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Here’s the best way to soothe a crying baby, according to science

A crying baby who can’t get to sleep can be a frustrating and frequent occurrence for parents and caregivers - but here’s the best way to go about calming them down, according to science. A team of scientists tested multiple methods for soothing a baby to help them sleep and found a winner: holding and walking with them for five minutes. Kumi Kuroda and her colleagues at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan have been studying the transport response, an innate reaction seen in animals with young that are immature and can’t look after themselves, including mice, dogs, monkeys and humans. After observing that when animals picked up their young and walked with them, the infants become more docile and their heart rates slow down, Kuroda and her team wanted to compare the effect of this transport response against other motions, such as rocking or holding. The team then compared four methods of soothing 21 infants: being held as their mothers walked, being held by their sitting mother, lying in a still crib, or lying in a rocking cot. They found that when babies were being carried by mothers who were walking, their heart rates slowed within 30 seconds, with a similar effect seen when infants were in rocking cots. Surprisingly, the effect wasn’t seen among babies who were in a still cot or held by mothers who were sitting down, suggesting that holding a baby isn’t enough to soothe them. They found that the effect was even more apparent when babies were held and walked with for at least five minutes. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/baby-crying-method.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Kumi Kuroda and her team at the RIKEN Brain Center have proposed a new method for soothing crying infants and helping them fall (and stay) asleep. Image: Current Biology Ohmura et al (Supplied) All of the babies in the study stopped crying, with nearly all falling asleep. But, more than a third became alert again within 20 seconds of being put to bed and every baby showed changes in heart rate when they were detached from their mums. Interestingly, the team found that babies that were asleep for a longer period before being laid down were less likely to wake up during the process of being put to bed. Kuroda, herself a mother of four, said she was surprised by the results. “I thought baby awoke during a laydown is related to how they’re put on the bed, such as their posture, or the gentleness of the movement,” Kuroda says. “But our experiment did not support these general assumptions.” As a result of their study, the team has proposed a method of soothing a baby to help promote sleep and stop them from crying. After holding and walking your crying infant for five minutes, the team recommends sitting and holding them for another five to eight minutes before putting them to bed. Though it goes against common approaches such as waiting for a baby to cry until they fall asleep by themselves, the team’s new method aims to be an immediate solution for a crying infant. The team also note that their new method would also need to be investigated further to determine whether it had any long-term improvements for infants and their sleep. “Many parents suffer from babies’ nighttime crying,” Kuroda adds. “That’s such a big issue, especially for inexperienced parents, that can lead to parental stress and even to infant maltreatment in a small number of cases. “For many, we intuitively parent and listen to other people’s advice on parenting without testing the methods with rigorous science. But we need science to understand a baby’s behaviours, because they’re much more complex and diverse than we thought.” Their findings were publishing in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.041" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Current Biology</a>. Image: Getty Images

Lifestyle

Producing electricity from your sweat might be key to next wearable technology

Imagine a world where the smart watch on your wrist never ran out of charge, because it used your sweat to power itself. It sounds like science fiction but researchers have figured out how to engineer a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/bacterial-biofilm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bacterial biofilm</a> to be able to produce continuous <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/">electricity fr</a><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">o</a><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/">m perspiration</a>. They can harvest energy in evaporation and convert it to electricity which could revolutionise wearable electronic devices from personal medical sensors to electronics. The science is in a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32105-6#ref-CR7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new study</a> published in Nature Communications. “The limiting factor of wearable electronics has always been the power supply,” says senior author Jun Yoa, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), in the US. “Batteries run down and have to be changed or charged. They are also bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable.” But the surface of our skin is constantly moist with sweat, so a small, thin, clear and flexible biofilm worn like a Band-Aid could provide a much more convenient alternative. The biofilm is made up of a sheet of bacterial cells approximately 40 micrometres thick or about the thickness of a sheet of paper. It’s made up a genetically engineered version of the bacteria Geobacter sulfurreducens to be exact. G. sulfurreducens is a microorganism known to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209890/#:~:text=Interestingly%2C%20Geobacter%20sulfurreducens%20also%20called,electron%20transfer%20through%20the%20biofilms." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">produce electricity</a> and has been used previously in “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-019-0173-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbial fuel cells</a>”. These require the bacteria to be alive, necessitating proper care and constant feeding, but this new biofilm can work continuously because the bacteria are already dead. “It’s much more efficient,” says senior author Derek Lovley, distinguished professor of Microbiology at UMass Amherst. “We’ve simplified the process of generating electricity by radically cutting back on the amount of processing needed. “We sustainably grow the cells in a biofilm, and then use that agglomeration of cells. This cuts the energy inputs, makes everything simpler and widens the potential applications.” The process relies on evaporation-based electricity production – the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-018-0228-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hydrovoltaic effect</a>. Water flow is driven by evaporation between the solid biofilm and the liquid water, which drives the transport of electrical charges to generate an electrical current. G. sulfurreducens colonies are grown in thin mats which are harvested and then have small circuits etched into them using a laser. Then they are sandwiched between mesh electrodes and finally sealed in a soft, sticky, breathable polymer which can be applied directly onto the skin without irritation. Initially, the researchers tested it by placing the device directly on a water surface, which produced approximately 0.45 volts of electricity continuously. When worn on sweaty skin it produced power for 18 hours, and even non-sweating skin generated a substantial electric output – indicating that the continuous low-level secretion of moisture from the skin is enough to drive the effect. “Our next step is to increase the size of our films to power more sophisticated skin-wearable electronics,” concludes Yao. The team aim to one day be able to power not only single devices, but entire electronic systems, using this biofilm. And because microorganisms can be mass produced with renewable feedstocks, it’s an exciting alternative for producing renewable materials for clean energy powered devices. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=200509&title=Producing+electricity+from+your+sweat+might+be+key+to+next+wearable+technology" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/electricity-from-sweat-biofilm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Imma Perfetto</a>. Imma Perfetto is a science writer at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Science Communication from the University of Adelaide. Image: Liu et al., doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32105-6 </div>

