Most of us can’t get enough of our smartphones. All day long, we stare at it, perhaps waiting for messages from our friends, or just randomly watching funny cat videos. This may be the reason why we’re developing a weird bony spike at the base of our skulls. This is especially true for the younger generation.

The bony skull bump — known as an external occipital protuberance — is sometimes so large, you can feel it by pressing your fingers on the base of your skull.

"I have been a clinician for 20 years, and only in the last decade, increasingly, I have been discovering that my patients have this growth on the skull," David Shahar, a health scientist at the University of The Sunshine Coast, Australia, told the BBC in a fascinating feature about the changing human skeleton.

[...]

These bony spikes are likely here to stay, Shahar said. "Imagine if you have stalactites and stalagmites, if no one is bothering them, they will just keep growing," he told the BBC. Luckily, these spikes rarely cause medical issues. If you are experiencing discomfort, however, try improving your posture, he said.

(Image Credit: Averyanovphoto/ Pixabay)

We have heard that boulders were used in Oregon to prevent illegal campers.

We’re still on the use of heavy objects to prevent people from doing illegal activities, this time in Toronto with their issue on cannabis dispensaries.

Despite the efforts of authorities to rid their city of cannabis dispensaries through raids and barring the entrances by using steel doors, these pot shops have remained persistent. But there might be hope in this new method the city found out: using giant cement blocks.

It's the latest move to put a stop to illegal dispensaries that have been able to operate thanks in part to a legal loophole in the province's Cannabis Control Act.

That loophole has prevented authorities from barring access to, and removing people from, suspected dispensaries that were also being used as residences.  

"This has proven to be a bit more of a substantial tactic," said Mark Sraga, the city's director of investigation services for municipal licensing and standards. 

But for others, this may not be the best solution, and they are not fully convinced.

What are your thoughts?

(Image Credit: Kandoh/ Reddit)

A small section of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been occupied by illegal campers. Aside from the very filthy environment that these campers create at the intersection, the campers also have been a pain in the butt for homeowners like Tiffany Hammer.

Tents, piles of trash, and human waste were a common sight at the intersection. Fires also broke out at the illegal camp at least twice. Then there were the times neighbors say they were harassed and attacked by campers.

Last February, Tiffany sought help from her neighbors and together they cleaned up the place and then planted 90 rose bushes, in hopes that they will be able to deter the campers. Unfortunately, this did not work.

“It's just really discouraging,” Hammer said.

She said campers ripped out some of the roses and the attacks on neighbors continued.

“My neighbor was helping me water roses a few weeks back and he was bent down watering and a homeless camper unprovoked, didn't say one word, just came up with a brick and attacked him,” Hammer said.

This week, ODOT finally made a move. They removed the rose bushes and replaced them with boulders.

For neighbors, it is more than just rocks. It is a sign of hope.

ODOT spokesperson Don Hamilton stated that despite the amount of money they will be spending in order to place the boulders, which is over $1 million, they will still be pushing through this as the boulders are their most effective tool. The big rocks would also be cheaper in the long run compared to cleaning up the area repeatedly.

(Image Credit: KGW)

You might not believe it, but these stripes are not just for show; these stripes have an essential role in a zebra’s body — they are used to control a zebra’s body temperature. So how does this work?

The findings have been published this month in the Journal of Natural History, the scientific publication of the British Natural History Museum, by amateur naturalist and former biology technician, Alison Cobb and her zoologist husband, Dr Stephen Cobb. Together, they have spent many years in sub-Saharan Africa, where he has directed environmental research and development projects.

The data revealed a temperature difference between the black and white stripes that increases as the day heats up. Whilst this difference stabilises on living zebras during the middle seven hours of the day, with the black stripes 12-15°C hotter than the white, the stripes on a lifeless zebra hide continue to heat up, by as much as another 16°C. This indicates there is an underlying mechanism to suppress heating in living zebras. It is therefore the way the zebra stripes are harnessed as one part of their cooling system, rather than just their contrasting coat colour, that is key to understanding why these animals have their unique patterning.

