Category: Science

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10 Weird Facts That Might Surprise You

These facts are very solid and they might just throw you for a major loop.

But that’s a good thing. It’s important to keep working out that brain of yours! Let’s get started!

1. Good advice for all of us.

Photo Credit: did you know?

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2. Stop doing that!

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3. I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t *meow*.

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4. No need to put it out there.

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5. Some parents might disagree…

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6. Matt the male stripper.

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7. That makes sense.

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8. I knew I liked him for some reason.

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9. Get all the sleep you can.

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10. What kind do you get?

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Surprised? Impressed? I know I sure am…

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Starving Before Bed? Try These 7 Nutritionist-Approved Snacks.

There is a laundry list of dos and don’ts for losing weight. There’s always a flavor of the month or fad diet, and you would be forgiven for being confused. A lot of diets even contradict each other.

Take Atkins: eat fats and protein but no carbs.

But straight eating clean: get in those complex carbs, veggies, and protein.

And don’t get me started on keto.

Sure, depending on your body type, blood type, etc, more than one or all of these diets could work. But the one thing these all have in common? Don’t eat before bed! Gasp!

But I’m hungry!

Me too. So what’s the deal? Do you chug a glass full of water to fill your stomach and suffer through a Netflix program until you fall asleep? Or do you have a snack?

Buzzfeed may have the answer. They recently checked in with “registered dietician Abby Langer and Despina Hyde, a diabetes expert at NYU Langone Weight Management Program, to find out.”

Apparently, it is okay to eat before bed! Whew…what a relief. It’s just what you eat that counts. Having a bucket of KFC is probably not a good idea. But fruit, crackers, or avocado toast (yum) could get you the nutrients you need PLUS settle that roaring stomach.

“Sure, your metabolic rate slows down a bit, but it doesn’t stop, says Langer. Yes, when it comes to weight management, it’s better to eat your biggest meals around the time of day you’re most active, but in general, your total calories matter more than the timing. And a reasonable snack that satisfies your hunger before bed isn’t enough to derail your healthy eating efforts.”

But I’m hungry every night before bed

If this is a consistent issue, chances are you’re not eating enough calories during the day. Also, check out your protein intake. If you’re eating a ton of carbs and fatty foods, this can cause your body to burn off energy too quickly, leaving nothing in your reserve while converting those calories to fat. Yuck. 

“Avoid a too-big meal, since your body will have to work harder to digest, which might actually keep you awake. But if your schedule leaves you with no choice but to eat dinner close to bedtime, Hyde suggests something that’s about 40% veggies, 40% carbs, and 20% protein.”

So what types of snacks are good to eat at night?

High fiber Cereal

Who doesn’t love Babybel?

 

Avocado or hard-boiled egg toast

 

Bananas with peanut butter

 

Greek yogurt with granola or fruit (or both!)

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special k granola, strawberry activia, and almonds

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A simple cup of cottage cheese with fruit, nuts, or crackers

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Snack break #cottagecheese #triscuits

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Fruit and nuts are perfect for a sweet craving

 

So no matter the diet, remember: it is important to space out meals, get the proper caloric intake, and eat (healthily) when hungry at night!

After all, no one likes a cranky Netflix partner.

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This Is How You Can Deal with Excessive Sweating

I sweat a lot. Probably too much, but what can I do about it?

Turns out there actually are some steps I can take to try to prevent over sweating. That’ll teach me to give up!

One easy thing you can try is to put on an antiperspirant before you go to bed at night. You should also try to avoid certain foods and drinks during your daily routine—for instance too much coffee can have an effect on your central nervous system and cause you to sweat more than usual. Drinking hot coffee might even make it worse because the heat of the drink increases your body temperature, which might make you sweat even more.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Other foods you might want to avoid: spicy foods. This one is tough for me because I love Indian food, Mexican food, and Vietnamese food, but if this is the price of less sweat, I suppose I can manage.