Entertainment

7 science-based strategies to cope with coronavirus anxiety

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues its global spread and the number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases continues to increase, anxiety related to the outbreak is on the rise too. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jlev7ekAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">As a psychologist</a>, I am seeing this in my practice already. Although feeling anxiety in response to a threat <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.105.2.325">is a normal human reaction</a>, sustained high anxiety can undermine constructive responses to the crisis. People who already suffer from anxiety and related disorders are especially likely to have a hard time during the coronavirus crisis. The following suggestions, based on psychological science, can help you deal with coronavirus anxiety. 1. Practice tolerating uncertainty Intolerance of uncertainty, which has been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2018.1476580">increasing in the U.S.</a>, makes people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1586/ern.12.82">vulnerable to anxiety</a>. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12058">study during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic</a> showed that people who had a harder time accepting the uncertainty of the situation were more likely to experience elevated anxiety. The solution is to learn to gradually face uncertainty in daily life by easing back on certainty-seeking behaviors. Start small: Don’t text your friend immediately the next time you need an answer to a question. Go on a hike without checking the weather beforehand. As you build your tolerance-of-uncertainty muscle, you can work to reduce the number of times a day you consult the internet for updates on the outbreak. 2. Tackle the anxiety paradox <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2014.07.001">Anxiety rises</a> proportionally to how much one tries to get rid of it. Or as Carl Jung put it, “<a href="https://www.routledge.com/C-G-Jung-The-Basics/Williams/p/book/9781138195448">What you resist persists</a>.” Struggling against anxiety can take many forms. People might try to distract themselves by drinking, eating or watching Netflix more than usual. They might repeatedly seek reassurance from friends, family or health experts. Or they might obsessively check news streams, hoping to calm their fears. Although these behaviors can help momentarily, they can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2010.01213.x">make anxiety worse</a> in the long run. Avoiding the experience of anxiety almost always backfires. Instead, allow your anxious thoughts, feelings and physical sensations to wash over you, accepting anxiety as an integral part of human experience. When waves of coronavirus anxiety show up, notice and <a href="https://www.newharbinger.com/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-workbook-second-edition">describe the experience</a> to yourself or others <a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/body.cfm?id=22&iirf_redirect=1">without judgment</a>. Resist the urge to escape or calm your fears by obsessively reading virus updates. Paradoxically, facing anxiety in the moment will lead to less anxiety over time. 3. Transcend existential anxiety Health threats trigger the fear that underlies all fears: <a href="https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393350876">fear of death</a>. When faced with reminders of one’s own mortality, people might become consumed with health anxiety and hyperfocused on any signs of illness. Try connecting to your life’s purpose and sources of meaning, be it spirituality, relationships, or pursuit of a cause. Embark on something important that you’ve been putting off for years and take responsibility for how you live your life. Focusing on or discovering <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1095">the “why” of life</a> can go a long way in helping you deal with unavoidable anxiety. 4. Don’t underestimate human resiliency Many people fear how they will manage if the virus shows up in town, at work or at school. They worry how they would cope with a quarantine, a daycare closure or a lost paycheck. Human minds are good at predicting the worst. But research shows that people tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2005.00355.x">overestimate how badly they’ll be affected</a> by negative events and <a href="http://bit.ly/3cFFkIk">underestimate how well they’ll cope with</a> and adjust to difficult situations. Be mindful that you are more resilient than you think. It can help attenuate your anxiety. 5. Don’t get sucked into overestimating the threat Coronavirus can be dangerous, with an estimated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2002032">1.4%</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.2648">2.3%</a> death rate. So everyone should be serious about taking all the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-really-works-to-keep-coronavirus-away-4-questions-answered-by-a-public-health-professional-132959">reasonable precautions against infection</a>. But people also should realize that humans tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1539-6924.00276">exaggerate the danger of unfamiliar threats</a> compared to ones they already know, like seasonal flu or car accidents. Constant incendiary media coverage <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckp061">contributes to the sense of danger</a>, which leads to heightened fear and further <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2006.00461.x">escalation of perceived danger</a>. To reduce anxiety, I recommend limiting your exposure to coronavirus news to no more than 30 minutes per day. And remember that we become more anxious when faced with situations that have no clear precedent. Anxiety, in turn, makes everything seem more dire. 6. Strengthen self-care During these anxiety-provoking times, it’s important to remember the tried-and-true anxiety prevention and reduction strategies. Get <a href="https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.2810">adequate sleep</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2019.05.012">exercise regularly</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2017.12.002">practice mindfulness</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/anxiety-and-depression-why-doctors-are-prescribing-gardening-rather-than-drugs-121841">spend time in nature</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-8-41">employ relaxation techniques</a> when stressed. Prioritizing these behaviors during the coronavirus crisis can go a long way toward increasing your psychological well being and <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-strong-immune-system-helps-ward-off-colds-and-flus-but-its-not-the-only-factor-99512">bolstering your immune system</a>. 7. Seek professional help if you need it People who are vulnerable to anxiety and related disorders might find the coronavirus epidemic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-015-9701-9">particularly overwhelming</a>. Consequently, they might experience anxiety symptoms that interfere with work, maintaining close relationships, socializing or taking care of themselves and others. If this applies to you, please get professional help from your doctor or a mental health professional. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2010.04.002">Cognitive behavioral therapy</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/msj.20041">certain medications</a> can successfully treat anxiety problems. Although you might feel helpless during this stressful time, following these strategies can help keep anxiety from becoming a problem in its own right and enable you to make it through the epidemic more effectively. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jelena-kecmanovic-472294">Jelena Kecmanovic</a>, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/georgetown-university-1239">Georgetown University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/7-science-based-strategies-to-cope-with-coronavirus-anxiety-133207">original article</a>.

