Drinking Water All Day IS NOT the Best Way to Stay Hydrated — Learn the Best Methods

I’ve heard my fair share of the advice “make sure you drink a lot of water!”

I’m guilty of worrying over whether my nieces and nephews are hydrating well enough, too, especially on these hot summer days. Dehydration causes fatigue, saps endurance, and can interfere with your mood and ability to concentrate.

And while the National Academy of Medicine does recommend adults drink between 91 and 125 fl oz of water every day, guzzling the stuff morning, noon, and night may not be the optimal way to keep hydrated.

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💧 Do you have access to clean drinking water whenever you want? ⠀ ⠀ 📃Last UNICEF report says: 1 in 3 people globally do not have access to safe drinking water: ⠀ 📌 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely managed drinking water services ⠀ 📌4.2 billion people do not have safely managed sanitation services ⠀ 📌3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities ⠀ 👩🏼‍🏫Next time you think your life sucks remember the above and say thank you for what you have! ⠀ Much love ❤ • • • • • #unicef #un #motivation #appreciate #saythankyou #cleanwater #water #drinkingwater #report #savetheearth #bestlifescenario #travelbloggervibes #africa #children #kids #beirut #baalbek #byblos #lebanon

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Especially, says professor of public health David Nieman, if you’re not drinking it with a meal.

“If you’re drinking water and then, within two hours, your urine output is really high and is clear, that means the water is not staying in well…plain water has a tendency to slip right through the human digestive system when not accompanied by food or nutrients.”

In fact, if you think your clear urine is a sign you’re doing something right, that’s not exactly the case, either, according to the Cleveland Clinic – it’s a sign of “overhydration” in most cases.

A 2015 study found that many kinds of drinks help you rehydrate – some as efficiently as water – and that several different elements come into play when considering how much H2O is absorbed in the process. Their research found that if you ingest water along with animo acids, fats and other minerals, it seems to help the body retain the much needed hydration.

For that reason, orange juice, milk, tea, and sports drinks were all good options when hydration is your goal.

“People who are drinking bottles and bottles of water in between meals and with no food, they’re probably just peeing most of that out,” Neiman confirms.

Also? Drinking too much water can actually be harmful.

“In athletes or people who are exercising for hours, if they’re only drinking water, they can throw out too much sodium in their urine, which leads to an imbalance in the body’s sodium levels,” Nieman adds.

The result can be a potentially deadly condition called “hyponatremia,” and in those cases, sports drinks and other beverages that contain nutrients are a better option.

Even if you’re not an athlete, there are better ways than pounding water all day to keep your body and your brain running at optimal levels. Sipping water prevents an overload in the kidneys and helps your body retain and use the water you’ve drank.

Another good tip is to drink water before, during, and immediately after a meal or snack.

“Drinking water with amino acids or fats or vitamins or minerals helps the body take up more of the water, which is why beverages like milk and fruit juice tend to look pretty good in these hydration studies.”

Some of Neiman’s own research suggests that even eating a banana would be a better way to recover from a workout than drinking a bunch of water.

The long and short seems to be that you can and should keep drinking water, but it’s not a bad idea exercise more discretion in the whens and hows – not so much all at once, and taken with food whenever possible.

“Water is good for you,” Neiman cracks, “but you can drown in it, too.”

Words to live by.

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A Mexican Physicist Solved a 2,000-Year-Old Lens Problem with One Wild Equation

Even Isaac Newton couldn’t crack this case — but Rafael G. González-Acuña did.

A physicist in Mexico just solved a problem that has plagued scientists for over 2,000 years.

For centuries, lenses have faced a problem: the corners and edges are always a little soft and out of focus. It’s called “spherical aberration,” and it’s caused by differences in light refraction across the lens, along with imperfections in its shape and materials.

Photo Credit: iStock

Spherical aberration was presumed to be an unsolvable issue. Lens designers have developed workarounds to counteract and correct the effect, resulting in a uniformly clear image. However, these adaptive techniques can get incredibly pricey — which is part of why high-quality photography gear costs so much money.

Enter Rafael.

Rafael is a doctoral student at Mexico’s Tecnológico de Monterrey. After months of work, he came up with an equation to design a lens that eliminates spherical aberration completely. This equation works for a lens of any size, material or purpose.

