Category: Feature Stories

Many people find it hard to keep their hands off chocolate, potato chips and chips. As a new study shows, fatty and sweet foods strongly activate the reward system in the brain. That’s how the unhealthy preference develops, it says. “Our tendency to eat foods high in fat and sugar, the so-called Western diet, could be innate or develop due to obesity. However, we think that the brain learns this preference,” says first author Sharmili Edwin Thanarajah of the Max Planck Institute for Metabolic Research in Cologne, explaining the study’s…

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It was assumed that giant asteroids hit Earth every few million years. However, that could be a misconception. Current research suggests that larger-than-average celestial bodies hit Earth significantly more often. Impacts of destructive asteroids have been reanalyzed, and it was found that such incidents probably occur at shorter intervals than previously thought. This analysis was presented by James Garvin, scientific director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Earth’s surface changes permanentlyThe fact that previous asteroid impacts have been partially misread is largely related to how the Earth’s surface changes over…

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It is still uncertain whether Apple will ever launch a foldable iPhone. However, a new patent application confirms that Cupertino is still working on a foldable smartphone. In it, Apple describes a technique that allows foldable devices to protect themselves. If one drops such a smartphone, it would automatically fold the flexible screen. Protection mechanism explainedThe patent application, dated March 16 and spied on by Business Insider, describes the protection mechanism. It says it is not even necessary for the display to close completely in case of a crash. If…

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Although fasting is as old as humanity, numerous myths still surround ascetic renunciation.Since the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday – February 22, 2023, many people have started to fast until Good Saturday- April 8, 2023. Many people want to do without meat, alcohol or sweets. While with some, a religious conviction is behind it; others want to lose weight. But is fasting suitable at all for losing weight? Check out these and other theories. “Fasting means not eating anything.“Fasting is often associated with abstaining from solid food. Therapeutic fasting…

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If you wake up more often with sweats or sweat more than usual at night, you might want to get this clarified.Sweaty nights – even though you’re alone in bed? If you often have to deal with sweaty sheets, you know it’s insanely uncomfortable, exhausting and tiring. However, if you regularly sweat profusely at night, there could be an underlying health problem. There is a wide range of possibilities here, but which one is the real reason? If it doesn’t happen often, an expert explained to “Glamour,” it shouldn’t be…

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The global perception of happiness has not changed despite crises. This is the result of the World Happiness Report, published on Monday. According to the report, Finland has the happiest population for the sixth time in a row, while Austria is eleventh. This result was achieved last year. “Average happiness and our country ranking have remained remarkably stable over the three Covid 19 years,” said researcher John Helliwell, who worked on the report. Behind the northern EU country of Finland, Denmark and Iceland take the other top spots by some…

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On March 20, the longed-for astronomical spring begins: day and night are of equal length. The sun crosses the celestial equator from the southern half of the sky, as seen from the earth’s center, and moves to the northern half of the sky. This so-called spring equinox occurs this year on Monday at 22.24 CET. Beginning of spring on March 20: Day and night are of equal lengthAt the beginning of spring, our central star rises in the east, stands at noon in the south and sets exactly in the…

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Why do we have to cry when we cut onions? Here you get the answer to the question! We’ve all been there: you peel an onion, start cutting it, and almost immediately feel an irritating, burning sensation in your eyes. It’s not uncommon to begin crying shortly after these initial symptoms. But why do you think this reaction when you start cutting the onion and not while it is still in one piece? Chemistry is the solution to the riddleThe answer is simple: when you start cutting the onion, you…

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For most people, happiness increases with income, a new study says. Money doesn’t make you happy, they say. But is that true at all? Two researchers recently came to different conclusions. Now they are joining forces: And find that more money makes you happier. But apparently, that doesn’t apply to everyone. Whether Money can buy happiness is perhaps as old as Money itself. And it has always been controversial. New research now provides a possible answer. A study published earlier this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy…

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