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Author: Sarah Biren

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5 min read Learn

Homelessness affects people all around the world. In the United States, about 567,715 people were left without a home “on any given night” in 2019. To make matters worse, 37% of these people sleep outside with no shelter. [1] While homelessness is a growing issue with no clear solution, there are ways to immediately help individuals residing in...

5 min read Heal

Joan MacDonald was 70 when she began her health transformation. She occasionally played darts, softball, and bowling, but she was far from fit. The 5-foot-3 woman took medication to control her blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and acid reflux. She was almost 200 pounds and suffered from arthritis and swollen ankles, which made climbing stairs difficult....

5 min read Relationship

Body language can offer a lot of information during social interactions, but it is far from an exact science. Experts can explain the meaning behind certain behaviors and hand gestures, but context matters. For instance, they say that if you’re standing and talking to someone, look at their feet. If both feet are pointed toward...

5 min read Planet

In June, a drone flew over Hawaii and dropped biodegradable pods into the forests. Each pod contained about 1,000 mosquitoes. This may sound like something out of a horror sci-fi movie, but this wasn’t some sort of attack on humans. Firstly, the mosquitoes are male, and therefore do not bite people. Second, they were reared...

4 min read Planet

In 2021, an animal was hit by a car and brought to an animal rehabilitation center in Brazil. As they treated it, the veterinarians noticed certain strange behaviors. It looked and barked like a dog but had longer and more pointed ears. However, it refused dog food and ate rats. It also climbed bushes, which...

5 min read Heal

The appendix is a small organ situated between the small and large intestines. For a long time, scientists didn’t know its function and deemed it useless. In fact, it was seen as potentially dangerous. The appendix is famous mostly because of appendicitis, which can be deadly if it causes a rupture. In these cases, doctors...

5 min read Relationship

The end of a friendship isn’t discussed as much as romantic breakups. The latter is more defined. Even if the partners stay friends, there’s a strong sense of finality. Friends can have dramatic breakups too, but they mostly happen slowly and almost accidentally. Sometimes it’s a “death by a thousand cuts” as small insults go...

3 min read Learn

Peanut allergies affect about 2% of U.S. residents, and that number is only growing. In July, this population was put at risk when a food product didn’t disclose the allergen. Unsuspecting shoppers may have bought accidentally Ritz peanut butter cracker sandwiches since the box claimed they were cheese crackers. On July 8, Mondelēz Global LLC...

4 min read Planet

If you visit a farm, you probably expect sweeping fields of growing crops. What you don’t expect is a lone tree towering over them. It looks out of place, like it arrived at a party after it was over. Plus, more land means more produce and more income, so it seems strange to waste precious...

4 min read Heal

An adult died from listeriosis after eating contaminated food during a listeria outbreak. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) confirmed nine cases due to ready-made meals sold in Tesco, Centra, Aldi, and SuperValu. Officials reviewed the manufacturer, Ballymaguire Foods, and detected Listeria at one of their production plants. After recalling the prepared meals and...

6 min read Heal

Health experts recommend adults get about seven to nine hours of sleep every night, but this rule has a huge asterix. The truth is everybody’s sleep needs are different. It’s more important to experiment with lengths and routines that optimize your health instead of sticking to a pre-conceived rule. However, research has uncovered helpful guidelines,...