Health

How to keep your cat happy indoors according to science

By 2030, 60% of the world’s population <a href="https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/urbanization/the_worlds_cities_in_2016_data_booklet.pdf">will live in cities</a>, while one in three will share their city with at least half a million other inhabitants. With more and more people living in dense urban settings, what does the future hold for pets? High-rise living <a href="https://www.purina.co.uk/cats/getting-a-new-cat/finding-the-right-cat-for-me/dog-or-cat-how-to-choose-the-right-pet-for-you">might not be ideal for most pets</a>, as outdoor access can be difficult and there may be limited space indoors. For cats in particular, a trend towards indoor lifestyles might restrict how much they’re able to behave normally. As the domesticated descendants of the African wild cat, cats are obligate carnivores – they need to have a meat-based diet. Naturally, this requires them to <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-there-a-killer-in-your-kennel-billions-of-wild-animals-fall-victim-to-pet-cats-and-dogs-33199">hunt</a>. A study <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2380">in the US</a> found that pet cats could be killing up to four billion birds and up to 21 billion mammals every year. So housebound cats may be good for wildlife, but how can people ensure their pets thrive indoors? Sadly, scientific research is pretty light on this question. Despite so many of us inviting them into our homes, we know relatively little about <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159119301054">how cats handle living inside</a>. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cat-waiting-on-top-birdhouse-kitten-776578606?src=7fce4dc1-901e-4090-9867-0213b0542040-1-0" class="source"></a>Choosing the right cat We know that some cats are more suited to being house cats than others, although we need to be careful not to generalise. All cats have <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1098612X13477537">individual needs</a>, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Cat_Personality_Test.html?id=v0iIDwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y">personalities and preferences</a>. High energy and hyperactive cats, rescued strays with little indoor experience or those that aren’t very friendly towards people aren’t good choices for a life lived entirely indoors. It’s often assumed that older cats may be a better choice because they’re more sedentary and cats with a previous history of living indoors may also adjust more easily to a new indoor home. Some cats have diseases, such as feline immunodeficiency virus, that keep them housebound. But this doesn’t mean these groups of cats will all have the right temperament to cope with indoor living. House cats are prone to obesity and may spend large amounts of time inactive, both physically and mentally. Providing a <a href="https://www.battersea.org.uk/pet-advice/cat-care-advice/enriching-your-garden-or-outside-space">safe</a> outdoor space for cats could be <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0211862">beneficial for their wellbeing</a>. <a href="https://protectapet.com">Cat proofing</a> gardens, for example, so they can’t escape, could ensure pets can benefit from the outdoors in a more controlled way. But if this isn’t possible, there’s still much that can be done to improve a cat’s life indoors. Personal space Because cats are only considered semi-social, indoor environments may present several situations that they would <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1098612X13477537">usually choose to avoid</a>. This can be anything from too much attention and unexpected guests to toddlers and other animals that don’t understand the concept of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-stroke-a-cat-according-to-science-116025">mutual respect and personal space</a>. <hr /> Read more: <a href="http://theconversation.com/how-to-stroke-a-cat-according-to-science-116025">How to stroke a cat, according to science</a> <hr /> We know cats like boxes, but you can also give them high vantage points to climb to. To do this, you can use a “cat tree”, although an accessible shelf or the top of a wardrobe would work well too. Cats also need access to quiet rooms and spaces to hide under so they can remove themselves from situations they find stressful. Be mindful though – if your cat spends most of its time hiding, your house may be less cat-friendly than you think. Uncontrolled stress in a cat’s life can lead to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2004.tb00216.x.">illnesses such as idiopathic cystitis</a>. Predatory behaviour But what about their need to hunt? Allowing this behaviour is vital, and that includes them being able to look for food as well as finding and eating it. Searching for food usually involves short bursts of activity and long periods of waiting in cats, while the feeding part is also complex, as the cat decides how and where is best to eat. To recreate this, you can scatter food on the floor or hide it in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1098612X16643753">puzzle feeders</a>. You can even vary where you feed your cat and encourage it to explore and manipulate objects. Getting a cat to move more and eat regular, smaller amounts of food can help reduce the risk of obesity. Play can also be used to mimic hunting without the need for food. It’s always best to keep bouts of play short, encouraging pouncing and chasing, and using toys which mimic the shape, texture and movement of live prey. You should always end on a positive note and while the cat is enjoying itself, so that future playtimes will be anticipated rather than endured. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/graywhite-tabby-cat-plays-feather-toy-676360354?src=055d4fd6-441f-4202-88dd-bb46a21b7535-1-3" class="source"></a>Brushing up Like humans, cats like to maintain themselves. Sharp claws are a must for effective climbing and defence, so make sure to provide scratching posts, especially if you want to protect your furniture. In the wild, cats use trees and other objects, not just to maintain their claws but also to leave marks for other cats to follow. Make sure your cat can comfortably go to the toilet. Use unscented litter that is changed regularly and put the toilet in a discreet place, away from their food and water. For cats, as for us, it’s not a public activity. If your cat is going to the toilet somewhere inappropriate, it may be that they’re unhappy with their toilet arrangements or they may need to be checked by a vet. Cats are as complex and each individual has unique needs. Before you decide whether to have an indoor cat, make sure that it’s a decision the cat would be likely to make too.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126726/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-farnworth-887019">Mark Farnworth</a>, Associate Professor of Animal Behaviour, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/nottingham-trent-university-1338">Nottingham Trent University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-finka-727070">Lauren Finka</a>, Postdoctoral Research Associate, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/nottingham-trent-university-1338">Nottingham Trent University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/keeping-cats-indoors-how-to-ensure-your-pet-is-happy-according-to-science-126726">original article</a>.

