into a hospital: an admitting desk, waiting areas full of people, security guards, bad art work, maybe a friendly greeter at the door (sorry, that’s the Walmart).
The main lobby at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, N.Y., however, has something you might not expect: a display of fishing lures.
Each of the more than 100 lures on display originally showed up at the hospital’s emergency department attached to an arm, leg, nose, or lip – pretty much every body part possible, Gary Nye, a physician assistant in the ED, told newyorkupstate.com. He’s even removed lures from several patients’ penises and scrotums. “Usually alcohol has something to do with it,” he noted.
One individual came in with hooks from a lure stuck on both thumbs. He got one set of hooks stuck on one thumb, and as he tried to get it out, he ended up getting the lure’s other set of hooks caught on his other thumb. A nurse who has worked in the ED for 20 years said that alcohol may been involved.
Dr. Michael Pond, the hospital’s former medical director and the one who started the display in 1990, explained why the lures are now kept in a locked case. A number of years ago, when the display was less secure, “someone cut out and stole four to five antique lures out of the case. I mean, these were absolutely gorgeous and expensive lures – Pikie Minnows and [other] things. [They] were made out of wood and painted.”
As with so many fish stories, you should have seen the one that got away.
Inspiration really can come from anywhere
On the surface, a study detailing a new, potentially practice-changing method of converting type A blood to type O doesn’t seem disgusting, silly, or odd enough to make it into Livin’ on the MDedge. But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that the method involves a bacteria in the human microbiome.
Now you might be getting a bit suspicious. This is going to be another story about poop, you might be thinking.
And you’d be right!
But the real star of the show isn’t human poop. No, in this case, we owe this groundbreaking discovery to the humble beaver.
In an earlier study published in the ISME Journal, the same group of researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (of course they’re Canadian) analyzed the microbiomes of beavers to see just how they broke down the complex carbohydrates and glycoproteins found in wood. That was the catalyst that got the researchers thinking about the human microbiome and the problem of stripping red blood cells of their antigens.
Basically, just as the beaver breaks down wood with bacteria in their microbiome, the modified bacteria the researchers conjured up can be used to break down the A and B antigens of red blood cells, leaving a simple type O cell that can be transfused into any patient.
Rumors that all future blood transfusions are required by law to be accompanied by a playing of O Canada remain unsubstantiated.
Cockatoo cha-cha-cha
Humans love to dance. Whether it’s just a little bobbing back and forth or a full-on tango, spontaneous dancing is a universal expression of feeling and joy. However, feeling the rhythm is nearly unique to the human species. Not even our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, primates, have been observed busting a move to music.
So who are our ballroom brethren? Parrots, strangely enough. Parrots are nature’s great imitators, so how can we be sure they aren’t just mimicking (or mocking) their human owners’ movements?
Several studies have been conducted on a particularly funky cockatoo named Snowball. He’s a viral Internet sensation, and researchers have been watching him for the past decade as he stomps his feet and bangs his head to all kinds of music – he jams to everything from classic rock to modern pop. Snowball’s owner also assured scientists that her bird does not get his dance moves from her; Snowball is a unique choreographer.
A follow-up study about Snowball was recently published, in which the authors suggested the reason for spontaneous parrot dancing could be the strong auditory-motor connections that exist in parrot brains. They’re similar to humans, but not primates. They also detailed Snowball’s 14 distinct dance moves. Someone get that parrot on America’s Got Talent, ASAP.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane – oh no, it’s a spider
Arachnophobes, just skip this one. If you’re not unsettled by spiders yet, you’re about to be!
In case you didn’t know, spiders can fly. Or rather, they float (spiders with wings would just be straight-up horrifying).
Scientists (and fans of Charlotte’s Web) have known for centuries that spiders can turn into their own personal airships, but it wasn’t always clear how they do it. It was commonly believed that spider-flying, aka “ballooning,” was caused by the spider using its silk as a kind of kite, with the wind catching on the silk and bringing the spider along with it. That explanation, however, doesn’t account for the fact that spiders only balloon during light winds, which are rarely strong enough to carry a spider.
Two intrepid spider fans from the University of Bristol (England) think they have solved the mystery of the flying arachnids.
It turns out that spiders are able to sense the earth’s electric field and use that to soar around. They let loose some silk, which picks up a negative charge. This charge repels the negative charge of whatever they are standing on and can create enough force to launch them into the air. Spiders, those smart little buggers, can increase these charges by climbing onto twigs or grass. Plants rooted in the earth have a strong negative charge but stick up into the positively charged air.
All this fancy science-babble to say: Spiders can fly, and we know how! Stay indoors, folks.
Hospital lures fishermen to ED
There are some things you expect to see when you walk into a hospital: an admitting desk, waiting areas full of people, security guards, bad art work, maybe a friendly greeter at the door (sorry, that’s the Walmart).
The main lobby at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, N.Y., however, has something you might not expect: a display of fishing lures.
Each of the more than 100 lures on display originally showed up at the hospital’s emergency department attached to an arm, leg, nose, or lip – pretty much every body part possible, Gary Nye, a physician assistant in the ED, told newyorkupstate.com. He’s even removed lures from several patients’ penises and scrotums. “Usually alcohol has something to do with it,” he noted.
One individual came in with hooks from a lure stuck on both thumbs. He got one set of hooks stuck on one thumb, and as he tried to get it out, he ended up getting the lure’s other set of hooks caught on his other thumb. A nurse who has worked in the ED for 20 years said that alcohol may been involved.
Dr. Michael Pond, the hospital’s former medical director and the one who started the display in 1990, explained why the lures are now kept in a locked case. A number of years ago, when the display was less secure, “someone cut out and stole four to five antique lures out of the case. I mean, these were absolutely gorgeous and expensive lures – Pikie Minnows and [other] things. [They] were made out of wood and painted.”
As with so many fish stories, you should have seen the one that got away.
Inspiration really can come from anywhere
On the surface, a study detailing a new, potentially practice-changing method of converting type A blood to type O doesn’t seem disgusting, silly, or odd enough to make it into Livin’ on the MDedge. But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that the method involves a bacteria in the human microbiome.
Now you might be getting a bit suspicious. This is going to be another story about poop, you might be thinking.
And you’d be right!
But the real star of the show isn’t human poop. No, in this case, we owe this groundbreaking discovery to the humble beaver.
In an earlier study published in the ISME Journal, the same group of researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (of course they’re Canadian) analyzed the microbiomes of beavers to see just how they broke down the complex carbohydrates and glycoproteins found in wood. That was the catalyst that got the researchers thinking about the human microbiome and the problem of stripping red blood cells of their antigens.
Basically, just as the beaver breaks down wood with bacteria in their microbiome, the modified bacteria the researchers conjured up can be used to break down the A and B antigens of red blood cells, leaving a simple type O cell that can be transfused into any patient.
Rumors that all future blood transfusions are required by law to be accompanied by a playing of O Canada remain unsubstantiated.