Author: Diane Shipley
Staff Writer Diane is especially interested in high-tech medical advances, weird and interesting uses of science, new gadgets, and the intersection of tech and lifestyle. When not working, she reads the internet, listens to podcasts, watches American TV, and thinks about leaving the house.
Isn’t it romantic? Kissing exchanges millions of bacteria
In today’s instalment of ‘yep, people are gross’, next time you pucker up, you’ll probably get more than you bargain for. A lot more. According to a Dutch study, we can transmit up to 80 million bacteria just by locking lips for 10 seconds. As the BBC reports, researchers from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied…
Time magazine apologises for suggesting we ban ‘feminist’
Oh, you know what women are like. Always wanting equal rights, like the ability to walk down the street or to be on Twitter without being threatened with violence, or to be paid the same as men for work of the same value. Feminism: what a snooze, right? That seemed to be what Time magazine…
Sound waves can improve sleep and memory, study says
Sound wave therapy can improve sleep and memory, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine in the US. According to Psych Central, Neuroscience graduate student Nelly Papalambros wanted to find out if there was a non-invasive way to improve sleep quality, because of its many effects on health. Poor sleep has been linked to…
Could cannabis help cure brain cancer?
Yep, it's true: Cannabis could be the key to brain cancer treatment. A new British study has found that using cannabis alongside radiotherapy can cause cancerous brain tumours to shrink to the point that they’re no longer an issue. Researchers from St George's, University of London used two of the most potent cannabinoids, the active…
Using social media affects our work performance (probably)
Hey! You’re not reading this when you should be working, are you? No, I didn’t think so. When you’re supposed to be working you’re probably on Twitter, or Facebook, or Instagram or Pinterest, right? Let’s face it; most of us have looked at social media once or twice during work hours. (Not me of course,…
Impossible is a new electric bike you can keep in your backpack
We’ve seen folding bikes before. We’ve seen electric bikes before. What we haven’t seen before is a portable electric bike that’s stylish, relatively light, and easy to carry around. Yet despite its name, as PSFK points out, the Impossible is all of those things. Or it will be, anyway. It’s currently a prototype: its inventors…
The Fashion ID app lets you share your style
Something to Talk About Media has just released a new, updated version of their style app, Fashion ID. Initially launched in September, the app is designed to cater to the clothes-obsessed. (Plus handbag lovers, shoe aficionados, and anyone else who loves to shop, whether online or IRL.) Users can both browse the latest trends for…
Scientists have identified a fear-reducing hormone
Researchers have found that oxytocin, known as the bonding hormone, can also reduce fear. Scientists from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Bonn, the German Cancer Research Center, and Chengdu University worked together to research its effects on the fear response. They took brain scans of 62 subjects while they looked…
Virtual reality can help us be nicer to ourselves
New research shows that virtual reality avatars can help us to become less self-critical and develop more self-compassion. As Psych Central reports, the study involved 43 women, all of whom were healthy but self-critical. All the women experienced the feeling being in another body in a virtual reality environment, where they were trained to comfort…
The OnePiece pop-up shop lets you pay with your social media followers
It turns out that focusing on the number of people hanging on your every word or photo on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and the rest isn’t a completely shallow pursuit with no real-world applications after all. (I knew it!) According to Engadget, onesie brand OnePiece has opened a pop-up shop in New York where people can…