This development is not only exciting on a scientific level, but it will also provide practical benefits to many different types of people. Cameras of all kinds, including smartphone cameras, will be easier and cheaper to design. Photographers will no longer have to deal with focus issues with their high-end equipment. Sharper lenses will also be able to be used for other optical devices, like telescopes and microscopes.

All in all, Rafael’s breakthrough is evidence that no problem is too old to solve.

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This Creepy Video of a “Zombie Snail” Is Hard to Look Away from

Here’s a warning: you absolutely will never be able to unsee this video, no matter how badly you wish you might be able to do just that.

Parasites who take over their hosts’ brains and/or motor function while the creature is still alive are some of the most horrifying villains of the biological world, and…y’all. This diabolical flatworm ranks pretty high on the squick scale.

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Non riesco a smettere di guardarlo 😮 . Il Leucochloridium paradoxum, è un platelminta parassita della famiglia Succineidae. . Come svolge il suo ciclo? . Il ciclo inizia quando un uccello dell’ordine Passeriformes ingerisce le metacercarie (lo stadio larvale presente nello sporociste) che, una volta giunte nell’intestino, si sviluppano e depongono le uova. . Queste vengono quindi disperse nell’ambiente dall’uccello assieme alle feci. . A questo punto la chiocciola mangia le uova assieme all’erba e agli escrementi e, dopo aver passato il digerente dell’invertebrato, esse si schiudono nel suo intestino. . La fase successiva prevede la migrazione delle larve attraverso il corpo della chiocciola fino all’epatopancreas, la ghiandola più importante dell’apparato digerente della nostra Succineidae, che svolge sia una funzione di assorbimento, sia una funzione di secrezione di enzimi digestivi. Ed è proprio in questa ghiandola che le larve si sviluppano in sporocisti, lo stadio che sarà ingerito dall’uccello. . Ed è in questo passaggio che riscontriamo la particolarità di L. paradoxum: la sporociste, che ha una forma allungata, si colora all’estremità di tinte bianche e verdi a strisce e dall’epatopancreas si sposta nei tentacoli oculari della chiocciola, con una particolare predilezione per il lato sinistro (ancora non è noto il perché) e inizia quindi a “pulsare” (solo di giorno, di notte resta immobile)  facendo si che la chiocciola non riesca più a ritrarli. . La presenza dello sporociste nei tentacolari oculari fa si che la chiocciola non riesca più (o comunque fatichi molto) a “vedere” la differenza tra giorno e notte, facendola così vagare per zone molto illuminate anche quando normalmente non lo farebbe. Ed è in questo modo, unito al movimento pulsante e ai colori brillanti, che il parassita si fa notare dagli uccelli e può quindi chiudere il ciclo. . Credits: @microbiologiaitalia , Gilles San Martin . #chiocciola #lumaca #parassita #Leucochloridiumparadoxum #worm #snail #microbiologia #scienza #parassitismo #biologia #natura #verme #parasite #elicicoltura #snailfarming #ilcontadinosmart

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The flatworm is from the genus Leucochloridium, and its entire goal in life is to produce more of itself.

In order to accomplish that goal, it infects an intermediate host, like the unfortunate snail in the video. While in its larval stage, the worm moves into the hosts eyestalks and head. The larvae vaguely resembles a caterpillar, but it can make itself look much more caterpillar-ish by pulsing, which it does in order to attract the attention of birds.

Because they actually want to be eaten.

The “zombie snail” is driven to spend more time than it normally would in higher and more sunlit spots, making it much more likely to find its way into the stomach of a bird. Research out of Poland suggests that the pulsing like they’re at a dance club really gets going the more light they receive, as well.

Once a bird notices and swallows the snail (or other infected host), the parasite enters adulthood in the bird’s GI tract. The larvae mature and release eggs, which are excreted by the birds and then eaten by snails.

It’s a horrible circle of life.

One that was caught on video in Changhua County, Taiwan, by hiker Lin Ruian. Since then, the footage spread through the internet like flatworms through a snail, and was tweeted by biologist Mike Inouye.

It’s been seen over 7 million times, and you can see why – like a car accident or a train wreck, it’s impossible to look away.

Proof once more than nature is as terrible as it is beautiful (sometimes all at once).