Lifestyle

Titanium is the perfect metal to make replacement body parts

To mark the <a href="https://www.iypt2019.org/">International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements</a> we’re taking a look at how researchers study some of the elements in their work. Today’s it’s titanium, a metal known for its strength and lightness so it’s ideal for making replacement hips, knees and other parts of our bodies, but it’s also used in other industries. <hr /> <a href="http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/22/titanium">Titanium</a> gets its name from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titan-Greek-mythology">Titans of ancient Greek mythology</a> but this thoroughly modern material is well suited to a huge range of high-tech applications. With the chemical symbol Ti and an atomic number of 22, titanium is a silver-coloured metal valued for its low density, high strength, and resistance to corrosion. I first studied titanium via a Master’s degree at the Institute of Metal Research in the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1999. One of my projects was to investigate the formation of titanium alloys for their high-strength characteristics. Since then, the applications for this metal have grown exponentially, from its use (as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/titanium-dioxide">titanium dioxide</a>) in paints, paper, toothpaste, sunscreen and cosmetics, through to its <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/titanium">use as an alloy</a> in biomedical implants and aerospace innovations. Particularly exciting is the perfect marriage between titanium and 3D printing. Custom design from 3D printing Titanium materials are expensive and can be problematic when it comes to traditional processing technologies. For example, its high melting point (1,670℃, much higher than <a href="https://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=103">steel alloys</a>) is a challenge. The relatively low-cost precision of 3D printing is therefore a game-changer for titanium. 3D printing is where an object is built layer by layer and designers can create amazing shapes. This allows the production of complex shapes such as replacement parts of a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-30/victorian-woman-gets-3d-printed-jawbone-implant/8400410">jaw bone</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-21/rare-cancer-sufferer-receives-3d-printed-heel/5830432">heel</a>, <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2014/05/16-ground-breaking-hip-and-stem-cell-surgery.page">hip</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27313616">dental implants</a>, or <a href="http://www.media-studio.co.uk/news/media-studios-first-3d-printed-titanium-cranioplasty-plate-delivered">cranioplasty plates</a> in surgery. It can also be used to make <a href="https://3dprint.com/219546/3d-print-golf-clubs-and-equipment/">golf clubs</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norsk-boeing-idUSKBN17C264">aircraft components</a>. The <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/MF/Areas/Metals/Lab22">CSIRO is working with industry</a> to develop new technologies in 3D printing using titanium. (It even <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oc8GoOOUo4">made a dragon</a> out of titanium.) Advances in 3D printing are opening up new avenues to further improve the function of <a href="https://www.materialise.com/pl/node/3197">customised bodypart implants</a> <a href="https://www.renishaw.com/en/metal-3d-printing-for-healthcare--24226">made of titanium</a>. Such implants can be designed to be porous, making them lighter but allowing blood, nutrients and nerves to pass through and can even <a href="https://3dprint.com/219795/3d-printed-lattice-structures/">promote bone in-growth</a>. Safe in the body Titanium is considered the most biocompatible metal – not harmful or toxic to living tissue – due to its resistance to corrosion from bodily fluids. This ability to withstand the harsh bodily environment is a result of the protective oxide film that forms naturally in the presence of oxygen. Its ability to physically bond with bone also gives titanium an advantage over other materials that require the use of an adhesive to remain attached. Titanium implants last longer, and much larger forces are required to break the bonds that join them to the body compared with their alternatives. Titanium alloys commonly used in load-bearing implants are significantly less stiff – and closer in performance to human bone – than stainless steel or cobalt-based alloys. Aerospace applications Titanium weighs about half as much as steel but is 30% stronger, which makes it ideally suited to the aerospace industry where every gram matters. In the late 1940s the US government helped to get production of titanium going as it could see its potential for “<a href="https://titaniumprocessingcenter.com/titanium-technical-data/titanium-history-developments-and-applications/">aircraft, missiles, spacecraft, and other military purposes</a>”. Titanium has increasingly become the buy-to-fly material for aircraft designers striving to develop faster, lighter and more efficient aircraft. About 39% of the US Air Force’s <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/f22/">F22 Raptor</a>, one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, is made of titanium. Civil aviation moved in the same direction with Boeing’s new <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/boeing-787-dreamliner">787 Dreamliner made of 15% titanium</a>, significantly more than previous models. Two key areas where titanium is used in airliners is in their landing gear and jet engines. Landing gear needs to withstand the massive amounts of force exerted on it every time a plane hits a runway. Titanium’s toughness means it can absorb the huge amounts of energy expelled when a plane lands without ever weakening. Titanium’s heat resistance means it can be used inside modern jet engines, where temperatures can reach 800℃. Steel begins to soften at around 400℃ but titanium can withstand the intense heat of a jet engine without losing its strength. Where to find titanium In its natural state, titanium is always found bonded with other elements, usually within igneous rocks and sediments derived from them. The most commonly mined materials containing titanium are <a href="https://geology.com/minerals/ilmenite.shtml">ilmenite</a> (an iron-titanium oxide, FeTiO3) and <a href="https://geology.com/minerals/rutile.shtml">rutile</a> (a titanium oxide, TiO2). Ilmenite is most abundant in China, whereas Australia has the highest global proportion of rutile, <a href="http://www.ga.gov.au/education/classroom-resources/minerals-energy/australian-mineral-facts/titanium#heading-6">about 40% according to Geoscience Australia</a>. It’s found mostly on the east, west and southern coastlines of Australia. Both materials are generally extracted from sands, after which the titanium is separated from the other minerals. Australia is one of the world’s <a href="https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/titanium/mcs-2015-timin.pdf">leading producers of titanium</a>, producing more than 1.5 million tonnes in 2014. South Africa and China are the two next leading producers of titanium, producing 1.16 and 1 million tonnes, respectively. Being among the top ten most abundant elements in Earth’s crust, titanium resources aren’t currently under threat – good news for the many scientists and innovators constantly looking for new ways to improve life with titanium. <hr /> If you’re an academic researcher working with a particular element from the periodic table and have an interesting story to tell then why not <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/pitches">get in touch</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/115361/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laichang-zhang-715775">Laichang Zhang</a>, Professor Mechanical Engineering, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/titanium-is-the-perfect-metal-to-make-replacement-human-body-parts-115361">original article</a>.

Entertainment

Why does lemon juice lighten the colour of tea?

