Category: Feature Stories

Crossing your legs is part of sitting comfortably for many. But according to studies, it has health consequences. If you’re sitting up straight, observe if your legs are crossed. Are your legs crossed at the knees or ankle? If so, you’re among many who perceive this posture as comfortable. But unfortunately, relaxing is not necessarily good for your health, as studies have shown. Crossing your legs: Health effectsIn a 2019 study published in the Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine, the research team found that crossed legs put…

Read More

According to a new forecast, the world’s population could peak at 8.5 billion people by as early as 2040 and decline to about six billion by the end of the century. However, that would require a “giant leap” in investment in economic development, education and health, according to the international initiative Earth4All. The UN assumes a peak of about 10.4 billion people only in 2080. According to UN figures, the world population cracked the eight billion mark in November. The six billion people world population last around the year 2000.…

Read More

Visitors to restaurants sometimes wish they could just eat a snack. However, this wish is often seldom fulfilled due to correspondingly incomplete menus. This is because main dishes are rarely offered in different portion sizes. Those interested can only choose between appetizers and snacks or children’s or senior citizens’ plates. In addition, satiated visitors are still too rarely encouraged to take leftover plates home for later consumption. Yet these are such easy-to-implement measures against food waste. In the context of out-of-home catering, 1.9 million tons of food end up unused…

Read More

A symbol for climate protection: around the world, lights were switched off for an hour in homes and at famous buildings on Saturday evening. In Germany, among other things, the Brandenburg Gate was in the dark for an hour from 20:30. With the “Earth Hour,” the environmental foundation WWF sets a sign for more climate protection every year. Numerous cities in more than 100 countries participated in the 17th “Earth Hour” under the motto “Together for more climate protection.” In Germany, more than 550 cities have registered for the action,…

Read More

The clocks will be changed to Central European Summer Time (CEST) on Sunday night. At 2:00 a.m., all radio-controlled watches should jump to 3:00 a.m.; the others must be turned manually. The switch back to standard time (CET) will take place on the last weekend in October. It is still unclear what will happen with the abolition of the time changeover in the EU, which has been decided in itself. The ball is still in the court of the EU Council of Ministers, and the transport ministers are responsible.Since the…

Read More

“With quite a bit of force” and “earlier than usual,” the pollen season has started this year. Allergy sufferers are suffering more and more from the consequences of climate change. A new app aims to help them mitigate the effects. The intensity of the burden can not yet be predicted, emphasized the Austrian Pollen Warning Service of MedUni Vienna and the information platform Interessensgemeinschaft Allergenvermeidung (IGAV ) on Tuesday. The reason for this is climate change, which confuses plants and affects people with pollen allergies and asthma. Higher temperatures change…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More