Tuesday, April 23

World

As Opioid Crises Continues, Some Argue Funds for Marijuana Suppression Should Be Redirected
World

As Opioid Crises Continues, Some Argue Funds for Marijuana Suppression Should Be Redirected

In a recent news article, one New York county Supervisor board’s openly questioned how grant money should be used to manage illegal drug use. According to the Star Post, John Haff was joined by fellow Washington County supervisors Sara Idleman and Evera Sue Clary in criticizing the county’s plan to spend $6,000 federal dollars on flyovers searching for marijuana plants. Couldn’t the money be better spent, Haff argued, on stopping opiods? Clary pointed out that marijuana prevention methods seemed especially pointless when, just over the town line, the substance is legal under Vermont State law. Haff was vocal about a variety of other drug-prevention uses the money could be put towards. He said that $6,000 could buy 200 naloxone doses, which are injections used to revers...
World

Rarest Fish In The World Has Hands and A Chance, New Discovery Reveals

The world's rarest species of fish, found only off the shore of Tasmania, Australia, might not be so rare after all. Striking in appearance and biology, the red handfish is aptly named for the hand-like fins it uses to walk (yes, walk) along the ocean floor. It also sports a stylish mohawk shaped fin atop its head, giving it rather anthropomorphic qualities. NPR Reports seven divers discovering this aquatic oddity in another previously unexamined area of the ocean. Until now, the species was thought to only exist as a solitary colony of 20-40 fish. Scientists and nature lovers are all thrilled by the scuba divers' chance encounter. The ocean’s average depth is 12,100 feet. "That second population's just a huge relief," Live Science ReportsRick Stuart-Smith, Institute for Marine...
Post ACA, Coverage For Mental Health Reaches More Individuals Than Ever
World

Post ACA, Coverage For Mental Health Reaches More Individuals Than Ever

A new study from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill shows that the likelihood of an individual to seek treatment for a mental health condition increased significantly following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare. The study was published in the medical journal Psychiatric Services and found both specific and overall increases in mental health coverage under the ACA. Mental health patients are now 8% less likely to be uninsured, 4% less likely to report unmet needs because of cost, and 6% more likely to report a steady care source. The conclusion is that accessible mental health care results in more people seeking treatment. That said, there are still serious barriers to affordable mental health care including an intense social ...
World

Four Orphaned Bear Cubs Found Under Lake Tahoe Deck

It is estimated that 100,000 black bears live in Alaska, but that's not the only place these creatures roam. Four orphaned black bear cubs were found shivering and cold underneath the deck of a Nevada house this week. They were rescued and taken to an animal sanctuary. The owner of the house in Stateline, on Lake Tahoe, said that she had first seen the cubs with their mother under the deck in March. But the four adorable fur balls are without parents after their mother, an 18 year old sow, was found dead from unknown causes. It is thought that the cubs weigh only seven pounds -- officials think they were born sometime in January. Four cubs at once is something of an anomaly. "Twins are fairly common," says Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris Healy, "three is like wow, bu...
Mustaches Are More Common Than Women Amongst Leadership Roles
Featured News, World

Mustaches Are More Common Than Women Amongst Leadership Roles

Past research has found that women like to remove their facial and body hair. A 2010 Wayne State University survey found that about 85% of women remove their upper lip hair and 96% of women remove their body hair. However, new research suggests that growing a mustache may help them move up in their career. According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal, female leaders at medical schools are fewer and far between than mustaches. Of the 50 medical schools examined in the study, 13% of leaders were women, while 19% were mustached humans. Researchers defined mustaches as "the visible presence of hair on the upper cutaneous lip," which means that a mustache could exist with or without other facial hair, such as a beard. Most importantly, mustache identification was ge...
Featured News, World

Pet Obesity is on the Rise

We humans are well aware that there is a rampant obesity epidemic among us. Obesity can lead to chronic and life-threatening illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, and bone problems. But recent statistics show that humans aren't the only species contending with a growing obesity epidemic -- it's gone to the dogs (and cats), too. According to recent data released by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, around 52.7% of dogs and 57.9% of cats are overweight or obese. Considering that more than 46 million households in America own dogs, and more than 38 million own cats, that's tens of millions of canines and felines. And while a pudgy purring pal may seem cute, the consequences of pet obesity are anything but. Common negative side effects of pet obesity i...
Get Off Your Hands and Knees and Let Someone, or Something, Clean for You
World

Get Off Your Hands and Knees and Let Someone, or Something, Clean for You

UPDATED 1/11/21 Living in a clean home feels amazing and is great for your mental health. That said, not everyone has the time or ability to maintain their home in the state that they want it to be in. Fortunately, these people aren't doomed to a disorganized and unkempt home for the rest of their lives. A reliable and helpful good maid service could come in handy for them. A fast and easy cleaner can upgrade your life in ways that you didn't know were possible. You can find a good cleaning company online. Read the reviews left for their services to see if they're good. When you find one that seems genuine, you could ask to get a cleaning consultation. This will serve as a preview of the services that you'll get from them. If you're dissatisfied, make sure to let the professi...
World

How Does the Human Brain Keep the Body Hydrated? Researchers May Have Just Found Out

A new study from a research team at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and Duke University has made a breakthrough discovery about how the brain detects and prevents dehydration. The study was published on Oct. 6 in the academic journal Cell Reports, and the major finding focused on the structure of a specific protein in the human brain that regulates hydration and temperature for the entire body. According to Tech Times and the Dispatch Tribunal, scientists previously had no clue how the brain managed to measure and control temperature throughout the body, thereby causing certain responses (like sweating or thirst) to regulate hydration and warmth. The research team stated that the discovery could yield important developments and treatments fo...
Hitler at Home: How Interior Design and Propaganda Sold a Monster
World

Hitler at Home: How Interior Design and Propaganda Sold a Monster

About one in two Americans (47% to be exact) haven't updated their home's design in five years or more, and outside of guilty pleasure reality TV shows, most Americans think of interior design as a distraction, if they think of it at all. But a fascinating new book from a University of Buffalo author shows exactly how interior design was used to soften the image of the world's most notorious dictator, Adolf Hitler. Before Hitler was exposed as the war-mongering, genocidal egomaniac we all know and loathe today, he was the subject of often fawning profiles in the international press. Despina Stratigakos is an architectural historian and the interim chair of Architecture at the University at Buffalo; she recently wrote Hitler at Home, which details how interior design was incorporated into ...
NASA Wants To Turn Astronaut Poop Into Plastics for 3D Printers
World

NASA Wants To Turn Astronaut Poop Into Plastics for 3D Printers

This summer, NASA awarded Clemson University researchers a three-year grant to study methods for transforming human waste into vitamins, plastics, and other useful materials for long-duration space flight. The South Carolina scientists will receive $200,000 per year for their research project, officially titled "Synthetic Biology for Recycling Human Waste into Food, Nutraceuticals, and Materials: Closing the Loop for Long-Term Space Travel." With the advanced alchemical process, the researchers say, they can use genetically engineered yeast to synthesize plastics from the waste. The plastics can then be used in 3D printing machines to make tools and parts on demand. NASA hopes the Clemson team can find new ways to recycle waste -- including carbon dioxide from human breathing, urine, and ...