I’ve always wondered what happens when pouring a few drops of lemon juice into a cup of tea (no milk added). Why does it lighten the tea’s colour? – Michel, Paris To answer this question, we need to think about the molecules that give a cup of tea its colour - and how lemon juice affects them. Tea is typically made from the plant Camellia sinensis. It is one of the most consumed beverages (second only to water) globally and is ranked as the <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4480e.pdf">most consumed manufactured drink</a>. The origins of its consumption were first recorded more than 5,000 years ago, so it is also one of the world’s oldest drinks. Tea has been used for a variety of health conditions in China since ancient times, and it took time (around 1,000 years) to change from being seen as a medicine to today’s “every day drink”. Some of the health benefits of tea are now receiving <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-five-reasons-to-put-the-kettle-on-and-have-a-cup-of-tea-42419">renewed attention</a>. <h2>The colour of tea</h2> Today, tea varieties are heavily dependent on the processing techniques after harvest. These include oxidation and fermentation of tea leaves, which change their colour and flavour. Use of these manufacturing techniques provides six distinctive categories of tea, based primarily on colour: green, yellow, dark, white, oolong, and black. Black tea and green tea are often (but not always) obtained from the same plant but their chemical makeup is vastly different. The leaves used for green tea production are heated either by steam, pan frying, roasting or baking immediately after harvesting. This process stops chemical reactions driven by the enzyme polyphenol oxidase that would otherwise oxidise coloured chemicals such as polyphenols (catechins). This results in tea keeping its familiar yellow-green colour. Once the leaves are “fixed” they are soft – and are then rolled and dried to become the product we see on supermarket shelves. The production of black tea depends on the enzymes being allowed to oxidise the catechins completely to form new chemicals – these are pigments (theaflavin and thearubigin) that provide the characteristic dark colour. Although thearubigins are less common in your black teabag (around 10-20% of the dry weight), they are more soluble – so when you make a brew these compounds can account for up to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780080453828001088">60% of the solids</a> suspended in the solution. In broad terms, all other colour categories of tea fit between green and black. So categorisation of teas based simply on colour mostly depends on the type and amounts of these compounds found in the brewed product. <h2>What happens when lemon juice is added?</h2> The thearubigins in brewed tea are highly coloured (red-brown) molecules that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030881460100108X">change according to the acidity of the liquid used</a>. If the water used for the tea infusion is relatively alkaline (for example, due to limescale found in “hard” water), the colour of the tea will be darker and deeper. However, once an acid such as a slice of lemon or lemon juice is added, tea changes colour because of an increase in acidity (reduction in pH) of the beverage itself. Lemon juice is quite strong as a food acid – a few drops are enough to alter the theaurbigins, resulting in a dramatic change in colour. Interestingly, theaflavins are not that affected by the change in acidity, and still retain their normal dark red colour. In a case of green tea, the addition of lemon juice will also affect the colour through a similar process. This results in a much paler beverage - beyond the level that would occur just by initial tea suspension. <h2>Does lemon juice make your tea healthier?</h2> The beneficial health effects of tea are linked to its total polyphenol content, mainly the catechins. However, one of the problems with these compounds is that they are rather unstable. When alkaline (hard) water is used, they break down relatively quickly (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814603000621">within a few minutes of brewing</a>). Even if they do remain in solution, the absorption of these compounds is low (less than 2%), and can also be inhibited by the <a href="http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/4/2/373">food consumed with your cuppa</a>. Increasing the acidity of drinks has been shown to improve the stability of catechins in beverages. This is one of the main reasons why drinks such as iced teas tend to be quite acidic. However, to make them more palatable, relatively high levels of sweeteners (mainly sugars) are also added. So, all up, although the key compounds in your cup of tea tend to degrade quickly, the addition of lemon does protect them temporarily from this breakdown. But it’s not a huge effect. Adding lemon can enhance the flavour and enjoyment of tea, and change its colour, but its best not to expect any extra boosts to your health.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91324/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Nenad Naumovski, Asistant Professor in Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Canberra and Duane Mellor, Senior lecturer, Coventry University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/ive-always-wondered-why-does-lemon-juice-lighten-the-colour-of-tea-91324" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Lifestyle

Prince Andrew claims he 'didn't sweat' – here's the science

Sweating is a controversial topic at the moment. In his <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-andrew-interview-latest-jeffrey-epstein-bbc-paedophile-a9206661.html">extraordinary</a> recent <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000c1j4/newsnight-prince-andrew-the-epstein-scandal-the-newsnight-interview">BBC interview</a>, Prince Andrew <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE9iJPEuYHE">dismissed</a> some of the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50446065">allegations</a> made against him by Virginia Giuffre (known previously as Virginia Roberts) on the grounds that he couldn’t sweat at the time – she had claimed he had been <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50451953">“profusely sweating”</a>. During the interview, Prince Andrew, who has <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50446065">categorically denied</a> all of the claims against him, said: <blockquote> I didn’t sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War, when I was shot at … it was almost impossible for me to sweat. </blockquote> <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sE9iJPEuYHE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> But what makes us sweat, why do we do it – and can some conditions prevent us from doing it at all? The human body is an amazing entity and responds to thousands of internal and external signals every day. These responses enable us to survive in rapidly changing conditions. The skin is the largest and heaviest organ of the human body. It is calculated to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X15503679">weigh</a> approximately three to 4.5kg and, over the course of your life, you will lose about <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es103894r">35kg</a> of skin. Skin constantly repairs and replaces itself and performs many functions. It protects the body against pathogens, provides insulation, synthesises vitamin D, provides sensation and most importantly regulates temperature. The regulation of temperature is complex. Nerve fibres detect the temperature of whatever is in contact with the skin and relay this information to the brain, which makes a decision about what to do next – take off a jumper or put on a coat. But there are also more primitive and uncontrollable responses. The skin is covered in most places by hair. When cold, the brain causes these hairs to stand on end, trapping a layer of insulating air next to the skin. Conversely, when it’s too hot, the body sweats, producing fluid from the approximately 4m sweat glands in the skin to help heat evaporate away from the body – cooling us down. <h2>What is sweating?</h2> Sweating is the release of a water-like fluid from special glands in the skin to help regulate body temperature. The fluid is approximately 99% water but also <a href="https://academic.oup.com/chemse/article/35/2/101/483325">contains</a> electrolytes, fatty acids, urea (as found in urine) and lactic acid. Many of these chemicals are now being <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/18/5/article-p457.xml">analysed</a> to detect health and <a href="http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3c33/33413c4cb5674f56e3783a9105a6c7a2d773.pdf">hydration</a> levels, and assist in diagnosing diseases such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022347608003983">cystic fibrosis</a>. The body is composed of up to 75% water and the loss of as little as 1% of this can cause dehydration. A 10% loss, meanwhile, can lead to life-threatening changes to the body. A sedentary adult loses approximately <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2009111">450ml</a> of water through invisible perspiration a day, while athletes in hot, dry environments can produce <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK236237/">1,200ml</a> of sweat per hour. Total water loss can often be between two and three litres a day through sweating, breathing and other routes in a sedentary adult. But in warmer climates and with activity, these rates can increase hugely. <h2>How does sweating work?</h2> Sweating is usually initiated by an increase in body temperature from the normal 37C. When the body senses it is getting too hot, an area of the brain called the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507838/">hypothalamus</a> controls the response. It does this through the sympathetic nervous system – also known as the “fight or flight” mechanism, because it also helps us fight for our lives or run away when we’re in danger. In this case, it triggers nervous impulses to release neurotransmitters (chemicals) that activate the sweat glands. The main neurotransmitter involved in controlling sweating is called acetylcholine and its presence causes sweat glands to produce sweat – although a few also respond to a different neurotransmitter called adrenaline. The reason some respond to different neurotransmitters is to do with the receptors they have on their surface. Think of this as a lock and key – only the correct neurotransmitter (key) can fit in the receptor (lock) to cause the sweat gland to function. In stressful situations, cold sweats are usually mediated by adrenaline. This is because the adrenaline causes the blood vessels to narrow and a few sweat glands to become active – producing a drop in skin temperature and a cold sweat. Most temperature-related sweating, however, is controlled by acetylcholine and the presence of adrenaline would not have any consequence on the function of these sweat glands. <h2>Does everyone sweat?</h2> Sweating is normal and just about everyone does it. Some people, however, do it more or less than others. A complete absence of sweating is called anhidrosis. It can occur in particular areas of the body or be global – where more than 80% of the body has no ability to sweat. The causes are usually damage or pathology of the nervous system, or they may be inherited, such as in the case of <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sjogrens-syndrome/">Sjogrens Syndrome</a>. Some individuals suffer from hypohidrosis which is a reduction in sweating and can be indicative of dehydration. Regarding Prince Andrew’s claim, an excess or continual exposure to adrenaline is not widely recognised as causing a lack of sweating in humans. However, there is some data in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6359664">horses</a> that has suggested that exposure to extreme temperatures may result in damage to the type of sweat glands that respond to adrenaline. Similarly, the fact that the central nervous system, and parts of it that are linked to controlling the “fight or flight” response system, can also be involved or damaged in psychological trauma, means it is impossible to rule out this possibility without more information. There are a number of reports of individuals who have developed an idiopathic (unexplained) inability to sweat during <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f593/bab5d37b0f21754a17eb9ab28e29b8c231a9.pdf">military</a> and extreme training. At the opposite end of the spectrum is hyperhidrosis, which is excessive sweating. This condition can be systemic (body-wide) or localised. It is known that axillary hyperhidrosis (excessive armpit sweating) affects approximately <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15280843">3%</a> of the US population. Interference of tumours and other <a href="https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2013/bcr-2013-009732">pathologies</a> with the central nervous system can result in this symptom. While sweating is seen to have its primary role in reducing body temperature, it is becoming clear that what is contained in sweat is far more interesting. Sweat even appears to be able to convey a person’s emotional state. Women who were exposed to <a href="https://academic.oup.com/chemse/article/31/5/415/395942">sweat samples</a> that were collected from donors who were exhibiting fear while watching videos, for example, performed better in word association tasks than those women who were exposed to sweat which was produced by people watching neutral videos or samples that had no sweat on them at all. The sweat appears to contain a “signal” that suggests the person was undertaking a task that produced a heightened emotional or fearful state. We may never know the truth about Prince Andrew’s sweating, but it’s something we all do and rely on – and researchers will continue to unlock its secrets for years to come.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127280/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Written by Adam Taylor, Professor and Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre, Lancaster University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/prince-andrew-claims-he-didnt-sweat-heres-the-science-127280" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Health

