Category: Science
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This is ridiculous (from The Guardian): Processed meats rank alongside smoking as cancer causes – WHO UN health body says bacon, sausages and ham among most carcinogenic substances along with cigarettes, alcohol, asbestos and arsenic Bacon, ham and sausages rank alongside cigarettes as a major cause of cancer, the World Health Organisation has said, placing…
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I’m a bit late with this, but good to see that Australia is doing something constructive to dissuade people from smoking: Ignore big tobaccos absurd fight against plain packs New Scientist 02 May 2011 by Simon Chapman Australia's bold plan to remove all branding from cigarettes and their packaging is a triumph for public health EARLIER…
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A recent study showed that being "overweight" can be good for you (Study: Overweight People Live Longer): There is more evidence that people who are overweight tend to live longer than people who are underweight, normal weight, or obese. In a newly published study, people who were underweight and those who were extremely obese died…
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Two recent studies say that drinking moderately is good for you (and that exercise helps a lot). The first survey also concludes that it’s OK to be overweight as long as you eat your sprouts: People who adopt four principles for a healthy lifestyle can add as much as 14 years to their lives, a…
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I highly recommend Ben Goldacre’s website Bad Science and his column in The Guardian. He is a (medical) doctor, and has taken it upon himself to expose quackery and the appallingly sloppy way that science is reported in newspapers and on TV. He does it effectively and entertainingly. A good place to start is his…
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I like to think of myself as rational and logical. Sadly, the world is full of people who believe that all sorts of stupid things are true, and usually these untruths are not only repeated but they are reinforced by doctors, and other people we tend to believe. Is it really dangerous to use your mobile phone in…
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As a child, I was always taught that lemon and honey was a good remedy for coughs, sore throats and colds (or URTI as they now seem to be known). Big drug companies spend fortunes trying to persuade us to buy their various concoctions, and yet it seems that honey is as good, if not…
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I see that today’s SCMP has a longish piece about biofuel on the mainland (Enormous potential in laggard biofuel – subscription required): Ethanol – produced by fermenting crops such as corn, soybean, rapeseed and sugarcane, or other plants such as cane-like sweet sorghum, sweet potato and cassava – has figured in the plans of many biofuel…
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Simon got there first with some useful advice from today’s SCMP: Couples have been warned not to rush into sex because the hormones released during orgasm can blind people to the true value of their relationship. Patricia Love, a counsellor on love and marriage, said the effects of the hormones could make an "alcoholic with…
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Did anyone else watch that documentary on TVB Pearl three weeks ago about antibiotics? Unfortunately, having a good subject doesn’t guarantee a good documentary. Their concept was to send a presenter off around Europe within a hidden camera in his bag. This is a favourite technique of documentary makers, but for it to work you…
Ordinary Gweilo 