Category: Feature Stories

What is the price of happiness? How much money do you need to be happy? Various studies and research projects have already attempted to answer these questions. A 2010 US study by Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, for example, concluded that a higher income equates to an objectively greater sense of achievement, which increases emotional well-being—but only up to an annual income of 75,000 US dollars per person. Beyond that, more money would not make you any happier. The study “Happiness, income satiation, and turning points around the world,” conducted…

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According to preliminary data from the EU climate change service Copernicus, the record for the hottest day worldwide, which was only reached on Sunday, was exceeded again on Monday. The global average surface temperature rose to 17.15 degrees Celsius, 0.06 degrees higher than Sunday’s record of 17.09 degrees. The previous high of 17.08 degrees Celsius was measured on July 6, 2023. Before that, the record for the global daily average temperature was 16.8 degrees Celsius on August 13, 2016. However, since July 3, 2023, there have been 57 days on…

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This year, Earth Overshoot Day will be celebrated on August 1. As the environmental organization Germanwatch announced on Thursday, this is the day on which, according to the Global Footprint Network, the world’s population will have used up all the resources the planet could naturally replace within a year. “For decades, the Earth’s overload has increased almost every year, and it has now been hovering at a high level for almost ten years,” explained Christoph Bals, Political Director of Germanwatch. However, a turning point can be recognized. Congestion could soon…

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Fruit and vegetables are healthy, including for the microbiome in the intestines. As the meta-study by a research team in Graz shows, regular consumption contributes to bacterial diversity in the human gut. The influence is particularly strong in the first years of life. The human microbiome, i.e. the entirety of all microorganisms that colonize the gut, is largely transmitted to babies via the maternal microbiome and passed on with breast milk. However, other sources have not yet been proven, according to TU Graz in its press release. However, the team…

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Comet dust will burn up at over 200,000 km/h and observers can make a wish with every shooting star.Midsummer time is shooting star time: As every year around August 12, the legendary Perseids swarm promises countless shooting stars these days. It’s worth taking a look at the sky in the coming nights. The Perseids meteor shower can be observed in the night sky for a long time until almost the end of August. Some of these shooting stars can already be seen, and the spectacle should reach its peak on…

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In Austria, it is generally forbidden to run a red light. However, there are exceptions for special situations, such as the approach of an emergency vehicle (ambulance, police, fire department) with blue lights and siren switched on. If an emergency vehicle is approaching and you have to make way for it, you can take the following steps: Be careful and attentive: Reduce your speed and watch the traffic and the emergency vehicle. Signal your intentions: Use turn signals to signal your intentions to other road users. Leave the intersection safely:…

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To ensure that everything runs smoothly on the journey home from your vacation, travelers should follow a few tips. Every year, travelers bring back souvenirs from all over the world. “The safest vacation souvenir is always a photo. If you do want a souvenir, please follow the tips for a carefree return journey,” advises Austrian Finance Minister Brunner.In principle, the free movement of goods applies within the EU. However, there are exceptions: Upper limits must be observed for alcohol or tobacco. Four cartons of cigarettes are permitted, a limit of…

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Under the most “realistic” scenario for the social, economic and climatic development of the Earth, the population will exceed the ten billion mark by 2065. This is the result of new, comprehensive forecasts by Austrian demographers. According to the study, there will only be a slight decline by 2100. This is mainly due to the fact that an overall higher level of education will put less pressure on birth rates in some regions of the world than expected. In their working paper, the scientists from the International Institute for Applied…

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Funeral processions usually show mourners dressed in black. But do you have to conform to this common color choice or can you wear other colors instead of black?Do you have to wear black to a funeral and if so, do you have to wear all black? Many mourners probably ask themselves these two questions shortly before a funeral. For a long time, this color was predominant at funerals. But has anything changed? Do you have to wear black to a funeral?While you can look around your closet more freely for…

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