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A New Viral Selfie Challenge Has People Sharing Mental Health Advice for Their Younger Selves

There is some really good information in these tweets.

Though the #5YearOldSelfie challenge isn’t the first one to encourage people to give advice to their younger selves (in an attempt to help those still struggling), it is the most recent one to go viral.

UK-based mental health organization Young Minds initiated the challenge and hashtag. Their mission statement is to “make sure all young people get the best possible mental health support and have the resilience to overcome life’s challenges.”

To participate, Twitter users tweeted pictures of their younger self along with 3 pieces of advice you’d have for that girl or boy, then tag three friends who you hope will add their own advice.

The advice runs the gamut, but none of it is bad – below are 12 tweets that are bound to make you feel great about how far you’ve come (or to know that you’re going to be okay, and that it gets better).

12. Keep smiling.

11. Things are about to change.

10. Don’t give away your toys.

9. You might be right.

8. Be brave.

7. You are loved.

6. Start drumming.

5. Life is waiting.

4. You matter.

3. Don’t fight with your mom.

2. Stay weird.

1. It gets better.

Play along! Post yours in the comments!

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If You Have These Tiny Bumps on Your Skin, They’re Called Milia and You Should Leave Them Alone

Listen up, this is important.

Have you ever looked in the mirror and noticed small white bumps on your skin? Have you been tempted to squeeze them? Except then you do, and they don’t anything like normal pimples.

Because they aren’t pimples.

These little irritations are called milium cysts, which, when they’re in a group, are called milia.

Photo Credit: Pexels, Dhyamis Kleber

Healthline says, “Milia occur when keratin becomes trapped beneath the surface of the skin. Keratin is a strong protein that’s typically found in skin tissues, hair, and nail cells.”

But milia are nothing to worry about in most cases – they are more nuisance than something serious. However, if they do appear, don’t pick them! That could cause scarring, especially if you have quite a few. I know, it is tempting, but you do not want to risk it.

How do you get rid of them?

In most cases, milia will go away on its own. And they really are unnoticeable to others unless they are super close to your face, which really isn’t a big deal. But some people may experience milia that can cause slight pain or irritation, in which they should talk to a dermatologist if it worsens. Doctors will use treatments to eliminate them, such as:

  • Deroofing. A sterile needle picks out the contents of the cyst.
  • Topical retinoids. These vitamin A-containing creams help exfoliate your skin.
  • Chemical peels. Chemical peels cause the first layer of skin to peel off, unearthing new skin.
  • Laser ablation: A small laser focuses on the affected areas to remove the cysts.

Prevention

Photo Credit: Pexels, Vitória Santos

The great news is you can prevent these annoying bumps! Healthline shares a few home remedies:

  • Clean and exfoliate the skin. Milia occur under the eyes due to an excess of keratin. Gently exfoliating the area with a warm washcloth may get rid of dead skin cells and help bring trapped keratin to the surface.
  • Steam. Spending some time in your bathroom with the door closed and a hot shower running creates an easy at-home steam treatment for your face.
  • Rose water or manuka honey. Spritz a bit of rose water or use a manuka honey mask on your face. Research has found anti-inflammatory properties in roses and honey.
  • Avoid picking or poking. It may seem counterintuitive, but leaving milia bumps alone helps them heal faster. If you pick milia bumps to the point where they become irritated, infection and scarring become more likely.

So there you go.

But, just to be clear, always go to a doctor if you’re worried about your health. They can help you out better than the internet.

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This Is Why Chimpanzees Enjoy Throwing Poop

For us humans, the idea of throwing poop is disgusting for multiple reasons: you have to touch poop, it will touch someone else, and there will be an inevitable mess. But for chimpanzees, it’s common behavior.

Why?

First off, the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada says it’s important to realize that the behavior is not common in free-roaming, wild chimps. They do throw things, but they typically stick to rocks or branches when looking for a way to express their annoyance, leaving their feces where they fall.

