The end caps on a shoestring: Imagine pointing an electron microscope at your little finger and enhancing the image until an individual cell in the skin appears. Adjust a little more until you are able to see inside the cell. A number of Duracell batteries (the mitochondria) powers up the
What is blue light? Light that the human eye is able to see is known as visible light, which consists of wavelengths of varying lengths that are seen as different colours by the human eye. Blue light has a fairly short wavelength and is found close to the invisible, but
All the health benefits of walking for exercise along busy city streets may not be as beneficial as one would think. A recent study done in London found that lung capacity and other health markers improved within an hour when going for a two hour walk in a park, while
Have you ever wondered which factors contribute to a good life? Why do some people live happy lives? And others not? A study tracking the lives of 724 men over the past 78 years has come up with some very interesting findings. This Harvard Study of Adult Development has found
Let’s face it, people smoke because they enjoy it. When you inhale nicotine, it immediately rushes to the brain, resulting in feelings of pleasure and reduced stress and anxiety. The pleasurable sensations result from nicotine stimulating the release of the chemicals dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain. How can something
Research has linked certain foods to a higher risk of developing cancer and incidentally the same foods also poses a higher risk of developing diabetes. It follows that the very same foods would also pose a risk to one’s health in general, and the healthiest option would be to avoid
Magnesium is an essential mineral that is naturally present in a variety of foods. It plays an important role in many enzyme systems that regulate a wide range of biochemical reactions in the body, the major ones being in bone health, calcium absorption, diabetes, and heart health. It also plays
Your car uses either petrol or diesel to burn as fuel and cannot switch between the two without disastrous consequences. The human body, on the other hand, uses glucose as fuel, but is adaptable enough to be able to switch to fat as fuel when necessary. How does it work?
Coconuts are grown on coconut palms and coconut oil is made from the nut (fruit) of the coconut. Coconut oil contains 91% saturated fatty acids, of which a quarter are saturated long chain fatty acids, with more than 12 carbons, while all the rest are saturated fatty acids of medium
Mechanics of the spine Most instances of low back pain is mechanical in nature, meaning there is some sort of disruption in the way the components of the back fit together and move. The spine consists of a column of bones (vertebrae) that are held together by muscles, tendons (that