Like all species in the horse family, zebras sweat to keep cool. Recent research reveals that the passage of sweat in horses from the skin to the tips of the hairs is facilitated by a protein called latherin which is also present in zebras. This makes the sweat frothy, increasing its surface area and lowering its surface tension so it evaporates and prevents the animal [from] overheating.

More details of this study at EurekAlert!

(Image Credit: hbieser/ Pixabay)

Because of her disability, Pikes Peak Community College student Emily Athey had a hard time looking for jobs. She had applied for more than 50 jobs before she landed one on Icing on the Cake, a bakery owned by Mischa Halberg. The bakery writes on their Facebook page:

Emily is one of our employees that works in the kitchen… She has learned how to decorate cupcakes and cookies. She can also make fondant decorations, fill cake and cupcake pans. Emily is learning all kinds of new and fun things. She is a gem and we are proud to have her as [a part] of our team.

Emily has already been working there for half a year, and she only started decorating cakes since April.

“She’s an absolute delight,” Halberg told KKTV. “She’s focused and fun to be around.”

Perhaps one of the most surprising things about Emily is her artistic eye. A person would not be able to tell Emily was legally blind when looking at her intricately designed cakes.

(Image Credit: Icing on the Cake/ Facebook)

Katie Jones has been working for years at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, or so she claims. She has also been able to earn her degrees in Russian studies from the University of Michigan. Her LinkedIn profile has over 52 connections, many of these being people with influence. She has a decent education and work experience. She also has reliable persons connected with her. Would you accept her friend request on LinkedIn? Unfortunately, this Katie Jones does not exist, and you might as well think before adding people you do not know.

CSIS stated that no one named Katie Jones was working for them. The University of Michigan stated as well that they were “unable to find anyone by this name earning these degrees from the university.” You might say that perhaps the name is an alias, and this photo alone proves that this person exists. Unfortunately, even this photo is fake as well.

At first glance, this image looks real, but experts say otherwise. Can you find the clues that show that this image is fake?

More information about this story on APNews.

(Image Credit: AP Photo)

Alicia Jessop, a 34-year-old sports law professor at Pepperdine University, may have had her most surprising experience in her lifetime. “Who knew all I had to do to become a wildlife photographer was go to Maine, order a lobster roll and snap a picture of it in front of a lighthouse for the ‘Gram?!” wrote Alicia on her Instagram account.

While she was lining up the perfect shot of her lunch in front of Nubble Lighthouse in York, a seagull swooped down and stole her roll.

"I was really embarrassed. You hear stories of people taking crazy Instagram pictures and hurting themselves, and I was like, 'Oh my God, you are now that person,'" she told The Guardian.

And so Alicia did not have a choice but to buy a second $21.50 lobster roll. This time, she took the photo in front of Fox’s Lobster House.

I hope that seagull took its time eating the expensive roll.

(Video Credit: ABC News/ YouTube)

This new technology developed by researchers from the University of Washington and Facebook can bring still images to life! (although it is not yet fully developed, and some still images, as you can see, move awkwardly and creep you out.) They call this “Photo Wake-Up”, which I think is a really straightforward name.

On their project page, UW computing scientists Chung-Yi Weng and Brian Curless, along with Facebook’s Ira Kemelmacher-Shlizerman, describe a process that can take one single photo and create a character that walks out of the frame toward the viewer. They can also make the character run, sit, or jump.

The researchers will present their algorithm later this month at the Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition in Long Beach, California, but the software begins by analyzing a still image to detect a human form and fits a morphable body on it. From there it creates a body map, labeling each of the parts. Once the map is done, the software uses it to construct the three-dimensional mesh of the character, estimating the weight of their body so it can later apply realistic motion. Finally, it takes the original image and uses it to build a texture around the 3D body. The final step is to reconstruct the background that is occluded by the person’s form so they don’t leave a white hole behind.

