Useful Articles

Washing machines have one job — to clean — but that doesn't mean they're germ-free. Indeed, a new study suggests they can sometimes harbor  drug-resistant bacteria  that could pose risks to susceptible people. The study researchers describe a unique case in which a washing machine was linked to the spread of drug-resistant bacteria to newborns at a German hospital. It appears to be the first reported case of a hospital's washing machine spreading harmful pathogens to patients, the authors said. The case is "highly unusual" for a hospital because it involved a household type of washing machine, rather than the industrial machines that are typically used in health care settings, said study lead author Dr. Ricarda Schmithausen, a senior physician at the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health at University Hospital Bonn in Germany. But this means the study has implications for household washers, particularly  energy-efficient washers  that use lower water temp

A nice juicy tenderloin might no longer be served with a side of guilt, at least in the health realm. Most people don't need to reduce their intake of red or processed meat for health benefits, unless they want to, according to a new set of guidelines from a group of international experts. The guidelines, which were published yesterday (Sept. 30) in the journal  Annals of Internal Medicine ,  contradict most other diet recommendations that typically advise people to eat less red or processed meat to reduce the risk of conditions such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. While "there's evidence of a risk reduction in cancer, heart disease and diabetes ... it's a very small risk reduction and the certainty of evidence is low," said Bradley Johnston, lead author of the guidelines and an associate professor of epidemiology at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. "So that means we're uncertain if there's actually a true effect." Still,

Yellow is usually the color of happy, joyful emotions. But according to a new study, not all people associate the sunshiney shade with good vibes. To find out what factors might play a role, researchers tested a new hypothesis: What if people’s physical surroundings affect their feelings about certain colors? For instance, if someone lived in cold and rainy Finland, would they feel differently about the color yellow from someone who lived near the Sahara Desert? The researchers looked at color-emotion data from an ongoing international survey of 6625 people in 55 countries. The survey asks participants to rate 12 colors on how closely they are associated with feelings including joy, pride, fear, and shame. Yellow is not so fun in the sun The darker the shade in the below map, the higher the likelihood of people associating the color yellow with joyful emotions. Overall, people were more likely to associate yellow with joy when they lived in rainier countries that lay farth

The brain has a way of repurposing unused real estate. When a sense like sight is missing, corresponding brain regions can adapt to process new input, including sound or touch. Now, a study of blind people who use echolocation—making clicks with their mouths to judge the location of objects when sound bounces back—reveals a degree of neural repurposing never before documented. The research shows that a brain area normally devoted to the earliest stages of visual processing can use the same organizing principles to interpret echoes as it would to interpret signals from the eye. In sighted people, messages from the retina are relayed to a region at the back of the brain called the primary visual cortex. We know the layout of this brain region corresponds to the layout of physical space around us: Points that are next to each other in our environment project onto neighboring points on the retina and activate neighboring points in the primary visual cortex. In the new study, researc

Researchers have solved the three-dimensional structure of a protein complex involved in vertebrate vision at atomic resolution, a finding that has broad implications for our understanding of biological signaling processes and the design of over a third of the drugs on the market today. The findings illuminate how signals from photons (particles of light) get amplified in the eye. More importantly, the study provides insights into how the largest family of cell membrane proteins -- G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) -- work in humans. "They're involved in almost all the biological processes in a human body -- how we perceive light, taste, smell, or how the heart rate is regulated or muscles contract -- and they are targets for over 30% of the drugs that are used today," said Yang Gao, co-first author of the paper and a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Richard Cerione, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and co-senior author. The

Some people can sit outside all summer long and not suffer from mosquito bites. Others turn into an itchy mess despite bathing in DEET and never leaving the purple glow of the bug zapper. What gives? It's mostly about the invisible chemical landscape of the air around us. Mosquitoes take advantage of this landscape by using specialized behaviors and sensory organs to find victims by following the subtle chemical traces their bodies leave behind. In particular, mosquitoes rely on carbon dioxide to find their hosts. When we exhale, the carbon dioxide from our lungs doesn't immediately blend with the air. It temporarily stays in plumes that mosquitoes follow like breadcrumbs. "Mosquitoes start orienting themselves to those pulses of carbon dioxide and keep flying upwind as they sense higher concentrations than the normal ambient air contains," said Joop van Loon, an entomologist at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Using carbon dioxide, mosquitoes can lock

Have you ever seen or heard something that turned out not to exist? Or have you ever thought something was happening that no one else noticed — perhaps thinking you were being followed, or that something was trying to communicate with you? If so, you may have had a psychotic experience. The good news is, you're not alone. Psychosis, also called a  psychotic experience or episode , is when someone perceives or interprets reality differently to the people around them. And it's estimated that around  5-10% of people  will have a psychotic experience in their lifetime. While they're different for each person, psychotic experiences often include hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren't there) or delusions (believing that something is happening that isn't real, or that others can't understand). It's worth noting, though, that having a psychotic experience doesn't mean you have a mental disorder. Many people have these experiences without ever

As compasses draw closer to the magnetic North and South Poles, they become less reliable. magine you're packing for the trip of a lifetime: Antarctica! You're going to see the South Pole and maybe hang out with some penguins. But how are you going to find the actual South Pole? You might think that you would reach for a compass first. Compasses — navigation instruments that contain  magnetized pointers  — have helped people find their way around Earth for thousands of years. The planet's magnetic field attracts one end of the compass's magnetic pointer toward the North Pole, so compass users always know which way magnetic north lies. However, you may be surprised to learn that compasses behave strangely when they are close to the South Pole. Why is that? Earth has both geographic and magnetic poles. The geographic North and South Poles mark the opposite ends of a central axis that Earth spins on. However, the positions of the North and South magnetic poles aren&

Each summer for the last two decades, Jim Parker has readied his small whale watch boat, and made a business out of ferrying tourists out into the cool blue waters of the Gulf of Maine. For years, it was steady work. The basin brimmed with species that whales commonly feed on, making it a natural foraging ground for the aquatic giants. Whales would cluster at certain spots in the gulf, providing a reliable display for enchanted visitors to the coastal community of Milbridge, Maine. But lately, the whales have been harder and harder to find. Waters in the gulf have been warming, sending the whales' food supply searching for cooler temperatures. The whales have gone with them. Some days this summer, Parker says he didn't spot a single one. Business fell 20%, forcing him to cut his season short. To help make ends meet, he's been leading nature tours instead of whale watching expeditions. It's gotten so bad, Parker says, that he and his partner have considered moving awa

1 – Look in magazines, journals, and newspapers for events. Current or historical, that does not matter at this point, both are okay – and recent engaging and exciting facts, and perhaps valuable information that attracts the attention. Articles about subjects that interests you and that are comfortable for you to talk about are good indications. 2 – Jot down any possible idea that comes up for interesting speech topics. I always draft a short list for myself of candidate issues if I am contracted for a public speaking engagement. And then I skip the ones that are too difficult and too complex to prepare and master in 8 to 10 minutes time. 3 – Review some online books on the subject for more detailed current information about your topic. Or go to a library and ask for books and reference articles about your subject. Without exception, all librarians I know will help you sorting out the speechwriter subject with their advice and recommendations. For example you choose for an