Category: Feature Stories

World times/time zones: Everyone knows the time. But how relative time becomes clear when traveling long distances. If you fly from Berlin to London, the time is one hour earlier than on your watch. If you fly from Munich to Moscow, it will be two hours later. The simple reason is that the cities and countries have different time zones. Many tourists and business travellers consider the associated time difference. But what is the reason for the other times? The astronomical explanation: midday is when the sun is at its…

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According to a survey, 42 percent of Austrians use their mobile phones to pass the time on the toilet. The figure is slightly higher for our neighbors in Switzerland (45 percent) and significantly higher in Italy (63 percent), according to a YouGov survey commissioned by online retailer Galaxus. Of those Austrians who use their smartphones on the toilet, 17 percent always do so, 29 percent often, 44 percent occasionally, and one in ten only rarely. Study on mobile phone use in the toiletPeople in Germany and France were also asked…

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The human brain is still a mystery to science in many areas. German researchers have now decoded another mechanism. Scientists at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have made a new discovery about our brains – disproving a decades-old assumption. Thoughts flow in one direction instead of in loopsUntil now, it was assumed that the nerve cells (neurones) in the human cerebral cortex were connected similarly to those in mice and that their signals flowed in loops. However, it now turns out that in humans, information flows in one direction instead. This…

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Trading platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba, and eBay are teeming with fake products, which are very popular not only because of their low prices. Fake products are more popular than ever before. Many young EU citizens even order them intentionally, for example,, to save money or because they have received a recommendation. You can see how many people buy counterfeit products via popular e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba, and eBay, and how many end up at German customs. On eBay, you can import fake products from abroad and sell…

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The origin of life on Earth is still a mystery to scientists. New study results now suggest that substances from outer space, which only arrived on Earth after the planet was formed, also played an important role. There are many theories about the origin of life; one particularly widespread assumption is that the first living beings formed in the primordial soup, which was already full of inorganic and organic molecules billions of years ago. However, where these molecules actually came from is more controversial. “There are theories that volcanic activity…

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According to Europol, investigators in 19 countries have uncovered one of the world’s largest phishing platforms. “LabHost” offered fake websites and software for cyber criminals, as the European police authority announced in The Hague on Thursday. 37 suspects were arrested, including the four suspected masterminds in the UK. The Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) was also involved. According to Europol, around 10,000 suspects had used LabHost’s services. Approximately 480,000 credit cards and nearly 1.2 million passwords were stolen worldwide. The lead investigators in London suspect that the number of…

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In a constantly updated list, we warn you about the latest phishing attempts that reach you by email, WhatsApp or SMS. So check here before you click on any dubious links or install any apps. We regularly report on the latest phishing or smishing attacks, which criminals use to trick you into disclosing your bank account details, for example. Our regularly updated phishing warning list is designed to help you recognise such attempts. We warn you about telephone scams in our telephone number warning list. Current phishing attacksWe advise you…

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Heatwaves could become much more extreme in Europe in the future, warn researchers at the General Assembly of the European Geoscience Union currently taking place in Vienna. They expect much longer and more intense heat waves in the coming decades than previously assumed. If you look at a comparison of summer temperatures in Europe from 1980 to 2022, they have risen by around 2.3 degrees Celsius in the months from June to August. Many climate models have underestimated this strong warming. According to Dominik Schumacher from ETH Zurich, this is…

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Washing eggs before cooking them can harm your health under certain circumstances. Find out why here. Washing fruit and vegetables before cooking or eating them is generally considered good hygiene practice to remove any dirt, bacteria, or pesticides on the surface. However, washing all types of food before cooking is unnecessary. Washing some foods can be detrimental to your health. For example, you should never wash chicken before cooking it. This generally applies to all types of raw meat. According to Reader’s Digest, eggs are also one of the foods…

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