Tag Archives: science

Study Links Eye Colour to Alcoholism

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People often say their partner’s eyes are the part of them that they’re most attracted to. Well make sure you get a proper look at them, because a new study has suggested that eyes are more than the gateway to someone’s soul.

According to scientists at the University of Vermont, there is a clear correlation between someone’s eye colour and their propensity to become an alcoholic. And to summarise the three years of hard genetic research they’ve completed, what the boffins found is that people with blue eyes are more likely to enjoy a tipple or two… or three… or 10.D

awei Li, the university’s assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics led the study along with Arvis Sulovari, a doctoral student in cellular, molecular and biological sciences.

The research began back in 2012, when Li attempted to create a data base of 10,000 Americans of mixed descent who had all been diagnosed with at least one psychiatric illness or an addiction like alcohol dependency. As the study progressed Li whittled the sample size down to the 1,263 people who had struggled with alcohol addiction.

It was at this stage that Li made the discovery that there was a link between eye colour and an addiction to booze. However, Li states that his team still don’t know why people with blue eyes are more likely to be alcoholics, with him and the team now preparing to do further research into why this might be the case.

Meanwhile, for those with blue eyes, it’s probably best to keep a lid on that drinking habit… ah screw it, being drunk is fun!

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Scientists Discover Animal that Changes Sex When it Gets Warm

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First there was Caitlyn Jenner and now the Australian Central Bearded Dragon: sex changers have been all over the news in recent weeks.

In the case of the latter, scientists have just discovered that the cold-blooded reptile has chromosomes that can change depending on the weather. This means, to put it in simple terms, the temperature at which the bearded dragon’s eggs are incubated at will dictate whether you have a boy or a girl.

All Australian Central Bearded Dragon begin life with two Z chromosomes – making them genetically male – but at warm temperatures this genetic make-up changes and they are born female. It had been seen in the lab before, but for the first time ever it has taken place in the wild.

Exciting, head-scratchingly interesting news, yes. But scientists also say that the discovery raises some concerns. Namely, with global warming pushing temperatures higher and higher, it is foreseeable that more of the lizards could make the transition to become female.

However, while this has been making the news, gendering altering animals are nothing new; there have been various extraordinary discoveries of species that are able to switch between being male and female to adapt to their surroundings.

Hawkfish, Parrotfish and Clown anemonefish all have the ability to choose their gender depending on the balance of males and females in the area. Sluts.

But none of these can compete with our favourite sex-changing animals. No, no. That prize goes to the cleaner fish.

Back in 2011 a team from the Institute of Zoology at the Zoological Society London published a groundbreaking study which found that female cleaner fish, if they eat too much can actually turn into men. What better motivation than to not eat that last tub of ice cream than the risk of a penis popping out?!

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You’ve Been Pooing Wrong Your Whole Life, Says Science

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One of the first things that we, humans, learn to do as a child is defecate… ok, so we don’t ‘learn’ how to do it per se – there is not an instruction manual, parents are not performing a demonstration for their young child to follow – but it is fair to say that we get to grips with pooing pretty much from day one.

Well, prepare to see the very foundations of your worldly beliefs crumble right before your eyes as we tell you that you don’t actual know how to poo. That’s right, you’ve actually been doing it wrong your whole life.

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Don’t take our word for it – it’s science; Giulia Enders, who is currently studying for her doctorate in microbiology in Frankfurt, has written her debut book entitled Darm mit Charme, which translates as Charming Bowels, obviously.

In the book, which has sold a not-to-be-scoffed-at 200,000 copies in her native Germany, Ms Enders provides the reader with detailed descriptions of how you should really be releasing your digested food matter. And yes, fear not, there are plenty of pictures. Plenty.

Step one: don’t sit down. The act of sitting, rather than going for a leisurely squat, prolongs the whole faeces-passing process. And while the invention of smartphones means that many people are in no rush to relieve themselves, taking a long time to go number two can actually lead to haemorrhoids and bowel diseases like diverticulitis.

Indeed, bathroom squatting is standard practice across Asia, and the facts suggest that it is a far healthier (and many would say cleaner) way to go poop.

And it’s not just how you should pass waste – Ms Enders also focuses on when you should deposit the leftovers and what should be in it. That’s right, from what constitutes a healthy, poo-friendly diet through to understanding your daily bowel movement cycle, this German’s fascination with the brown stuff knows no bounds… the things people do in the name of science!