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The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, part of the Jane Goodall institute, is not only a rescue center, but also a platform used to raise awareness of the plight of Chimps in the Wilde. Despite our shared lineage, humans are pushing chimpanzees toward extinction. Chimps have already disappeared completely from four countries and are under tremendous pressure everywhere else they live. Massive destruction of their natural habitat, capture for the purpose of trading and hunting them down for the consumption of their meat, are the reasons that pose major threats to this endangered species. . #janegoodall#janegoodallinstitute #chimps#chimpanzee#chimpanzees#greatape#greatapes#wildlife#wildlifephotography#sweetwatersnationalreserve#kenya#africa

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Whereas for chimps in captivity, there just often aren’t many options when they want to give something a good toss except poop, which is typically abundant.

Chimps throw things when they’re feeling frustrated or anxious, but they’re also smart enough to realize that they can elicit a reaction – horror and disgust, perhaps surprise – when they launch a turd at a zoo employee or a guest.

A 2012 study found that chimps who display good aim had a better-developed motor cortex, and better communications between that cortex and Broca’s area, a portion of the frontal cortex that helps process language in humans. Which is all to say, they were typically the better communicators in their peer groups.

A second study backs up the idea that smart chimps toss poo, by proving that the action is likely premeditated. The study was based on Satino, a chimp at Sweden’s Furuvik Zoo, who enjoyed frightening away visitors by tossing rocks at them. Researchers found that he stockpiled rocks every day before the zoo opened so that a) he would be well-armed and b) no zookeepers would be there to intervene.

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Les chimpanzés passent presque la moitié de leur temps à se nourrir et à se déplacer d'un lieu de nourrissage à un autre. Ils mangent le plus souvent dans les arbres quand ce n'est pas au sol. . La diversité alimentaire chez les chimpanzés est remarquable. Ils consomment des graines, des noix, des fruits, des fleurs, des feuilles, des tiges, de la sève, de l’écorce, du miel, des insectes et parfois même d’autres animaux (en particulier des petits singes). . Mais ce qui est encore plus remarquable, c'est que sans le vouloir, ils dispersent les graines qu'ils consomment chaque jour, permettant à la forêt de se régénérer et perpétuant ainsi le cycle d'absorption du Co2 des arbres. _ _ _ #nature #wildlife #environment #green #tree #trees #wilderness #forest #jungle #chimpanzés #chimps #chimp #chimpanzees #chimpanzee #monkey #monkeys #wild #environment #Congo #Afrique @bbcearth @animalplanet @natgeowild @natgeoyourshot @natgeo_france @lonelyplanetfr @nakedplanet @lonelyplanet @discovery

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Other chimps, though, have been seen pooping directly into their hands and then holding it as they wait for some human to annoy them.

Be careful when viewing the chimps, people. They might find you annoying and use whatever they’ve got at their disposal to make their opinion known – and if you end up wiping poop off your body in a zoo bathroom, I doubt the fact that the chimp who threw it is probably the smartest one of the bunch is going to be much of a comfort.

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A Same-Sex Penguin Couple Adopted an Abandoned Egg and Did a Darn Good Job

With King penguins, it’s not unheard of for same-sex couples to form long-term relationships.

Such is the case for male penguins Skipper and Ping at the Berlin Zoo, who recently stepped in to parent an egg that was abandoned in mid-July. Zookeepers aren’t sure what caused the mother to leave, but the two male penguins weren’t going to let the baby die – not if they could help it.

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Very touching. Очень трогательно

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Taking care of an egg isn’t a one penguin job, since, as aquarium curator Vikki McCloskey, points out, “You cannot incubate an egg and eat by yourself.”

She also states that penguins have “fairly strong pair bonds, especially if they’re successful in raising offspring.”

Penguins work together to create and incubate their eggs, and after the eggs hatch, they parents trade off caring for the chicks and going to catch food. That said, McCloskey notes that, as with all species, some individuals are better parents than others.

“There are a whole host of variables as to why a penguin would walk off its egg. In the wild, if your partner doesn’t come back, then you have to eventually go eat.”

The captive penguin may have abandoned the egg due to social reasons, age constraints, sensing that the fetus had stopped developing, or just a lack of interest in mothering.

“We’ve had male-female couples abandon eggs and we’ve had male-male couples do a great job incubating and raising offspring. There’s not really a rule, per se. The main imperative is to produce viable offspring.”

Just something to keep in your back pocket, ladies, the next time your husband tries the excuse that “you’re just better with the kids.”

