Why floods are bad for your health
The damage done by cyclones extends far beyond damaging winds. Often the flooding that follows affects more than properties: flooding is also bad for our health.
Tag: Disease
How did people clean their teeth before toothpaste?
Dental issues and teeth cleaning have become topical in our house this week, as our daughter started orthodontic treatment. I wondered: how did people manage to keep their teeth clean and healthy before modern toothbrushes and toothpaste?
You can help identify what’s killing lorikeets
Lorikeets in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland are becoming paralysed, often resulting in death. Scientists are beginning to discover why – but need your help.
Perhaps we need our appendix after all
It’s not entirely clear why we have an appendix. Some other primates don’t have one at all and it seems they are more prone to diarrhoeal diseases, especially when they are infants.
Magnets in cows: not a conspiracy theory
It’s been rough few weeks and laughs have been a bit thin, so when I saw that farmers deliberately place magnets in cows, it appealed to my slightly odd sense of humour. Turns out it’s actually quite important.
How germ-laden is your phone? You don’t want to know
Your phone is likely to be more germ-riddled than your toilet. Speaking of which, stop using your phone IN the toilet…
First draft of the human pangenome
Moving on from having sequenced the human genomes from the first time 20 years ago, now we have the first draft of the human pangenome – a much more diverse collection of 47 distinct genomes from different ancestral backgrounds.
Don’t pick your nose, it could cause Alzheimer’s disease
Picking your nose might be more than a habit – it could give you Alzheimer’s disease.
Why do there seem to be so many new viruses?
Is the incidence of virus outbreaks increasing? Or just it just seem that way?
Which was the worst year to be alive?
Things are a bit rough right now, but it’s nowhere near as bad as the worst year ever: 536.