As Scientific American explains:

“Spicy foods excite the receptors in the skin that normally respond to heat. Those receptors are pain fibers, technically known as polymodal nociceptors… The central nervous system can be confused or fooled when these pain fibers are stimulated by a chemical, like that in chili peppers, which triggers an ambiguous neural response. The central nervous system reacts to whatever the sensory system tells it is going on. Therefore, the pattern of activity from pain and warm nerve fibers triggers both the sensations and the physical reactions of heat, including vasodilation, sweating and flushing”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

If your excessive sweat results in body odor, there are other things you can do to try to keep that under control. Besides using deodorant, you should avoid foods that cause people to stink, like cabbage, broccoli, onions, garlic, and cauliflower. Alcohol also smells when you sweat it out, so you might want to cut down on the booze (that’s really not a bad idea for any person).

If you’ve tried everything, but you still sweat all the time, you can wear certain colors to hide your sweat (it’s not idea, we know). Very dark clothes and very light clothes hide sweat pretty well, so you can wear black, dark blue, and even white. You should avoid grays and bright colors if you’re gonna be out in the sun or somewhere you know you’ll be sweating because those colors practically highlight sweat stains. You could also consider wearing more athleisure, as it tends to be made from sweat-wicking textiles.

Try these tips out and see if they do the trick for you. If all else fails, go see your doctor. There are some genuine medical issues associated with excess sweating, although they are rare.

Good luck out there and stay cool!

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Ireland Plans on Planting 440 Million Trees to Help Fight Climate Change

Climate change is altering the world. Some of these changes we can anticipate, but others we are learning about in real time. And even though everyone who’s examined the evidence knows that climate change is occurring and that it is bad, some nations are sitting idly by and acting like their hands are tied.

Others are fighting for the future.

That is exactly what the country of Ireland is trying to do. Over the next 22 years, Ireland has committed to planting 22 million trees each year, totaling to 440 million trees by the year 2040.

Many believe that “revegetating” the natural environment can help to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The tree-planting initiative is part of the Irish government’s overall plan to combat climate change, which involves getting to carbon neutral by 2050.

The plan calls for farmers to plant trees, and they will be incentivized for doing so. It’s a bit tricky: some argue that farmers should not be required to plant trees on their own land because it will take away property from their economic crops and cattle. Others have suggested that farmers let land revegetate on its own, so forests can develop naturally.

While there would be greater species diversity if a forest naturally revegetated, it would also take longer for trees to mature that way.

It’s estimated that there are about 3 trillion trees on Earth and that roughly 15 billion are cut down every year by humans.

The action plan from the Irish government says:

“Taking decisive action to confront climate disruption will be a major challenge to every dimension of our society, but the benefits are huge – warmer homes, cleaner air, a sustainable use of the world’s scarce resources, more connected communities, authentic values, and quality jobs in enterprises which can compete in a decarbonised world. This is everyone’s journey. From Government to businesses, communities to householders, climate action is collective action. The Climate Action Plan sets out the Government agenda; see what you can do to play your part.”

If Ireland can do it, it seems like the United States could manage the same, don’t you think?

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A Scientist Proposed Eating Human Flesh to Combat Climate Change — and It’s Not a Joke

Let’s get the good news first: scientists are coming up with creative ways to battle the effects of climate change. The bad news is that one of them involves cannibalism.

The NY Post reports that a Swedish scientist suggested eating human flesh to combat climate change at a recent summit in Stockholm.

Magnus Soderlund of the Stockholm School of Economics believes that people should consider eating meat derived from already-dead human bodies. Indeed, he presented an entire panel on the topic called “Can You Imagine Eating Human Flesh?”

In the talk, Magnus asserted that “conservative” taboos against cannibalism could change if people simply tried it. He also questioned whether humans are too selfish to “live sustainably” and claimed that cannibalism is the solution to sustainability.

As for himself, Magnus said he’d consider eating human flesh.

“I feel somewhat hesitant but to not appear overly conservative … I’d have to say … I’d be open to at least tasting it,” he told Sweden’s TV4.

Cannibalism is a risky proposal, however. It’s not like history isn’t FULL of examples of people resorting to eating each other, and scientists know that the practice is a health hazard. It can, and has, led to the spread of scary infectious diseases.

In other words, there’s a very good reason why cannibalism is taboo in most societies.