Loch Ness monster: DNA analysis brings new theory to light

The mystery creatures behind the thousand sightings of the fabled Loch Ness Monster may be giant eels, a group of scientists said. The legend of the giant sea monster has persisted throughout the decades, with some theorising that the creature could be a Jurassic-era reptile, a huge fish, circus elephants, or dinosaurs suspected of surviving extinction such as plesiosaur or elasmosaurus. Following an analysis of 250 water samples from Loch Ness in Scotland, a team of environmental DNA experts found no evidence for prehistoric reptiles, otters, seals, sharks, catifsh or huge fish such as sturgeons. However, they discovered a lot of genetic material from eels. “Is there a plesiosaur in Loch Ness? No. There is absolutely no evidence of any reptilian sequences,” said Professor Neil Gemmell, a geneticist from University of Otago and the study’s leader. “So I think we can be fairly sure that there is probably not a giant scaly reptile swimming around in Loch Ness.” Gemmell said the “very significant amount” of eel DNA suggests that the ray-finned fish might be the creature people have been seeing. “The sheer quantity of the material says that we can’t discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness. Therefore we can’t discount the possibility that what people see and believe is the Loch Ness Monster might be a giant eel.” The Loch Ness Monster has continued to remain as Scotland’s most enduring myths. The most famous picture of Nessie, taken by British surgeon Robert Wilson in 1934, was later revealed to be a hoax that used a wood putty model on a toy submarine. However, that does not stop people from attempting to track down the beast in the years since. Steve Feltham, the world record holder for the longest continuous Loch Ness Monster vigil, said he is not convinced the researchers have identified the monster. “A 12-year-old boy could tell you there are eels in Loch Ness,” he told <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49495145">BBC</a>. “I caught eels in the loch when I was a 12-year-old boy.”

News

Why some animals don’t get weaker with age

While there are obvious signs that come with ageing for us – from grey hairs to bad knees, and hot flashes to the need for supportive socks – there are some species who don’t quite experience ageing the way we do. Research has revealed some creatures do not grow weaker with age, and in fact adopt the reverse effects than what humans experience. Owen Jones, the head scientist behind the study conducted by <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature12789">Nature International Journal of Science</a> looked at the mortality rates of 46 different species to determine how they have changed over time. The research found some animals get less fertile and closer to dying as they get older. However, there are creatures, like hermit crabs and abalone snails, that become more vibrant and their ability to be fertile remains unwavering. Desert tortoises actually are less likely to die in their old age than they are in their younger days as they have basically lived through their most dangerous and deadliest years – every day after their days as a “baby” is basically smooth sailing from there. What this means in the most profound sense, is that ageing and nature is not as clear and simple as we like to think.

Health

The reason why eye contact is so powerful

The adage “eyes are the windows to the soul” is not a mere cliché. As one of the most prominent forms of nonverbal communication, eye contact can have significant influence on the way we socialise and process information. Extra brain power Have you ever met the gaze of a dog or a monkey? You may get the impression that they are a smart, conscious being that is capable of judging you. This may not be far off – direct gaze indicates “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167216669124">sophisticated human-like minds</a>” which are capable of social interaction, making us more aware of the other’s agency. When we lock gazes with someone, our brain immediately engages in a series of activities to take in the fact that we are dealing with the mind of the person who is looking at us. These processes turn out to draw on the same mental resources we use for complex tasks, making it more difficult to perform cognitive functions – such as <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-016-1097-3">memorising facts</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25071645">imagining visuals</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010027709002984#fig1">focusing on relevant information</a> – at the same time. A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27750156">2016 Japanese study</a> found that people performed worse in a verbal word test when they were instructed to look into another person’s eyes on a screen. This shows how maintaining eye contact can drain our mental bandwidth. Bonding and social cues Eye contact also has significant impacts on how we perceive each other. We assume people who make eye contact with us to be more <a href="https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/11/28/the-psychology-of-eye-contact-digested/">sociable</a>, <a href="https://digest.bps.org.uk/2014/07/22/the-psychology-of-first-impressions-digested/">intelligent</a>, trustworthy, and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886996001481">conscientious</a>. We also tend to believe these people to have more self-control and be <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221309.2018.1469465">more similar to us</a> in terms of personality and appearance. However, locking eyes should also be done in moderation. A British <a href="https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/07/07/psychologists-have-identified-the-length-of-eye-contact-that-people-find-most-comfortable/">study</a> discovered that people on average are most comfortable with eye contact that lasts for three seconds. Because of this, it’s no wonder that many people think of eye contact as a form of intimacy. As windows to our souls, the eyes allow us to get a glimpse into other people’s minds – but it also gives away what’s inside of ours.