(Video Credit: Chung-Yi Weng/ YouTube)

Before humans were sent into space, the Soviet Union sent dogs first. The first dog to be sent was a stray dog named Laika, who was revealed to have died from panic and overheating just a few hours after blast-off. The next dogs to be sent into space would be Belka and Strelka, who were able to return safely after their trip to space.

These dogs, back in their time, kickstarted a “huge industry in collectibles featuring canine cosmonauts, from painted plates and clocks to Russian dolls and cigarette cases.” (That’s a lot of doggo merchandise!).

Enter the photographer Martin Parr, who has been collecting these items for 20 years for his canine-themed collection. “From the first moment I saw a piece of space dog ephemera I was hooked,” says Martin. “A useful way to understand the impact that they had on Russian society,” he says, “is to draw a parallel with the Beatles or Mickey Mouse, those western icons that generated huge quantities of memorabilia,” he added.

Check out his collection over at The Guardian.

Via Nerdcore

(Image Credit: Martin Parr)

Identical twins were served potato chips. One of them experienced a triglyceride peak six times higher than the other. (Triglycerides are significantly correlated with obesity). This means that this twin has to eat snacks with a lower amount of fat.

What made their bodies react differently toward those potato chips? It would seem that even though DNA has a role in our respective diets, it's not enough to explain why different individuals react differently:

A decade ago, spurred by the success of the Human Genome Project and the affordability of genetic sequencing, scientists began to explore the promise of “nutrigenomics.” Could personalized nutrition, informed by knowledge of an individual’s DNA, help prevent and even treat diet-related diseases?

The results of early studies from Harvard, Stanford and elsewhere were compelling: Genetic differences seemed to predispose individuals to lose different amounts of weight on different types of diets. A multimillion-dollar industry soon sprang up, premised on marketing DNA-based diets. But subsequent research has failed to show any statistically significant difference in weight loss between overweight people who “eat right for their genotype” and those who do not.

In fact, the effect of genes on obesity has been hard to tease out; various studies put the figure at anywhere from 35 to 85 percent. Nutritionists have long observed that no one weight-loss strategy works for everyone, and that individuals show striking differences in their responses to different diets. What, then, explains the large variation in individual metabolism?

Last year, Tim Spector and Sarah Berry, epidemiologists at King’s College, London, and Dr. Andrew Chan, of Harvard Medical School, began an ambitious new search for the answer. Their new study, called Predict, is the world’s largest and most comprehensive experiment to look at individual responses to food.

More details of the study over at The New York Times.

(Image Credit: Fotorech/ Pixabay)

On July 2015, a photo of two dogs hugging each other was posted on Facebook by Atlanta-based dog rescue charity Angels Among Us (AAU). On first glance, you might say “they’re so cute!”... but there is a bitter truth behind this photograph.

These canines were on a kill shelter and their were deaths quickly approaching as time went by. They were only a few hours away from “being put to sleep.”

“Today is their last day unless we can save them. This is as urgent as urgent can get. We really don't have time to spare. We have no fosters available,” said AAU on their post that fateful day. Fortunately, there were people who quickly sprang into action for these canines.

Exactly 2 hours and 6 minutes. That's how long it took this amazing community of animals lovers to come together to save the lives of two canine friends. We just received word from our Angels volunteer that Kala and Keira are safely in the car and on their way to a vet -All thanks to you. From the time we posted on Facebook until the time the dogs were out of the shelter and safely in the car...2 hours and 6 minutes.

For AAU, these dogs were the “poster girls of the homeless pet crisis in Georgia”.

Today reported that in Georgia, strays are only housed for three to seven days before being put down. “Tax money is not going to cover housing these animals,” Anne Clarke from AAU revealed. “The non-profit side of the world has to help.”

[...]

Since their extraordinary viral photo set them free and raised awareness of the plight of homeless animals in Georgia, the hugging puppies have been busy advocating for animal adoption, responsible pet ownership, spaying, and neutering.

