There’s a Scientific Reason Why Food Tastes Bad After Brushing Your Teeth

As anyone who has ever brushed their teeth knows (and, hopefully, that’s everyone) you don’t want to eat something too soon after brushing. There are horror stories of foolish souls who thought it would be a good idea to down a glass of OJ within minutes of hitting their teeth with some Crest. They were never heard from again.

But why does toothpaste have the capacity to ruin your breakfast? Science, of course, has the answer.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

It has to do with sodium laureth sulfate – also known as sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). The chemicals are the wetting agents in your toothpaste (meaning they lower the surface tension of a liquid) and work to create the foam that makes the paste easier to spread across your teeth.

Fun fact: They’re also used in detergents, fabric softeners, paints, laxatives, surfboard waxes, and insecticides. So, you know, if you eat any of those things, watch your breakfast choices as well.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Both SLES and SLS screw with our taste buds abilities in 2 ways. First, they suppress the receptors that perceive sweetness (hence why my grape juice tasted sour), and second, they break up the phospholipids on our tongue. Those are fatty molecules that inhibit our receptors for bitterness – so when SLEs and SLS are coating our tongues, bitter tastes are enhanced.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The bottom line is that anything you eat or drink after lapping up the chemicals in your toothpaste is going to taste less sweet and more bitter than it normally does. If the phenomenon really bothers you, there are toothpastes out there that are SLES/SLS free – you won’t have your usual foamy experience, but you can also pick your breakfast juice without worry.

Worth it? I mean…

h/t: Mental_Floss

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August 30, 2018

Women Are More Resilient Than Men, According to Science

Women are pretty darn strong. Need I remind you that many spend months of their lives enduring pregnancy and hours of labor all to push something the size of a watermelon out of their vaginas? Think men can do that?

Photo Credit: AMC

Although the recent research defines men as people with an XY chromosome makeup and women as ones with XX’s – meaning it applies to cis individuals and not people who identify as different from their chromosomal makeup – it’s still pretty damning when it comes to which of the sexes is more likely to survive through tough situations. James Vaupel and his team at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense concluded that in fact women are statistically more likely to survive in times of crises (I mean, we saw this on The Walking Dead, so good luck with the zombies, dudes!) like famines, epidemics, and enslavement. The conclusions were drawn by measuring things like population and life expectancy, and it boils down to the fact that women are survivors.

Photo Credit: AMC

Virginia Zarulli, from the University of Southern Denmark’s Institute of Public Health explained to Global Citizen that females are simply born with a different sort of advantage:

“In simple words, it is easy to see that if by chance a bad mutation takes place on the X chromosome, women have another X that can partly – or totally – compensate for it, while men don’t have that possibility.”

Not only that, but as a report in The Guardian points out, bodies that produce estrogen have more of a guard against disease. Producing testosterone increases the risk of fatal infections, not to mention that high levels of testosterone leads to more risky and life threatening behavior.

Photo Credit: Marvel

The advantage begins at birth – male infants have higher mortality rates than their female counterparts – and continues through the end of life, as the life expectancy for women globally is four years longer than that of men.

Don’t feel bad, guys – you’re still really good at plenty of things. When it comes to digging into life by the fingernails and not letting go until God him- (her-?)self rips you loose, though, women take the cake from cradle to grave.

So make friends with the women in your life, maybe consider it part of your preparation for the zombie apocalypse. I mean. It can’t hurt.

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August 29, 2018

This Is Why You Shouldn’t Wash Your Clothes in Warm Water

The majority of people think that washing clothes in warm water is always better. The heat kills the germs, right?

While that may be true when you’re washing your hands (or other body parts), it turns out the logic doesn’t hold true for getting the grime, stink, and stains out of your dirty clothes. Back in the day, hot water was required to get the most out of your detergent, but now most manufacturers have created products that work as well in cold water (unless you’re using powder, which will require warm water to dissolve).

Photo Credit: Pixabay

And get this: it’s not only true that warm water doesn’t get your laundry any cleaner than cold, but there are several reasons that washing in cold water is actually the better way to go.

Better Stain Removal

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Some types of stains – like ones from blood, sweat, and other proteins – will only come out in cold water. Warm water will set them in further, and when it comes to keeping your colors bright and your fabrics the right size, cold water is also your friend.

It’s Environmentally Friendly

Photo Credit: Pixabay

90% of the energy used to power your washing machine is used to heat water, so using exclusively cold water saves hundreds of pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every year.

Wallet Friendly

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Switching to cold water could save your family more than $200/year, according to personal finance blog The Simple Dollar.

So, while you might be tempted to set the water to hot if you’ve got something particularly gross or smelly, just resist! Your clothes, bank account, and the environment will thank you!

h/t: Mental_Floss

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August 28, 2018

Science Proves the HPV Vaccine Doesn’t Actually Lead to More Sex Among Teens

No matter how many concerned parents have warned that sex education will lead to teens having more sex, science always says otherwise. The same is true for access to birth control. And, according to the latest study (which confirms results from a similar study done in 2015), promoting the HPV vaccine to this generation, you guessed it, doesn’t lead to more sex.

HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States, has been strongly linked to a number of cancers, including those attacking the cervix, vulva, vagina, penis, and anus, along with some forms of oral cancer.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Even though the vaccine has been found to prevent some forms of the virus and the following cancer – and is recommended by the CDC – fewer than half of girls (and even fewer boys) currently receive the full series of shots. This is due to prevailing (inaccurate) distrust of vaccines, but also a worry among some people that preventing an STD could lead to riskier sexual behavior among teenagers.

The most recent study, which compared teens in states with HPV vaccination promotion to teens in states without promotions, was recently published in the scientific journal Pediatrics. It compared the two lists of teenagers to the results of a multi-year survey of risky teen behavior, and found no difference in teens’ decisions and behavior based on the state they reside in.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Basically, kids are going to engage in sex – risky and otherwise – regardless of whether we protect them against cancer.

“Concern that legislation will increase risky adolescent sexual behaviors should not be used when deciding to pass HPV legislation,” concluded the study.

Currently 23 states and Washington D.C. have passed legislation related to the promotion of the HPV vaccine. The specifics vary from in-school awareness campaigns to programs that require insurance companies to cover the cost of the shots.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The study’s primary author, Erin Cook, told PBS that “the big takeaway is that the passage of legislation regarding HPV didn’t seem to be associated with any changes in adolescent sexual behaviors in the sample of states we were able to look at.”

Worry not, parents. You can protect your child from all sorts of cancer while being assured that the shots won’t cause them to engage in any promiscuous behaviors.

At least, no more than usual.

h/t: ScaryMommy

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August 28, 2018

15 People Explain The One Superpower They Definitely Would NOT Want

With superhero movies more popular than ever, people love discussing which superpowers they wish they could have. But have you ever taken a second to consider which ones you wouldn’t want to have? Most superpowers seem like they’d be fun at first glance…but take a closer look and you realize that many would be more trouble than they’re worth.

These 13+ Redditors take a moment to muse, however, and their responses are bound to get you thinking.

#15. Teleportation probs.

“Teleportation. If you can’t see where you are teleporting, you could easily just clip inside of an object or another person.”

#14. For hours on end.

“Super hearing, enjoy listening to everyone snore for hours on end.”

#13. Most sympathized.

“The Thing” from Fantastic Four is probably one of the most sympathised superheroes.”

#12. Some things can’t be unseen.

“X-ray vision. Some things just can’t be unseen.”

#11. Classic.

“The classic “everything you touch turns to gold” would be pretty terrible.”

#10. Vapid idiots.

“Reading minds. You could never go out, or would end up spending time with the most vapid idiots.”

#9. Dull and joyless.

“Precognition. Being able to see the future would remove any sense of excitement or surprise. Life would become dull and joyless.”

#8. A life of exile.

“Super strength if gone unregulated would force you into a life of exile because you might accidentally destroy everything around you.”

#7. Don’t lose your temper.

“Psychic powers/ Psychokinesis power

If you lose your temper even once with someone you could unconsciously fold them together several times without actually wanting to.”

#6. Think about it.

“Super Speed would suck. You’d wear out sneakers almost immediately through friction, bugs would constantly splat into your face, and you would be forever having to dodge everything. Think how alert you have to be while driving at just 30MPH. Now imagine how much focus you need to run at 100MPH?”

#5. Existentially frightening.

“Immortality would be sad and just existentially frightening.”

#4. Without the healing.

“Wolverine’s claws without wolverine’s healing.”

#3. Unless of course.

“Any destructive powers would actually suck to have in our non-superhero world. Unless of course you want to become a villain.”

#2. Can you even imagine?

“A super sense of smell. Can you even imagine how that would affect your life?!”

#1. A fear of heights.

“As someone with fear of heights, flight.”

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August 28, 2018

11+ Interesting Facts About Renewable Energy and Climate Change

Global warming and climate change are realities that we must learn to accept. If humans don’t change their behavior sooner rather than later, we won’t survive as a species for much longer.

Take a look at these 12 facts about climate change and the people working hard for renewable energies. It’s time to start doing our part!

1. The Pole is moving

Photo Credit: did you know?

2. Mushrooms for the win

Photo Credit: did you know?

3. Depressing

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4. Virus

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5. Bad teachers

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6. Frightening

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7. Setting a good example

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8. $$$$$$

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9. Nice work!

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10. This is encouraging

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11. Let’s do it

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12. Leading the way

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August 28, 2018

These 15 Facts Are Totally True, No Matter How Fake They Sound

They say the truth is stranger than fiction, and that’s definitely true of these 15 facts.

All 15 of these things are totally true. That’s kind of our thing around here. Honest.

#15. When three is a welcome crowd…

Photo Credit: dyk

Source

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August 28, 2018

This Infographic Takes You Through Albert Einstein’s Remarkable Life

Albert Einstein is one of the most famous physicists in history. Odds are, you can’t walk into a science classroom without seeing his face on a poster. Developing the theory of relativity and winning the Nobel Prize in Physics are just a couple of his impressive achievements. But have you ever wondered how he became such an accomplished man?

Explore this detailed infographic to gain more insight into the great Einstein’s fascinating life.