Is Exercise Good for My Brain?

We’ve all bought a gym membership we never used—it’s what New Year’s Resolutions are for. But you might be a little less shy of the treadmill if you knew working out didn’t just tone your bum – but your brain.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2014: Why Is Our Anxiety Getting Out Of Control?

Anxiety is a big issue in British society, and although sometimes it has its place - like when studying for an exam, visiting the doctor or going for a promotion - it becomes a problem when it starts to feel too overwhelming.
(huffingtonpost.co.uk)

Read the article here.

Sodium: Getting rid of dirt - and murder victims

Be warned, this article contains material some readers may find distressing. That's because it's about sodium - and the story of one of Italy's most notorious serial killers illustrates elegantly some of this element's unique properties.
(BBC)

Read the article here.

How to See Without Glasses

Ageless 70 years old woman

For source go here.

Your wireless router could be murdering your houseplants

Are you slowly killing your houseplants? Probably! But there might be a reason (other than neglect) why they’re all yellow and wilty: your Wi-Fi router.
An experiment by a handful of high school students in Denmark has sparked some serious international interest in the scientific community.

Breast is best. Shopping vouchers rewarding breastfeeding in UK

In the UK new mothers are to be offered up to £200 in shopping vouchers to encourage them to breastfeed their babies. 
The pilot scheme is targeting deprived areas in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire. To qualify for the full reward, the women will have to breastfeed until their babies are six months old. 
Critics say the money would be better spent helping those mothers who have difficulties feeding their newborns.

Get a life! Facebook is bad for you

Using the social network seems to make people more miserable

Those who have resisted the urge to join Facebook will surely feel vindicated when they read the latest research. A study just published by the Public Library of Science, conducted by Ethan Kross of the University of Michigan and Philippe Verduyn of Leuven University in Belgium, has shown that the more someone uses Facebook, the less satisfied he is with life.

Past investigations have found that using Facebook is associated with jealousy, social tension, isolation and depression. But these studies have all been “cross-sectional”—in other words, snapshots in time. As such, they risk confusing correlation with causation: perhaps those who spend more time on social media are more prone to negative emotions in the first place. The study conducted by Dr Kross and Dr Verduyn is the first to follow Facebook users for an extended period, to track how their emotions change.

Salmonella in Spices Prompts Changes in Farming

IDUKKI, India — Spices grown in the mist-shrouded Western Ghats here have fueled wars, fortunes and even the discovery of continents, and for thousands of years farmers harvested them in the same traditional ways. Until now. 

Science has revealed what ancient kings and sultans never knew: instead of improving health, spices sometimes make people very sick, so Indian government officials are quietly pushing some of the most far-reaching changes ever in the way farmers here pick, dry and thresh their rich bounty. 

What Happens to Your Body When You Quit Smoking

Smoking cigarettes is one of the unhealthiest things that a person can do to their body. 

Cigarettes have been linked to lung, throat, and mouth cancer and have been proven to increase a person’s risk for heart troubles and respiratory difficulties.

Unfortunately, thanks to the addictive qualities of nicotine, stopping the habit of smoking cigarettes can be especially hard for some people.

Is Modern Life Killing Us?

Is the pace of life - juggling childcare, a commute, work, technology and exercise - affecting individuals' happiness in the UK? 
Figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest we are actually working on average an hour or two less than we did in 1971 but it does not feel that way, as the internet and email mean we are never off-duty. 
Reeta Chakrabarti is given tips on how to slow down and asks whether any lessons can be learned from people in Denmark, where people work shorter hours and pay less for childcare.


For source go here.

What happens when you insert a microchip into your own body?

Adam Shaw meets Professor Warwick, the first person in the world to have successfully controlled a robot with his own thoughts.
He explains “Project Cyborg”, the outcomes of the initial experiment, and what he hopes it will achieve in the future.



For source go here.

Delay on plain cigarette pack decision 'sad day for child health'

Scientists and campaigners say lives will be lost and accuse ministers of bowing to tobacco industry lobbying. 

Lives will be lost as a result of the government's decision to kick the notion of plain packaging for cigarettes into the long grass, say scientists and campaigners who accuse ministers of bowing to tobacco industry lobbying.

Gross! Guess How Many People Don't Wash Their Hands After Flushing

The next time you reach out to shake someone's hand, consider this finding: A recent study of hand-washing habits found only 5 percent of people who used the restroom scrubbed long enough to kill germs that can cause infections.

Thirty-three percent didn't use soap, and 10 percent didn't wash their hands at all, according to the study, based on Michigan State University researchers' observations of more than 3,700 people in a college town's public restrooms.

Soul Surfer - An Inspiring Story of Bethany Hamilton

Born into a family of surfers in Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany Hamilton has been surfing almost as long as she has been walking. Entering her first competition around age four, and sponsored by age nine, Bethany's love for the sport was immediately apparent. 

Despite a shark attack that took her left arm at age 13, her dedication has remained unwavering. Just one month after the tragic accident, Bethany was back on her surf board to pursue her goal of becoming a professional surfer, winning her first national title in 2005 and turning pro in 2007. Since then she has participated in numerous ASP and World Tour events, taking second place at the ASP 2009 World Junior Championships. Her courage and determination was documented in her 2004 autobiography Soul Surfer, and a major motion picture bearing the same title (released theatrically in April of 2011).


For source go here.
More information at BethanyHamilton.com

Why We're Always Hungry

We're a country of people who never stop eating. The freedom to eat anytime and anywhere is convenient, but it also means you may be mindlessly inhaling hundreds of extra calories without even realizing it.

By Liz Welch

When I was growing up, in the 1970s, my mother used to joke that our car had a mind of its own. Every time we drove near the Carvel store in town, it would mysteriously guide us to the parking lot. "I can't control the car! It wants ice cream!" my mom would say as she pretended to struggle with the steering wheel. Mom loved her soft-serve, but we didn't stop there often. Ice cream was a treat we had only once in a while.

"Lost every day"

Meet a Colorado woman with a rare neurological disorder who has no sense of direction, even in her own home.


Many people, myself included, have a gnawing primeval fear of becoming hopelessly lost. This Op-Doc video examines that fear in a most extreme form. My subject is Sharon Roseman of Denver, who gets lost every day — in the streets she’s lived in for 20 years, even in her own house. When she wakes, her walls seem to have moved overnight. Her world can be transformed in the blink of an eye.

Home gadgets becoming quieter by design to save us from noise pollution

As the number of gadgets and appliances in our homes has increased - so too has the noise level.
Lara Lewington looks at how manufacturers are focusing their attention on technology to make their products quieter.


For source go here.

Angelina Jolie: My Medical Choice

Angelina Jolie, 38, an actress and director, has published an article in today's NY Times telling the story about a preventive double mastectomy she has recently undergone. The actress' decision resulted from learning that she carries a gene that made it extremely likely she would get breast cancer. 

Here is the full article followed by BBC video coverage below.

My Medical Choice
By ANGELINA JOLIE 
Published: May 14, 2013 
My mother fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.

Ovulation And Pregnancy Test Sales Soar in UK: Is Baby Boom Coming?

Droves of British women have caused a huge spike in the sales of fertility and pregnancy tests in the wake of Kate Middleton’s pregnancy announcement. Is a UK baby boom on the horizon? 

An increase in tests
Clearblue has divulged that sales of home fertility monitors and pregnancy tests have spiked recently -- the increase? As much as 60 percent in the UK.

“We’ve never seen an increase like this before,” said Hugh Ayling, Clearblue UK Brand Manager. “We were pretty stunned when the stats came in and we wondered why it was. Then we worked it back and saw the spike came after Kate made her announcement.”