And there’s a very good reason why this scientist’s proposal is now being clowned on Twitter. Thankfully, he did have some more reasonable solutions in mind, such as eating insects.

Yum.

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These Pictures of Endangered Animals Have as Many Pixels as There Are Remaining Members of the Species

We’re seeing a mass extinction of animals and plants from the face of the earth at a frightening pace. It’s strange to think that our children or grandchildren will live in a world where giraffes or white rhinos could cease to exist in the wild – could, perhaps, vanish altogether.

Every Pixels is one animal. The more pixelated the image, the closer it is to extinction.

The World Wildlife Fund wanted to shine a spotlight on the often-forgotten but still looming tragedy, so they worked with creative designers Nami Hoshino, Yoshiyuki Mikami, and Kazuhiro Mochizuki at Hakuhodo C&D in Tokyo to create the concept of population pixelation.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Recently, Imgur user JJSmooth44 made a followup to the project then posted it on Imgur and Reddit, and people seem just as taken.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

The results, as you can see, are stark and sad.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Sadder still? These population declines are all driven by humans.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Will we do something to turn the tide in time?

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

That remains to be seen.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

But as long as there are a few pixels left, there’s still hope.

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People Are Surprised About Where Cashews Really Come from

Prepare to be deeply confused and a little scared about where cashews come from. The truth is so weird that people on Twitter can’t stop talking about it.

First of all, these delicious nuts grow on trees. That in itself is not so surprising, as many types of nuts grow on trees—but it’s not the weirdest part by far.

Nope, that would be the fact that they grow from these things.

Excuse me, is that a nut or a monster?! I don’t know anymore.

That apple-looking thing is apparently called a “cashew apple,” which grows from the branches of the cashew tree. The shell below the apple contains the actual cashew.

To get to the nut, you have to pick the entire thing, cashew apple included, from the branch. Then you pull off the shelled nut, dry it, steam it, freeze it, and boil it to remove the shell. The shell is filled with caustic acid, so this is no joke—in fact, the extracting the nut is so grueling and dangerous that picking cashews is sometimes used as penal work in south- and southeast Asia where they grow.

Cashews are delicious and healthy, but are they really worth all this effort? Whose idea was this, anyway?

People on Twitter are understandably freaking out about the news.

“Who knew cashews look like angry, old men yelling at you to get off their lawn as they grow?” one user wrote.

Others pointed out that the middle cashew in this photo looks like it has a face.

FYI, you can eat cashew apples, too. The flesh is quite bitter, though, so it’s best to process it for jam or juice.

Now, excuse me while I go have nightmares about cashews for the rest of my life.

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These Dandelion Health Benefits May Convince You Not to Treat Them like Weeds Anymore

They’ve long been touted for their healing and restorative powers in the naturopathic community. Now, even the more scientific minded are starting to take notice of this humble backyard flower.

Also known as Taraxacum spp., with Taraxacum officinale the most common variety, these plants are typically dismissed as weeds. Homeowners hate them and will go to great lengths to get rid of them.

But dandelion are slowly showing us they are worth keeping around. So scroll through these 7 reasons why you should put away the weed killer and discover the potential benefits of dandelion.

1. They are good to eat.

This one doesn’t need any additional evidence—people have been eating dandelions for ages. The plants and flowers are full of nutritients, including vitamins A, C, K, E and small amounts of B vitamins (like folate), as well as antioxidants, like beta-carotene.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

2. They may fight inflammation.

Some studies have shown a reduction in inflammation markers in cells when dandelion compounds are applied—although these results haven’t been verified in humans yet.

3. They may help control blood sugar.

Studies show compounds found in dandelions can improve the pancreas’ insulin secretion and improve the absorption of glucose, or sugar, in muscle tissues.

Photo Credit: Pexels

4. They could help improve cholesterol levels.

Studies with mice and rabbits have shown that test animals that have been fed a diet high in cholesterol and then treated with dandelion extract ended up with lowered cholesterol levels.

5. They may help reduce blood pressure.

Dandelion is a known natural diuretic, and Western medicine credits reducing fluids in the body as a way lowered blood pressure. Also, dandelion is rich in potassium, which is also known for lowering blood pressure.

