Ingredient Found in Popular Soft Drink Linked to Problems With Memory and Learning: Study

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The non-sugar, low-calorie sweetener aspartame — which is found in many sugar-free or “diet” foods and drinks — has been linked to potential problems with memory and learning, according to a study from the Florida State University (FSU) College of Medicine.

In the study, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports, male mice that consumed aspartame — even at levels deemed safe by the FDA — had offspring that “demonstrated spatial learning and memory deficits,” a press release from FSU stated. . .

The mice were tested in mazes at intervals of four weeks, eight weeks and 12 weeks. The ones that drank only water were able to find the “safe” box to escape from the maze much faster than the ones that consumed aspartame, the researchers found.

The aspartame-consuming groups eventually completed the task, but they took “much longer” to do it and sometimes needed extra help, the release said. (Read more from “Ingredient Found in Popular Soft Drink Linked to Problems With Memory and Learning: Study” HERE)

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Scientists Issue Health Warning to Anyone Who Wears a Smartwatch

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. . .A study by researchers at Florida Atlantic University found that 95% of 20 different smartwatch wristbands tested were contaminated with bacteria capable of causing disease.

By analysing different types of wristband materials, researchers found that rubber and plastic bands had the most bacteria on them, while metal bands like gold and silver were virtually free from bacteria.

‘Plastic and rubber wristbands may provide a more appropriate environment for bacterial growth as porous and static surfaces tend to attract and be colonized by bacteria,’ said biological scientist Nwadiuto Esiobu from Florida Atlantic University.

The researchers believe that the bacteria get onto the wristbands from the skin, sweat, and environment.

They also found that the type of activity the wearer engaged in affected the level of bacteria on the wristband. For example, wristbands from gym goers had the highest levels of staphylococcal bacteria. (Read more from “Scientists Issue Health Warning to Anyone Who Wears a Smartwatch” HERE)

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I’m 113 and This Is My Secret to a Long Life

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Apparently, if you choose to die alone, you could potentially live a longer life.

A 113-year-old man revealed his secret to a long life: “Never get married.”

Selvino Jesus de Oliveira was born in 1910 and joked with his family that the reason he has such a remarkable lifespan is that he’s never tied the knot.

The bachelor from Brazil just turned 113 in July 2023 and took a smiling birthday photo that showed him holding his ID with his date of birth. . .

The retired basket maker claimed his single lifestyle is so low-stress that it prolonged his life by years — but a healthy diet is surely not part of his secrets to a long lifespan. (Read more from “I’m 113 and This Is My Secret to a Long Life” HERE)

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‘An Animal of Unacceptable Intelligence’: Alien Marine Life Plagues Country’s Seas, Jeopardizes Key Produce

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A voracious marine species alien to Italy has invaded the country’s waters, preying on a vast range of marine life including clams, Italy’s prized sea produce, according to a video published by the Associated Press (AP).

The blue crabs displayed their characteristic sea-blue pincers and tenacious grip as fishermen hauled them up, the AP video showed. The invasive crab species can be seen swiftly and easily prying clams open and devouring anything they can find. This disruption causes significant damage to the Italian marine ecosystem and fishing industry, according to the report in the footage.

Fishermen working in Tuscany’s Orbetello Lagoon leave their nets in the water overnight, expecting to catch sea bream, sea bass and eels; however, by morning they find they have caught thousands of blue crabs, per the video.

“He is aggressive, he is fast, he is an animal of unacceptable intelligence. We fight this blue crab, but he is stronger than us, there are so many of them,” said Mario Giudici, a concerned Italian fisherman, to AP. (Read more from “‘An Animal of Unacceptable Intelligence’: Alien Marine Life Plagues Country’s Seas, Jeopardizes Key Produce” HERE)

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Art Museum Offers ‘Family Friendly Demon Summoning Session’

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A publicly funded nonprofit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, hosted a demon summoning ritual called “Lilit the Empathic Demon,” billed as a “family friendly” event.

The Walker Art Center, which hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, described the event as a “collective and playful demon summoning session” employing “ancient Babylonian techniques,” and ending with “a somatic movement meditation designed to help you befriend your shadows.”

Another performance on “how to trap a demon” came before the event, according to the Post Millennial.

This event taught children how to craft a clay jar in order to trap demons in order to “get to know them.”

The artist hosting the course, Tamar Ettun, previously crafted an entire exhibit on “How to Trap a Demon.” (Read more from “Art Museum Offers ‘Family Friendly Demon Summoning Session’” HERE)

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Family Discovers Live Frog in Unopened Package of ‘Triple Washed’ Organic Spinach

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A Michigan family leaped in surprise after finding a live frog in an unopened package of organic spinach.

“My daughter was screaming, she was like ‘Oh my God, it’s a frog,’ and I was like, ‘What?’” Amber Worrick told WJBK-TV. “Just thank God I didn’t eat the frog.”

She discovered the animal — which turned out to be a Pacific tree frog, native to California — camouflaged in the leafy vegetable and still moving.

