Babies exposed to air pollution in the womb are more likely to have autism than those whose mothers spend pregnancy in clean air, according to a new study. In the largest study of its kind, UCLA researchers compared levels of air pollutants, mostly related to vehicle traffic, during pregnancy gestation periods of 7,603 children with autism and 75,635 children without […]
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Cremation has become increasingly popular among current generations. One of the most common questions people seem to consider regarding the choice is Does it cost more to be cremated or buried? The not so surprising answer is “burial” of course. Because of this, the traditional burial, once so important in the grieving process, is becoming a thing of the past. […]
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The average human being generates about eight watts of energy with each step, most of which is expended as vibration. It may not sound like much, but take the 30,000 or more people who pass through a major-city subway hub at rush hour, and suddenly you’ve got serious power. That’s usually a problem for architects and engineers, who have to […]
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Khafji, Saudi Arabia Christian roundup: Saudi authorities last week arrested an entire congregation of Christians worshipping in a private home. The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Saudi Arabia’s morality police, detained 28 men and women in the home of an Indian national and seized copies of the Bible. The prisoners’ fate is unknown. Saudi Arabia […]
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Scientists performed a study on the effects of long periods spent in space to check on cognitive impairment. They found that if humans are exposed to space radiation for long periods of time they could suffer from cognitive impairment – “Space Brain”. Some private companies are working on getting some habitats that can transport astronauts to Mars in the next […]
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A hallucinatory party drug could point the way to the first new treatments for depression in a generation. Scientists have discovered that ketamine (“Special K”), which club-goers take for dream-like highs, also improves mood disorders by repairing damaged connections in the brain. What’s more, ketamine works within hours as opposed to weeks— even for people whose mood disorders have proved […]
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Bulgarians hate old people, said Ruslan Jordanov. I’m not kidding. In a recent survey, 58 percent of Bulgarians surveyed admitted to disliking the elderly, making them even more reviled than the Roma—quite a feat in Bulgaria. No wonder “nobody ever gets up to give them a seat on the tram.” Long ago, our society revered grandparents as fonts of wisdom. […]
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Horsemeat is passing for ground beef in supermarkets all over Europe, said Hugh Camegy in the Financial Times. Claims have also been made that there are restaurants serving horse meat. It has been found in Findus’s frozen lasagna, Tesco’s frozen hamburgers, and even Burger King’s Whoppers in the U.K., France, Sweden, and beyond. The horsemeat makes its way to dinner […]
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The question has puzzled criminologists for decades: Why did violent crime rates start to soar across the U.S. from the 1960s, before beginning “a spectacular decline” in the 1990s—a decline that’s continued ever since? Theories abound, from improved policing strategies to the end of the crack epidemic. But a more likely possibility is a molecule, said Kevin Drum in Mother […]
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They may not crow about it, but if you get on the wrong side of them, they’re not going to forget it in a hurry. Crows have an excellent memory for human faces, a study has revealed. They can tell the difference between a friendly face and a dangerous one, and can warn each other which is which. And the […]
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