Receipts aren’t cancerous despite the claims
The Tweet: “Receipts from restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores all contain high amounts of cancer inducing BPA.” The evidence supporting claims that BPA contamination in food, packaging and in some cases receipts poses a health risk to humans is ambiguous and in many cases misleading. Trying to find consistent research on the topic is […]
Enjoying school is in your genes
The Tweet: “Genetic factors explain approximately 40% of whether a child will like school or not, according to a study.” The biggest factor in whether a child will enjoy and be motivated at school is in their genes. Data collected from a number of studies were found to support this claim. A team led by […]
Why being able to unboil eggs is more important than it sounds
The Tweet: “Scientists have figured out a way to unboil an egg.” The metaphor for how some things in life are irreversible has been irreversibly disproven by scientists who have unboiled an egg. It used to be thought that the chemical reactions involved with the proteins in eggs whites during cooking could not be undone, […]
Why do brunettes find it harder to quit?
The Tweet: “Brunettes are more susceptible to nicotine addiction.” Dark haired smokers are more likely to become addicted to nicotine, according toresearch from Penn State University. The scientists noticed a relationship between melanin and levels of nicotine dependence. Melanin is the pigment found in hair and skin that is responsible for giving brunettes their dark […]
Chimpanzees dress to impress
The Tweet: “Chimpanzees can develop their own fashion trends.” It seems our closest relatives in the animal kingdom share even more with us than we might believe. We don’t just have complex emotional behaviours and tools in common, now chimpanzees have been observed to use grass as a body decoration. According to research published in Animal Cognition by Edwin […]
We should all eat like the citizens of Chad
The Tweet: “According to research, the citizens of Chad have the world’s healthiest diet, while the population of Armenia has the worst.” If you live in Sub-Saharan Africa you’re likely to have one of the healthiest diets in the world. Chad, Sierra Leone and Mali make up the top 3 countries for healthy eating according to […]
Could a beer a day keep the doctor away?
The Tweet: “One study estimates that a bottle of beer consumed every day reduces the risk of kidney stones by 40%.” Wouldn’t it be brilliant if something that you enjoy and are repeatedly told is bad for you actually had a health benefit? In the case of beer, some researchers say this exactly what it […]
Can anything break light speed?
The Tweet: “In some instances, darkness moves faster than light.” It is possible for darkness to move faster than light. In this Friday long read we explain how this can happen and why something moving faster than the light barrier still fits with our understanding of the universe. But first, what is the speed of […]
Listening to bass has strange effects on our egos
The Tweet: “Deep and loud bass in music makes our brain feel powerful.” Scientists from the US uncovered how listening to music with a lot of bass makes you feel more powerful, and could improve your success at sports or in business. The researchers were curious about why so many sportsmen listen to music before […]
The world’s dustiest place keeps the Amazon alive
The Tweet: “Sand from the Sahara desert is blown by the wind all the way to the Amazon and fertilizes the rainforest by recharging its minerals.” Dust from one of the least hospitable locations on Earth provides life giving nutrients to the Amazon rainforest. Each year 40 million tons of dust is transported from the […]