Photo credit: FOX2 Detroit

Worrick purchased the package of Earthbound Farms Organic Spinach at Meijer supermarket in Southfield — and didn’t notice anything unusual about it. . .

After making the unexpected discovery, she returned the spinach to the store and received a refund — and also brought the frog, which was relocated to a new home by its employees. (Read more from “Family Discovers Live Frog in Unopened Package of ‘Triple Washed’ Organic Spinach” HERE)

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Zoo Swears Its Bears Are Real After People Claim They Are Humans in Disguise (VIDEO)

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A Chinese zoo hit back Monday against allegations that its sun bears are actually humans in costume.

Some had argued the bears weren’t real based on how they stood up like humans, the Associated Press (AP) reported. A spokesperson from the Hangzhou Zoo in eastern China took to social media to craft a post from the Sun Bear’s point of view.

“Some people think I stand like a person,” the post from the zoo read, according to AP. “It seems you don’t understand me very well.” The post also noted the zoo’s Malaysian sun bears are much smaller than other kinds of bears.

Netizens challenged the legitimacy of the bears on display at the zoo, arguing they resembled the way humans stand up with their slim legs. Others commented that the bear looked man-like due to the folds on its coat resembling a “loose-fitted costume,” SAYS.com reported, citing Chinese outlet Zhejiang News.

(Read more from “Zoo Swears Its Bears Are Real After People Claim They Are Humans in Disguise” HERE)

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Sailor and Dog Amazingly Survive on Rainwater, Raw Fish While Adrift for Two Months

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An Australian man has been rescued in the Pacific after surviving for two months on rainwater and raw fish in what has been likened to the film “Cast Away” — but his companion was a dog, not a hand-printed volleyball.

Sydney resident Tim Shaddock, a 51-year-old cancer survivor, and his pooch Bella set off from La Paz, Mexico, in April on a catamaran journey to French Polynesia, but their vessel was damaged in a storm several weeks later, Australia’s 9News reported.

The pair survived by drinking rainwater and eating raw fish as they waited for a miracle while adrift in the Pacific.

On Wednesday, a helicopter conducting surveillance for a tuna trawler spotted the tiny catamaran bobbing in the middle of the vast ocean. . .

Shaddock and Bella, who were taken aboard the trawler, appeared to be in remarkably good shape, given what they endured. (Read more from “Sailor and Dog Amazingly Survive on Rainwater, Raw Fish While Adrift for Two Months” HERE)

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Mystery ‘Alien’ Creature Baffles Scientists: ‘Exactly Like a Mermaid’

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. . .Photos of a creature — resembling a “mermaid alien” — washed ashore on an Australian beach have sent the internet into a collective tizzy online as viewers scramble to guess the mystery critter’s identity.

The macabre-looking flotsam first came to light via a post in the Marine Biology Facebook group that’s currently making waves online.

“It was exactly like a mermaid shape,” said uploader Bobbi-lee Oates, 34, of the skeletal remains, which she stumbled across while walking along the beach in Keppel Sands, Queensland.

“We were driving along the beach looking for a campsite, and we couldn’t help but notice how much the skull looked to be in the shape of a human’s,” the Aussie recalled. “So we instantly stopped from the confusion as to what the hell could this be, and why does this look like a human skull?”

Accompanying photos show the apparent oceanic enigma, which indeed boasts a dome-shaped humanoid skull, and splayed out ribs that evoke the alien’s locks in “Predator.”

Photo credit: Bobbi-lee Oates/Facebook

Photo credit: Bobbi-lee Oates/Facebook

(Read more from “Mystery ‘Alien’ Creature Baffles Scientists: ‘Exactly Like a Mermaid’” HERE)

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Archaeologists Keep Unearthing Mysterious ‘Giant’ Prehistoric Hand Tools

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Archaeologists have unearthed a “giant” handaxe in southern England that was crafted by early human relatives more than 300,000 years ago, reports a new study. Measuring nearly a foot long from tip to butt, the artifact is the third biggest prehistoric handaxe ever found in Britain and belongs to a special class of big tools with mysterious origins. . .

So-called “giant” handaxes, which are more than 22 centimeters in length, are among the most puzzling tools from these extinct groups. Whereas most axes are designed to fit in a normal human hand, give or take, the super-sized versions seem unwieldy and impractical, raising questions about their purpose to their creators.

Now, researchers led by Letty Ingrey, a senior archeologist at University College London, report the discovery of “a very large flint cutting tool, or handaxe, which is currently the third largest known to be found in Britain,” according to a study published on Thursday in the journal Internet Archaeology.

The handaxe, which dates back some 300,000 years to the Middle Pleistocene period, was found during excavations in Frindsbury, Kent, a region in the Medway Valley that is known for its abundance of early human artifacts of a similar age. (Read more from “Archaeologists Keep Unearthing Mysterious ‘Giant’ Prehistoric Hand Tools” HERE)

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