Do you know that -
1. Driving a Porsche communicates that you’re interested in uncommitted s*x.
Men’s conspicuous spending — the study’s authors used a Porsche as their example — suggests that flashiness indicates an interest only in flings, not relationships, according to a study by Rice University, UT San Antonio and the University of Minnesota. The flashiness does in fact make a man more sexually desirable to women than owning a functional and inexpensive item does: women who participated in the study found a Porsche-driving man more attractive as a date, but not as a candidate for a serious relationship.
2. Type 2 diabetes is reversible.
Type 2 diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes, can be reversed, according to a Newcastle-University study. The study is recent, so its long-term results have yet to be examined, but of the 11 subjects whom researchers followed, seven were free of diabetes three months after the study’s conclusion.
The study restricted patients to extremely low- calorie diets (600 calories) of nonstarchy vegetables, eliminating fat in the pancreas and restoring ordinary insulin secretion.
Type 2 diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes, can be reversed, according to a Newcastle-University study. The study is recent, so its long-term results have yet to be examined, but of the 11 subjects whom researchers followed, seven were free of diabetes three months after the study’s conclusion.
The study restricted patients to extremely low- calorie diets (600 calories) of nonstarchy vegetables, eliminating fat in the pancreas and restoring ordinary insulin secretion.
3. Our predisposition for social eye contact is partially genetic.
A study in the journal Molecular Autism has found that the CNR1 gene can determine people’s inclination to look at happy faces. Researchers found a correlation between two naturally occurring mutations in the CNR1 gene and how long volunteers spent watching the smiles and eyes of the happy faces they were shown in video clips. “This is the first study to have shown that how much we gaze at faces is influenced by our genetic makeup,” explained head researcher Bhismadev Chakrabarti. “If replicated, it has profound implications for our understanding of the drive to socialize.”
A study in the journal Molecular Autism has found that the CNR1 gene can determine people’s inclination to look at happy faces. Researchers found a correlation between two naturally occurring mutations in the CNR1 gene and how long volunteers spent watching the smiles and eyes of the happy faces they were shown in video clips. “This is the first study to have shown that how much we gaze at faces is influenced by our genetic makeup,” explained head researcher Bhismadev Chakrabarti. “If replicated, it has profound implications for our understanding of the drive to socialize.”
4. It rains and snows more near airports
Planes sometimes fly through clouds containing droplets of supercooled water that has remained liquid below its freezing point; in fact, planes have de-icing systems precisely to avoid ice forming on their wings when they do this. When the planes fly through these clouds, their cooling effect leaves behind ice, “seeding” the clouds and leading to increased precipitation. According to Andrew Heymsfield of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, prop planes have a 6% chance of inadvertently seeding clouds; jet planes, a 2% to 3% chance.
Planes sometimes fly through clouds containing droplets of supercooled water that has remained liquid below its freezing point; in fact, planes have de-icing systems precisely to avoid ice forming on their wings when they do this. When the planes fly through these clouds, their cooling effect leaves behind ice, “seeding” the clouds and leading to increased precipitation. According to Andrew Heymsfield of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, prop planes have a 6% chance of inadvertently seeding clouds; jet planes, a 2% to 3% chance.
5. Babies remember music they're heard in the womb.
A Leicester University study has demonstrated that, for a year after birth, babies recognize music they’ve heard as far back as three months before birth. The study tested 11 babies whose mothers had played them specific pieces of music while they were in the womb; the babies showed a preference for the music they had heard before, compared to similar-sounding music they hadn't. A control group showed no preference for one piece or the other.
Saturday
A Leicester University study has demonstrated that, for a year after birth, babies recognize music they’ve heard as far back as three months before birth. The study tested 11 babies whose mothers had played them specific pieces of music while they were in the womb; the babies showed a preference for the music they had heard before, compared to similar-sounding music they hadn't. A control group showed no preference for one piece or the other.
Saturday
6. Volkswagen has developed a self-driving ”Temporary Auto Pilot” system.
Volkswagen’s Temporary Auto Pilot (TAP) can maneuver cars semi-automatically at up to 80 miles per hour, bundling existing automatic functions (such as adaptive cruise control) into a platform that makes use of radar sensors and laser scanners.
Though the automated “Pilot Mode” can be overridden by the driver at any time, it otherwise aims to keep a safe distance behind the car ahead; it adjusts speed and position according to oncoming curves and road markers (as well as speed limits).
Volkswagen’s Temporary Auto Pilot (TAP) can maneuver cars semi-automatically at up to 80 miles per hour, bundling existing automatic functions (such as adaptive cruise control) into a platform that makes use of radar sensors and laser scanners.
Though the automated “Pilot Mode” can be overridden by the driver at any time, it otherwise aims to keep a safe distance behind the car ahead; it adjusts speed and position according to oncoming curves and road markers (as well as speed limits).
7. Diet soda leads to weight gain.
A University of Texas study of 474 participants found a 70% increase in waist circumference in diet-soda drinkers compared to people who didn't drink diet soda. In subjects who drank more than two diet sodas a day, that increase over non-drinkers went up to a whopping 500%. Previous research suggests that artificial sweeteners lead to an expectation for a caloric payload that the body never actually receives, resulting in an increased appetite instead of satiety (as well as increasing blood glucose levels).
A University of Texas study of 474 participants found a 70% increase in waist circumference in diet-soda drinkers compared to people who didn't drink diet soda. In subjects who drank more than two diet sodas a day, that increase over non-drinkers went up to a whopping 500%. Previous research suggests that artificial sweeteners lead to an expectation for a caloric payload that the body never actually receives, resulting in an increased appetite instead of satiety (as well as increasing blood glucose levels).