As for the egg under Skipper and Ping’s care, it won’t be long now until we find out whether it’s going to hatch.

I, for one, can’t wait.

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A Project Turns Discarded Fishing Nets into Surfboards and Helps Reduce Ocean Pollution

As you already know, the ocean (and most of the rest of the planet) is slowly being poisoned by discarded plastics, and people all over the world are looking for ways to try to mitigate, ease, or even reverse the devastating effects that humans are wreaking on the marine environment.

The latest effort comes from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where fishermen are gathering discarded fishing nets to turn into surfboards.

The project is a collaboration between DSM, a nutrition and sustainable living corporation, and Thailand-based water sports company Starboard. DSM’s operations director explained to The Straits Times that they take the nets (often they are unusably broken) from the water, then clean, granulate, and transport them to their Indian factories to be reborn as ec0-friendly surfboards.

The nets are a big problem for both people and fish, in more ways than one.

The fish who don’t get caught in the nets often consume bits of them, and then as smaller fish are eaten by bigger ones, the plastics make their way up the food chain. The nets also tangle in boat propellors, damaging engines, and they can also strangle unsuspecting marine life, like turtles or cetaceans.

According to a DSM press release, experts estimate around 640,000 tons of trash nets remain in the ocean – 10% of all ocean plastic waste. Matt Gray, a commercial director at DSM, explained their mission in more detail.

“We look beyond society’s current model of take-make-dispose and instead try to mimic nature and the circle of life. By transforming the nets into fins, fin boxes, SUP pumps, and other parts of surfboards, the nets can return to the ocean in a much more environmentally conscious way.”

The effort is also supplying jobs for the local communities in India, which means the companies and the project are doing double the good.

Good on them. Now, let’s all find a way to do the same!

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Scientists Developed a Vaccine That May Finally Solve Cat Allergies

This could potentially be a game-changer.

There’s not a whole lot of in-between out there when you talk to folks about our feline friends. Most people absolutely adore cats…or they despise them. And I’m pretty sure a lot of people use the excuse “I’m allergic” just so they don’t have to deal with cats on any level, whether at a friend’s house, significant other’s, etc.

Well, the people who pull the “allergy card” might not be able to do that for much longer. And on the flip side, people who really love cats and are legitimately allergic to them will be able to play with all the furry buddies they want to! How, you ask? Because scientists have invented a vaccine that can be given to cats to make us humans less allergic to them. Hallelujah!

The vaccine is injected into cats (meaning you don’t even have to take the needle yourself), and it makes them produce less of the allergen that causes people to sneeze uncontrollably around them. The researchers have been working on the project for five years, and they call the vaccine HypoCat.

One of the researchers, Martin Bachmann, said, “We feel the numbers and conclusions are sufficient to drive our investment in further development. This is also reflected by the fact that JACI the Nr 1 allergy journal, published our study. In 2020, more safety and efficacy testing studies will be initiated.”

Bachmann said that once it is released, HypoCat will be affordable for pet owners. According to one of the researchers, the vaccine should be available sometime in 2022. Hooray!

Do you think anti-vaxxers will just have to weigh in on this one as well?

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15 Amazing Photos of What Mars Looks Like

It’s just like in Total Recall! Kind of…

The Curiosity Rover on Mars sends photos back from the red planet daily. And they are MINDBLOWING.

We, and NASA of course, still have so much to learn about Mars, but even these images would have been inconceivable not so many years ago.

Take a look at these stunning photographs.

1. Check that out

Photo Credit: NASA

2. Tracks

Photo Credit: NASA

3. On top of the world

Photo Credit: NASA

4. Desert landscape

Photo Credit: NASA

5. Wide open

Photo Credit: NASA

6. There’s the Rover again!

Photo Credit: NASA

7. Fish eye

Photo Credit: NASA

8. Doing good work

Photo Credit: NASA

9. Endless

Photo Credit: NASA

10. Lonely

Photo Credit: NASA

11. Fascinating

Photo Credit: NASA

12. Cool shot

Photo Credit: NASA

13. Boulders

Photo Credit: NASA

14. Wow

Photo Credit: NASA

15. Science rocks!

Photo Credit: NASA

Be sure to follow NASA’s progress on Mars, it gets more fascinating by the day!

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