Medical Cannabis ^[NEW]

According to a peer-reviewed study medical cannabis led to “a statistically significant improvement” in quality of life, employment status, and in the reduction of the number of medications in those with Tourette’s Syndrome, in addition to improving comorbidities.

Hybrid Rice ^[NEW]

A new breed of rice that is a hybrid of an annual Asian rice and a perennial African rice could be a more sustainable option. The hybrid rice was able to produce grain for 8 consecutive harvests over four years at a yield comparable to the standard annual Asian rice, with much lower costs and labour.

Motivation to Fight ^[NEW]

USA sexually ‘teased’ its troops in the First World War to make them fight harder. Believing that sexually satisfied men could not be easily motivated, the aim of this teasing was to generate unmet sexual desire, which the War Department could leverage as motivation to fight.

Baby Hearing ^[NEW]

Most babies start developing their hearing while still in the womb, prompting some hopeful parents to play classical music to their pregnant bellies. Some research even suggests that infants are listening to adult speech as early as 10 weeks before birth, gathering the basic building blocks of their family’s native tongue.

Stroke Risk ^[NEW]

People in their 20s and 30s who drink moderate to heavy amounts of alcohol may be more likely to have a stroke as young adults than people who drink low amounts or no alcohol, according to a study. The risk of stroke increased the more years people reported moderate or heavy drinking.

Abortions ^[NEW]

The Texas law prohibiting abortion after detectable embryonic cardiac activity was associated with a decrease in in-state abortions and an increase in residents obtaining out-of-state abortions. The proportion of out-of-state abortions obtained at 12 weeks increased significantly from 17.1% to 31%.

Pandemic ^[NEW]

Belief that the COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax – that its severity was exaggerated or that the virus was deliberately released for sinister reasons – functions as a “gateway” to believing in conspiracy theories generally. In study, pandemic skeptics were more likely to believe in 2020 election fraud.

Vitamin and Death ^[NEW]

Vitamin D deficiency linked to premature death. Over a 14-year follow-up period, researchers found that the risk for death significantly decreased with increased vitamin D concentrations, with the strongest effects seen among those with severe deficiencies.

Video Games ^[NEW]

A study of nearly 2,000 children found that those who reported playing video games for three hours per day or more performed better on cognitive skills tests involving impulse control and working memory compared to children who had never played video games.

Pollution Reduction ^[NEW]

Air pollution reduced when U.S. embassies around the world installed monitors and tweeted the Readings. The resulting reductions in air pollution levels had large health benefits for residents in these cities, speaking to the potential efficacy of other monitoring and information interventions.

Seismic Mars ^[NEW]

Until now, Mars has been generally considered a geologically dead planet. An international team of researchers led by ETH Zurich now reports that seismic signals indicate volcanism still plays an active role in shaping the Martian surface.