Photo Credit: Flickr

6. They may keep your liver healthy.

Animal studies show dandelion extract reduced the levels of excess fat stored in the liver and defended against oxidative stress in liver tissue.

7. They may help with losing weight.

Dandelion could possibly help with weight loss by improving carbohydrate metabolism and reducing fat absorption. Chlorogenic acid, one of the compounds found in dandelion was shown to aid with reducing body weight and levels of some fat-storage hormones in obese mice.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Though these results are exciting, many of these studies were done on animals or cell cultures in petri dishes—very few involving any testing on humans. Much more research is necessary before medicine declares the dandelion a miracle treatment, but the preliminary findings are showing there are benefits of keeping dandelion on hand.

Or in your lawn.

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Patients Share Their Antibiotics Horror Stories

But what happens when things with antibiotics go terribly wrong?

These 11 people had horrendous experiences with antibiotics, and sometimes this stuff is hard to read…

1. That’s really a bummer. Best of luck to her.

Photo Credit: Whisper

2. Antibiotics kills ALL the good bacteria. Yogurt that shit!

Photo Credit: Whisper

3. This is common too when you mess with your gut bacteria…

Photo Credit: Whisper

4. OMG! Hope you get help…

Photo Credit: Whisper

5. Sulfa drugs can do this to A LOT of people…

Photo Credit: Whisper

6. Yeah, but better than your body failing you…

Photo Credit: Whisper

7. Wow… I can’t even imagine!

Photo Credit: Whisper

8. Wait… what the fuck is this even about?!

Photo Credit: Whisper

9. Ummm, how is this even a thing? Yeast infection?

Photo Credit: Whisper

10. That’s an unexpected side effect…

Photo Credit: Whisper

11. HA! Not exactly a horror story, but funny nonetheless…

Photo Credit: Whisper

So, are you thinking twice about what you put in your body after reading these? Because I sure am.

That doesn’t mean we’re against VACCINES. They’re not the same thing.

By the way, which one of these was the scariest? Let us know in the comments!

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Parents, You Should Praise Your Kids for Working Hard – Not for Intelligence

Studies show that praising children for their hard work is better than praising them for being intelligent.

Photo Credit: Needpix

For parents, though, it’s natural to get excited when your child makes the honor roll or gets all As on a report card. You want to let everyone know how brilliant your kids are. But it seems you’re actually hindering them when you heap on the praise for this reason.

Instead, we should be telling them how proud we are of their hard work.

When children see parents become overjoyed at a grade or other recognition for their intelligence, they come to believe their accomplishments came to them because of what they already have.

Photo Credit: Pexels

In other words, they think, “I’m naturally smart. I didn’t do anything to get this high grade.”

Studies going back decades consistently show kids who are praised for being smart ended up performing poorly academically.

A more recent study published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience by Jennifer A. Mangels reinforced the findings. She and her team of researchers asked a sample of undergraduate student questions about intelligence, including if they believed people have a certain amount of intelligence which couldn’t be changed.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Those that agreed with the statement that a person’s amount of intelligence can’t be changed were put into the group where they were said to have a “fixed” or “entity” view of intelligence.

Those that disagreed were put into the group where they were said to have an “incremental” or “growth” view. They believed there were ways to increase intelligence.

Then, all the students had to take a computerized test on a variety of subjects while their brain activity was being monitored. During the test, they also had to indicate how confident they were in their answers. If their answer was right, the computer let them know. If an answer was wrong, the computer gave the right answer.

Students were then given an opportunity to retake the test, but only the questions they answered incorrectly.

Photo Credit: Pxhere

Both groups did equally well and were equally confident for the first testing. But for the second round of testing, the “growth” view group did better. The brain activity records showed that this group had paid more attention to the corrections they were given, and were better able to learn from their mistakes.

Because they believed they could perform better, they paid attention and learned the right answers.

If you tend to think that intelligence is fixed, consider this: studies have shown a person’s IQ is improved through education and training programs. Even environmental factors can contribute to gains in intelligence.

If you can convince yourself that intelligence can be improved, your attitude will pass that to your children. Above all, they need to hear hard work is the key to performing well – not the luck of the IQ draw.

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