More details of the story over at The Epoch Times.

(Image Credit: Angels Among Us Pet Rescue/ Facebook)

The term “night owl” refers to a person that sleeps late at night and wakes up late in the morning. A night owl usually has poor quality of sleep and is prone to unhealthy habits. That person may also be at a higher risk of being depressed. To put it simply, night owls have a different biological clock than day persons, which are healthier people. It is stated that 20% of the population (that means 2 out of 10 people) are night owls.

Is there a way to improve a night owl’s lifestyle? Hopefully, there is.

A new international study, conducted by researchers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Surrey in the UK, along with Monash University in Australia, showed that “over a three-week period, it was possible to shift the circadian rhythm of 'night owls' using non-pharmacological and practical interventions.”

Twenty-two healthy individuals participated in the study. For a period of three weeks participants in the experimental group were asked to:

• Wake up 2-3 hours before regular wake up time and maximise outdoor light during the mornings.

• Go to bed 2-3 hours before habitual bedtime and limit light exposure in the evening.

• Keep sleep/wake times fixed on both work days and free days.

• Have breakfast as soon as possible after waking up, eat lunch at the same time each day, and refrain from eating dinner after 7pm.

The results highlighted an increase in cognitive (reaction time) and physical (grip strength) performance during the morning when tiredness is often very high in 'night owls', as well as a shift in peak performance times from evening to afternoon. It also increased the number of days in which breakfast was consumed and led to better mental well-being, with participants reporting a decrease in feelings of stress and depression.

I might try this out myself since I also am a night owl.

Find out more about the study over at EurekAlert!

(Image Credit: Pettycon/ Pixabay)

Don’t be fooled. It’s just the same ol’ ranch dressing. But Kraft’s audience is not us — it’s the children who don’t want to eat vegetables.

"Kids will eat anything with frosting, right?" the company states in a news release. "It's a match made for dinnertime bliss."

Those Kraft-y bastards.

The question, however, is what if those kids have already tasted ranch dressing before?

(Video Credit: Kraft via Eyewitness News WEHT WTVW/ YouTube)

It’s not just a chair — it’s a tomato chair!

This peculiar chair is a product of the collaboration between Case Studyo and Dutch artist Parra. This design features Tomato, Parra’s humanoid character. The said chair is now on display from June 10 to June 15 at VOLTA 2019.

(Image Credit: Case Studyo/ Instagram)

Most people, especially the young generation of today, cannot part ways with their smartphones for some reason. These people suffer from cellphone addiction, colloquially known as “nomophobia” (fear of not having a mobile phone). According to Gifographics, 85% of smartphone users would check their device while talking to friends and family. This restaurant aims to at least lessen the people’s interaction with their phones.

Curry Pizza Company, a pizza place in Fresno, California, is offering customers a “Talk to Each Other Discount”, which requires customers to agree to have their smartphones locked up while they are in the restaurant and simply talk to each other during their meal. The discount is only applicable to groups of four people or more, all of whom must be carrying a working smartphone. If they qualify for the offer, diners will receive a free large pizza that they can enjoy on their next visit, or, if they’re in a giving mood, donate to the homeless in downtown Fresno.

“Our goal is to get families/friends to stop using their phones while eating and talk to each other and communicate more,” a Curry Pizza Company announcement on Facebook states. “If you like you may receive a free large (per group) on your next visit (must be at least 24 hours) or you can donate your free large pizza to the needy. We donate pizzas to the homeless in downtown Fresno every month, so we would add your donated pizza along with the many others or you could do it yourself.”

Co-owner Varinder Malhi told FOX News that he was inspired to implement the discount by his own phone usage. Wanting to seat a good example for his children, he decided to only use his phone at home for emergencies and, after experiencing the benefits of a smartphone break, he wanted to incentivize others to try it as well.

Are you up for the offer?

(Image Credit: The Curry Pizza Company/ Facebook)