Category: Feature Stories

A recent study shows that the consumption of ready meals and highly processed foods increases the intake of microplastics, while the use of plastic cooking utensils and containers makes no significant difference. Experts from the Federal Environment Agency in Vienna have found that eating ready meals and highly processed foods leads to a significantly higher intake of microplastics than eating freshly prepared food. However, storing food in plastic boxes and using plastic cooking spoons, for example, has no discernible effect on the amount of plastic that enters the body, they…

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Just over one in two people feels physically and mentally healthy, but around 10 percent describe their health as “poor” to “very poor.” These are the findings of this year’s Wiener Städtische Insurance Health Study. As in previous years, the proportion of deteriorations outweighs the improvements. Slightly more than one in five people state that their mental health has deteriorated. Almost half of those surveyed take prescription medication, with over 70 percent in the mid-50s age group. Stress and worries on the riseIn the representative survey by the Gallup Institute,…

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The partial eclipse of the moon can be observed with the naked eye on Wednesday morning In good weather, a partial lunar eclipse can be seen on Wednesday morning. During this eclipse, the moon enters eight and a half percent of the Earth’s shadow. A partial lunar eclipse can be observed, weather permitting, on Wednesday (September 18) in the early morning hours. During it, according to the Vienna Astronomy Association (WAA), our Earth’s satellite will enter eight and a half percent of the Earth’s umbra—a comparatively “less spectacular” celestial event.…

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Apple boss Tim Cook presented the new iPhone 16 on Monday. There are four versions; the most expensive, with 1 terabyte of memory, costs almost 2,000 euros. Pre-orders are already underway—ironically, since Friday the 13th. The new iPhone 16 will be available in the EU from September 20. But without AI function“Apple Intelligence” was praised as the biggest innovation—with a smarter Siri, text tools that can make an email friendlier and more business-like, and even impressive photo manipulation. But precisely, this AI is not coming to the EU. “Because of…

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The whole of Europe is holding its breath. Rainstorms caused chaos and claimed lives Storms paralyzed Europe at the weekend. Floods claimed the first lives in Romania. Four people died, and the water reached a height of up to 1.70 meters. Residents rescued themselves on their roofs.In the Czech Republic, a flood of the century, worse than in 1997, is feared. Thousands were evacuated, and tens of thousands of households lost power. Trees on tracks blocked train routes. Three people have been missing since a car plunged into a river.…

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It has always been said that spinach is a real “iron bomb”. Is that no longer true? It was never true – the origin of this legend is said to go back to a miscalculation: The values of dried spinach powder were transferred to fresh spinach, even though it consists of around 90 percent water. However, compared to other vegetables, spinach still provides a good source of iron at 4.1 mg per 100 g.So spinach isn’t so healthy after all? Yes, spinach is healthy – it’s not for nothing that…

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The first vaccine against Mpox has been approved by the WHO. Bavarian Nordic produces it. Special rules apply to children. The World Health Organization has approved the first vaccine against Mpox for adults. The product, made by Bavarian Nordic A/S, can also be used in minors in certain cases, the WHO said on Friday. “This first prequalification of a vaccine against Mpox is an important step in our fight against the disease,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The prequalification allows organizations such as the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and the…

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“You can’t buy happiness.” You’ve probably all heard this phrase before. But is it true? Even scientists are looking for the answer to this riddle, with surprising results… Does money really make you happy?Money can’t directly buy happiness, but it can certainly buy things that make you happy: A concert ticket, new shoes or a new smartphone. It can all get pretty expensive in the long run… Not being able to afford these “luxuries” makes you unhappy—OR? And let’s not forget: In times of rising prices for almost everything people…

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Alcohol is not beneficial to health even when consumed in moderation.A comprehensive analysis shows that even moderate alcohol consumption offers no health benefits when methodological flaws in previous studies are taken into account.High-quality studies found that the risk of death from moderate alcohol consumption is comparable to that of abstinence, calling into question the notion of a safe amount of alcohol.This is the result of an analysis of many different studies on the relationship between alcohol consumption and health. Earlier studies have repeatedly indicated that people who drink less alcohol…

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