Category: Feature Stories

Heating costs continue to rise, and people are saving money wherever possible. But hardly anyone knows the cheerful effect curtains have on the room temperature. So they are not just there for darkening or decoration but are helpful when saving heating costs. We are afraid that soon we will only be able to stay at home wrapped in a thick blanket and hot tea in our hands. Energy prices seem to be going up to infinity. However, there are some tricks to save on heating costs that we wouldn’t think…

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Almost two years after the presentation of the draft law, the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) comes into force on Wednesday. Together with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), this is intended to create clear rules for the Internet – and put dominant tech corporations like Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple in their place for the first time. Among other things, the aim is to tackle social problems such as hate speech and disinformation, prevent the formation of monopolies, and enable smaller companies to compete genuinely in the digital space.For affected…

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Astronomers have discovered the remains of one of the oldest planetary systems in our galaxy. Clues were provided by two white dwarfs, each 90 and 120 light years away from Earth. They are supposed to be over 10 billion years old. White dwarfs are the cores of extinct stars. These were not massive enough to explode in a supernova and become a black hole or neutron star. Instead, they have lost their outer shells and are now cooling. They have high density but low luminosity. 10.7 billion years oldResearchers* at…

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They give the room a great scent and a pleasant mood. However, scented candles can release substances of concern. The cozy season has begun! That means out with the scented candles, in with the cozy blanket, and drinking lots and lots of tea. Scented candles and room fragrances exude lovely notes of vanilla, orange, or cinnamon throughout the room. Unfortunately, what is good for your well-being can harm your health. Researchers have found that candles release questionable substances and can thus lead to headaches, dizziness, and other complaints. Surprising warningsThere…

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Will it be in Tokyo, Delhi, or Cairo? Will it be somewhere among the evergreen forests of Central Africa, or will it be in a U.S. state in the Midwest? Or even in Austria? Today, in any case, the birth of the eighth billionth earth citizen is expected: 8,000,000,000 people – thousand times as many as in Austria, will thus live on our fragile globe, according to the calculations of the United Nations. Fear of overpopulationIt is an unbelievable population development that has taken place in the last 200 years:…

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According to a recent study, the Arctic is now similarly littered with plastic as densely populated regions. High concentrations of microplastics are found in the water, in rivers, on the seafloor, on uninhabited beaches, and even in ice and snow, report researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven. This has consequences for the living creatures there, but possibly also for the climate. The Arctic is perceived as a largely untouched wilderness – but that no longer corresponds to reality, says AWI biologist Melanie Bergmann, co-author of the analysis…

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For the first time in three years, the Netherlands has celebrated the traditional arrival of St. Nicholas, which was previously canceled due to the Corona epidemic. According to broadcaster NOS, thousands of people turned out Saturday in Hellevoetsluis, near Rotterdam, for the welcoming ceremony for Sinterklaas, as the saint with the rakish white beard and red bishop’s coat is known in the Netherlands.From there, the arrival of St. Nicholas was televised this year and staged in numerous other cities. According to legend, Sinterklaas travels by steamship every November from Spain…

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It is true that mosquitoes like certain people better than others. Researchers have repeatedly proven this in controlled experiments, says Swedish mosquito researcher Marcus Stensmyr from Lund University in an interview with #Faktenfuchs. But which people does it hit particularly often? Not all mosquitoes bite peopleFirst of all, it’s essential to know that only a handful of mosquito species bite humans. And even among the human-biting varieties, only the females bite. This is because they need human blood – or, more precisely, specific proteins in it – to produce eggs.…

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Global warming is causing weather extremes to become more frequent. Moreover, the 1.5-degree target needed to avoid reaching dangerous tipping points is barely within reach. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has given a preliminary overview of the state of the global climate in a report at the start of the UN World Climate Conference COP27 in Egypt. Global warming causes temperatures to rise to record levels.According to the assessment, the past eight years are shaping up to be the warmest on record. The global average temperature was recently estimated to…

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