Category: Feature Stories

Australian researchers are warning that Itokawa, a titanic asteroid shaped like a pile of rocks, would be anything but easy to destroy if it were to come our way. According to a recent study, Itokawa, a titanic meteorite the size of four Eiffel Towers, would be “very difficult to destroy.” The asteroid would be collision resistant. The size of 12 soccer fieldsThe DART mission has inoculated us somewhat against the threat of a real Armageddon. The U.S. space agency NASA succeeded in deflecting the trajectory of a cosmic rock by…

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According to a study, the happiness curve goes down at a certain age – but then goes up again, proving that the midlife crisis does exist. How happy or unhappy we are and when in our lives is not easy to answer. According to a new study, however, there is a certain age at which we are supposed to have reached the peak of unhappiness. Economics professor David Blanchflower surveyed people from 132 countries – and it turns out that people’s happiness and well-being decline steadily after age 18 –…

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Who doesn’t know it? The uncomfortable feeling usually starts to spread on Sunday afternoon.Because then you remember again: Tomorrow is Monday! And this day means that instead of starting to relax with breakfast in bed, you’re rushing to get to work on time, maybe you have to attend an annoying meeting, your work colleague is wearing too much musky perfume, and your wonderful free time is over. Monday anxiety has even been officially researched and has a name in English: “Sunday Scaries.” Definition of “Sunday Scaries”Psychologist Susan Albers told “Health”…

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The energy crisis is putting a lot of pressure on our wallets. These tips show you how to reduce your energy consumption. It doesn’t take much to reduce your energy consumption. Many power guzzlers can be eliminated with just a few simple steps. And don’t worry: You don’t have to restrict your usage behaviour to any great extent. Although in times of crisis, it probably doesn’t hurt to consider whether you need two refrigerators and three loads of laundry a week. So what can you do to use less electricity?…

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Shock ventilation is important, even if it is very cold outside – but it is enough to open the window briefly. In winter, we are always faced with a dilemma: the apartment should be nice and warm, but without ventilation, there is a risk of mould and bad air. To prevent this, there are a few things to keep in mind. Mould can form quickly in apartments in winter. The low temperatures cool down the outside walls, and the moisture in the warm room air condenses on the cold wall…

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An amendment to the law specifies the implementation of the retirement age increase for women, which was constitutionally fixed in 1992. The cut-off dates decided on Wednesday in the Social Affairs Committee of the ÖVP, Greens and SPÖ mean that some women will be able to start their pensions a little earlier than planned. Given different possible interpretations, “clarifications in conformity with the constitution” were made, said Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens). From 2024, the standard retirement age for women will be gradually aligned with that of men, and by 2033…

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The Covid-19 vaccine was the best tool to prevent severe disease progression during the corona pandemic. But Sars-CoV-2 will remain with the world. How best to deal with it is what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is having a panel of experts discuss Thursday. On the table is a proposal for an annual two-dose vaccination for infants, the elderly and the immunocompromised. “Food and Drug Administration scientists are proposing to make Covid-19 immunization a regular, once-a-year vaccination with an adjustment for each current Sars-CoV-2 strain, say the documents,…

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We all know that unpleasant feeling that overcomes us when we get too close to pepper…. A little pepper in the nose and we are overcome by a sneezing crisis that is hard to suppress. But why does pepper have this effect on our noses? Chemical components in pepperContrary to what you might have guessed, the form of the pepper makes no difference to the sneezing sensation. So whether the pepper is ground or in whole grains, the effect is always the same. Pepper contains certain chemical ingredients. And they…

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The Doomsday Clock shows how close the end of mankind is – but it should also give courage that the end can be averted. With blatant nuclear threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the hands of the so-called “Doomsday Clock” have been moved from 90 seconds to midnight. In doing so, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists researchers on Tuesday changed the extended time until Earth’s demise from the previous 100 seconds for the first time in three years.“Nuclear risks have increased significantly over the past year, largely because of…

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