Health

7 annoying habits and the fascinating scientific reasons for them

Why does your co-worker constantly clear her throat? What's behind your best friend's Facebook oversharing? Science has the answers to these annoying habits. 1. Constantly clearing throat Ahem, ahem! Someone who constantly clears his or her throat could have a nose and sinuses problem, called chronic rhinitis, which results in excessive mucus production. It occurs when an irritant (typically allergies) inflames the membrane in the upper respiratory tract. People with year-round allergies, like house dust mites, may have a constant build-up of mucus in their throat, which leads to that non-stop clearing. It can usually be treated with a few weeks of a strong anti-allergy medication. Another potential cause: acid reflux. When acid passes from the stomach upward into the esophagus, the throat swells. Mucus sticks to the swollen tissues, causing hoarseness and a cough. If over-the-counter heartburn medications don't resolve the issue, a doctor may be able to prescribe stronger treatment. 2. Always saying, "you know" or "like" There's always, like, one not-so-brilliant movie character who talks this way, you know? Don't write off their intelligence: Research suggests that those who often say "like" and "you know" may be especially thoughtful. In a study published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology, researchers examined more than 260 transcriptions of normal conversations. They discovered people who used these "filler words" tend to be more conscientious than people who don't. Researchers say discourse markers imply a desire to thoughtfully share opinions with others, and may give someone more time to phrase something just right. 3. Oversharing on Facebook A minute into checking social media, you find out your high school lab partner is potty training her 6-week-old Labradoodle puppy ... unsuccessfully. You may roll your eyes when you get too much detail, but these oversharers reap a neurological reward when they spill their TMI news. Harvard researchers used an MRI machine to track 212 participants' brain activity as they answered questions about their own opinions or others' opinions. Researchers found that talking about oneself activates brain regions associated with reward (the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area). Only about 60 percent of real-life conversations typically revolve around an individual's personal thoughts and stories, compared to 80 percent of social media communication. 4. Biting nails Distracted by a pal who just can't sit still? Perfectionism may be an underlying cause of nail biting, skin picking, or eyelash pulling, according to a study published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. Researchers asked 48 participants questions about how often they experienced certain emotions, including boredom, anger, and anxiety, and put them in situations meant to trigger feelings such as boredom or relaxation. People with fidgety habits reported greater urges to pick at themselves when bored compared to when in relaxing scenarios. Researchers say perfectionists are more likely than others to become bored easily, and that behaviors like picking at nails deliver a form of reward in unsatisfying situations. 5. Complaining about ailments It may be tiresome to comfort a hypochondriac (they have a sore stomach on Monday, a swollen lymph node on Tuesday, an achy back on Wednesday) but your pal could truly believe these abnormalities are serious. This condition may be a sign of what medical experts call illness anxiety disorder (IAD), which involves excessive worry about contracting a serious illness even when no (or only mild) symptoms are present. Even doctors usually cannot calm an affected person's fears. Though it's uncertain what causes IAD, people with major life stress, a history of childhood abuse, or another mental disorder such as depression are at higher risk. The disorder typically appears between the ages of 25 to 35; therapy and certain antidepressant or antianxiety medications may help treat IAD. 6. An ear-shattering sneeze Know someone with a trumpeting sneeze? Blame their anatomy. Irritants, such as bright light or an allergen, stimulate the nasal cavity's trigeminal nerve and trigger a coordinated reflex from the diaphragm to the brain. Many different muscles are involved in building the pressure needed to expel the irritant via a sneeze. Individual differences in anatomy such as abdominal strength, trachea size, and lung volume may cause some sneezers to be especially loud; others may naturally use more muscles in sneezing. Suspect this is you? When you feel a sneeze coming, put your index finger at the base of your nose and slightly push up. This will reduce the severity of a sneeze, or perhaps even completely suppress it. 7. Aggressive driving Road ragers may be prone to making themselves highly visible in other ways, too. In a Colorado State University study, researchers found that drivers of cars with window decals, personalized license plates, and bumper stickers are far more likely that those without personalized cars to use their vehicles to express rage, such as by tailgating or honking. Researchers say both road rage and car markers are signs of territorialism, and that the more markers a car has, the more aggressively someone drives when provoked. The effect remained whether the messages were, for example, "Visualize World Peace," or "My Kid Beat Up Your Honor Student." Territorial people see a car as an extension of themselves, and have a difficult time viewing public property differently from private property ("our road" is "my road" in their minds.) Written by Kelsey Kloss. This article first appeared in <a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/think-your-sex-life-over-after-40-hardly">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRN93V"></a> <img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" />

Health

Why being bored is good for you

Many of us don’t consider boredom as a pleasant feeling. It’s a state that we usually associate with the tedious and the uninteresting, be it a heavy textbook, a work seminar or a long commute. However, studies have shown that being bored can actually do wonders for your creativity. In a recent study published in the Academy of Management Discoveries, researchers found that being bored can improve productivity and work performance. The participants who had gone through the “boring” task of sorting beans by colour later performed better on solving a creative task than those who were made to do interesting craft activity. In the creative task – which asked people to come up with excuses for being late – the bored participants generated more and better ideas than the other group, as assessed by objective outsiders. The report concluded that boredom motivates individuals to try new things, or “engaging in different, often unusual, ways of doing things that are unlike typical or predictable responses.” Scientists around the world have agreed that despite the negative image, boredom is useful for humans. "From an evolutionary point of view, if you stay in one place for too long … you make yourself vulnerable to predators and you miss out on opportunity costs," James Danckert, professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Waterloo told the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-01-05/boredom-is-anything-but-boring/10566842">ABC</a>. "Boredom is one signal that says, 'you've been here too long, go do something else'." With the prevalence of mobile phones and social media, boredom has become easier to evade – stimulation is always just a few clicks away. Peter Enticott, director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Unit at <a href="https://this.deakin.edu.au/self-improvement/what-does-boredom-do-to-your-brain">Deakin’s School of Psychology</a> said that the effects of digital life on boredom and creativity remain to be seen. “It’s interesting that we seem to be increasingly less tolerant of boredom,” said Enticott. “Think about people constantly on smartphones, whenever the opportunity arises. The longer-term outcome of this will be very interesting, especially with each new generation who grow-up with these devices.” Do you agree with the claim that boredom is good for you? Let us know in the comments below.

