Spending evenings in front of a glowing computer, TV, or cellphone screen can put you at risk of depression, Science News reports. Nighttime exposure to light from gadgets has already been shown to contribute to insomnia, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. Now, a new study shows that screen glow can cause mood-related changes in the brain. For weeks, researchers exposed hamsters […]
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Poland is giving up the liberties it fought so hard to gain, said Jacek Zakowski. There was “no coup, no fanfare, no lofty ideas or slogans.” But slowly and incrementally, our own democratically elected government has been passing law after law restricting our freedoms. In the past six months, we’ve granted the government permission to track us through our cellphone […]
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A New Mexico teenager is expected to face murder charges after allegedly gunning down five family members with his parents’ rifles. Nehemiah Griego, 15, is accused of using a .22 caliber rifle to shoot his mother while she slept and then kill his siblings—ages 9, 5, and 2—when they awoke. He then allegedly grabbed an assault rifle and waited downstairs […]
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High blood sugar doesn’t just increase your risk of developing diabetes—studies have also shown a link between blood sugar and dementia. Researchers tracked the blood glucose levels of more than 2,000 older adults for seven years and found that those who had high glucose levels—but not diabetes—were nearly 20 percent more likely to develop dementia than those with low levels. […]
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A new study has found the strongest link yet between air pollution and autism, which experts now say affects one in 50 U.S. schoolchildren. Pregnant women who lived in areas with high levels of diesel exhaust and airborne mercury were found to be twice as likely to have a child with autism as those living in places with the lowest […]
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■ A Virginia teenager was booted out of her prom after fathers acting as chaperones complained that her sparkly mini-dress would “cause the young men at the prom to think impure thoughts.”The 17-year-old had made sure the dress met Richmond Homeschool Prom’s regulations for length. But she said dads who were “ogling” her as she danced suddenly sent a security […]
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Facebook can make you unhappy. Researchers texted study participants five times a day with questions about their social-networking activity and how they felt, and found that Facebook visits directly correlated with negative emotions, such as depression and loneliness. While Facebook seems to fulfill “the basic human need for social connection,” says University of Michigan social psychologist Ethan Kross, it can […]
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If you’re worried about infertility, don’t try to Google the term with a computer on your lap, says the London Telegraph. A new experiment suggests that radiation from a single Wi-Fi-enabled laptop may be strong enough to cause cell damage in sperm. Argentine researchers took samples of ejaculated semen and left them directly under a computer—simulating holding a laptop directly […]
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Pet stores in China are struggling to meet demand for the country’s latest animal craze—chow dogs dyed black-and-white to make them look like pandas. “Ten years ago the natural instinct of a Chinese person was to eat a dog,” said pet-store owner Hsin Ch’en. “Now we are like Westerners and want one as a companion.” Hsin said the panda dogs […]
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Johannesburg With cameras rolling, a South African journalist was robbed by two men just moments before he was to give a report. The video shows the two assailants scuffling with reporter Vuyo Mvoko, who shouts, “Hey we’re being mugged!” as he gives up his cellphone and a laptop. “Every South African lives with the reality of crime,” said the South […]
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