Health

How to learn while you're asleep

Can we learn while we’re asleep? The premise might sound too good to be true, but a new study has suggested that it’s possible. Researchers from Switzerland’s University of Bern have found that people can learn a new language while they’re asleep. The study, published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31672-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982218316725%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#secsectitle0010">Current Biology</a> earlier this year, discovered that people in a deep sleep can learn new vocabularies. The participants in the study were put in a controlled environment and given headphones to listen through when they slept. Their brain activity was recorded when the researchers played words from a made-up language. These fake words were paired up with their German translations – for example, the fake word “tofer” is paired with “Haus” (house) and “guga” is paired with “elefant” (elephant). Upon waking up, the participants were given an implicit memory test. Surprisingly, they were able to correctly answer questions on the made-up words, including what they denoted and whether they were the larger or smaller objects compared to the others. The researchers found that people’s association between the words and their meaning was stronger when the word was played during slow wave sleep, also known as deep sleep, which they described as the best moment for sleep-learning. It is when the body is most relaxed and the brain is performing memory consolidation processes. "It was particularly interesting that language areas and the hippocampus – which normally regulate language-learning while we're awake – were also activated when learning the vocabulary learnt in deep sleep," said co-author of the study Marc Züs in a press release. "It seems these structures regulate memory formation independent of whatever state of consciousness we're in – whether unconsciously in sleep, or consciously while we're awake." This is the latest study to support the idea of sleep-learning. In <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/learn-languages-while-you-sleep">2014</a>, a team from the Swiss National Science Foundation discovered that listening to foreign languages during sleep helps reinforce vocabulary learning. In 2012, a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.3193">study</a> by Israeli researchers found that people could associate sounds with scents that they were exposed to when they were dozing off. While the researchers said more experiments are needed to support their findings, the study showed promise in continuous learning – even while you’re unconscious.

Health

Not everyone is beautiful – but that’s okay

You probably aren’t beautiful. It’s statistical, not personal. Most of us are average, a few of us are ugly, and a tiny number of us are beautiful or handsome. Many of us struggle with our own attractiveness, and in particular, the idea that we don’t have enough of it. <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13284200601178532#preview">Research suggests</a> that <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S147101531400052X">body dissatisfaction</a>, or not liking one’s body, is a major concern for both men and women. And the pursuit of a more attractive body, if manifested as a <a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/943">drive for thinness</a> or a drive for muscularity, is a big risk factor for the <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001541">development of eating disorders</a> and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.20828/abstract">muscle dysmorphia</a>, both which are on the rise in Australia. Who do we blame? <a href="http://public.gettysburg.edu/~cbarlett/index/08BVS.pdf">The media</a>, unsurprisingly, among a host of <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bul/134/3/460/">potential culprits</a>. In the absence of population-level interventions to improve our body image, social media and corporations have filled the void. Tumblr and Instagram are replete with images and words that “everyone is beautiful”, that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, that “beauty is only skin-deep”. Dove, in marketing their beauty products predominantly to women, state their mission to create “a new definition of beauty [which] will free women from self-doubt and encourage them to embrace their real beauty”. These messages are comforting and appealing, but are they backed up by evidence? Myths and maxims of beauty Consider the sentiment, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, which suggests beauty is subjective. Data suggests that people are remarkably consistent in their <a href="http://jonathanstray.com/papers/Langlois.pdf">determination of who is attractive</a> and who isn’t, both within and across cultures. That’s not to say that subjectivity plays no role at all – as we’re all guided by our individually formed preferences – but that the scope for subjectivity exists within the narrow confines of the objective traits of physical beauty. What about “beauty is only skin-deep”, or in other words, that a person’s appearance has no bearing on their personality or behaviour? It does. <a href="http://www4.uwsp.edu/psych/s/389/dion72.pdf">“What is beautiful is good”</a>, according to a group of oft-cited psychologists in their seminal 1972 paper that explored this very idea. Decades later, we know beautiful people are not only just thought of as “good”. Attractive people are also <a href="http://jonathanstray.com/papers/Langlois.pdf">considered more intelligent</a>, sociable, trustworthy, honest, capable, competent, likable, and friendly. So, what should we do? We could attempt to convince people that they are beautiful. We could attempt to redefine beauty standards to be broader and encompassing of more people, thus allowing more people to belong to the beautiful club. But these strategies won’t work because they don’t reduce the importance ascribed to beauty in the first place. We could preach the platitude that beauty is simply unimportant, but this is wholly inconsistent with the data. We ought to be balanced in our approach to beauty – that it is important, but not as important as the media makes it out to be. The media will encourage you to base a disproportionate amount of your self-esteem on your and others’ positive evaluations of your external appearance. For some, this harmful tendency stems from family, friends, and partners. Understand that you are complex and multifaceted. The sources from which you derive your self-esteem and self-worth must be similarly diverse. What can you do with your body? What can your brain do? Are you intelligent, creative, funny, athletic, caring, a hard worker, a great cook, a great mother or father? Consciously placing less importance on physical attractiveness and diversifying sources of self-esteem won’t be easy. For some, the process will be extremely difficult, and it may be wise to seek the advice of a psychologist. A generous dose of scepticism is also needed, particularly toward campaigns spearheaded by the beauty industry – especially when these advertisements mask their commercial intentions under the guise of “feel-good” benevolence. Don’t be too disheartened that you’re not beautiful; not many people are. Cultivate your self-esteem elsewhere. You’ll feel better for it. This article was co-authored by Sangwon Lee, undergraduate LLB/BA candidate at the University of Queensland. Written by Scott Griffiths. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-everyone-is-beautiful-35915">The Conversation</a>.

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Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

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Here’s the best way to soothe a crying baby, according to science

Producing electricity from your sweat might be key to next wearable technology

7 science-based strategies to cope with coronavirus anxiety

How to keep your cat happy indoors according to science

Titanium is the perfect metal to make replacement body parts

Why does lemon juice lighten the colour of tea?

Prince Andrew claims he 'didn't sweat' – here's the science

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Why some animals don’t get weaker with age

The reason why eye contact is so powerful

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Why being bored is good for you

How to learn while you're asleep

Not everyone is beautiful – but that’s okay

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