“A soothing massage does more than relax aching muscles, scientists have discovered. It reduces inflammation at the molecular level, mimicking the action of pain killing drugs, research suggests. Massage also promotes the growth of new mitochondria, the energy-generating ‘powerplants’ in cells… ‘This study provides evidence that manipulative therapies, such as massage, may be justifiable in medical practice.” w/ photos

“A new ‘gas-firing’ device may offer a pain-free alternative to the dentist’s drill — and could make fillings even more hard-wearing. The device, which resembles an electric toothbrush, cleans out cavities in rotten teeth in only 30 seconds, according to new research. It works by generating high-energy gas and liquid particles to kill bacteria and blast out the decayed pulp of the tooth. The researchers at the University of Missouri who developed the device say it means less discomfort for patients, as it does not affect the highly sensitive nerves in the teeth.” w/ photos

“It sounds like the stuff of science fiction dreams – or nightmares. Scientists believe they have found a way to read our minds, using a computer program that can decode brain activity in our brains and put it into words. They say it could offer a lifeline to those whose speech has been affected by stroke or degenerative disease, but many will be concerned about the implications of a technique that can eavesdrop on thoughts and reproduce them. Neuroscientists at the University of California Berkeley put electrodes inside the skulls of brain surgery patients to monitor information from their temporal lobe, which is involved in the processing of speech and images.” w/ photos

“When filmmaker Steinar Ellingsen and his crew set out for Australia for the first time in the travel documentary series, The Inland Sea, they experienced what very few people ever get the opportunity to see. Ellingsen and team traveled throughout Australia starting and ending their journey in Melbourne. And although most people only think of images of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, Crocodile Dundee, or Men at Work, Australia has many beautiful and amazing attributes that many just don’t know about or ever get to see.” w/ photos

“Ron Gutman reviews a raft of studies about smiling, and reveals some surprising results. Did you know your smile can be a predictor of how long you’ll live — and that a simple smile has a measurable effect on your overall well-being? Prepare to flex a few facial muscles as you learn more about this evolutionarily contagious behavior.” — TED

“Generally, criminal profilers begin their career by getting a degree in forensics or psychology. The best criminal-profiling academy is the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, which is a highly competitive institution. Students are typically between the ages of 23 and 27, after beginning their careers either in law enforcement or the FBI. Most entrants have already spent three years in the FBI before entering the Academy. After successfully graduating from the FBI Academy, profilers will use their new skills to look into the psyche of a criminal… Learn more on the profile of A criminal profiler.” w/ photos

“This video portrays a brief history of aviation in 3D animation. While there are many contributions to aviation that could not be included, this video shows many of the substantial advancements that propelled aviation to what it has become today.”

“Dr. Martin classified refined sugar as a poison because it has been depleted of its life forces, vitamins and minerals. ‘What is left consists of pure, refined carbohydrates. The body cannot utilize this refined starch and carbohydrate unless the depleted proteins, vitamins and minerals are present. Nature supplies these elements in each plant in quantities sufficient to metabolize the carbohydrate in that particular plant. There is no excess for other added carbohydrates. Incomplete carbohydrate metabolism results in the formation of ‘toxic metabolite’ such as pyruvic acid and abnormal sugars containing five carbon atoms. Pyruvic acid accumulates in the brain and nervous system and the abnormal sugars in the red blood cells. These toxic metabolites interfere with the respiration of the cells. They cannot get sufficient oxygen to survive and function normally. In time, some of the cells die. This interferes with the function of a part of the body and is the beginning of degenerative disease.” w/ photos

“It’ll never stir the passions like a Ferrari and you won’t see its picture adorning the bedroom wall of the average adolescent teenage boy. But the venerable Toyota Corolla has overtaken Fords F-series truck to become the best selling vehicle of all time. The ultra-reliable, if perhaps rather dull, Japanese runaround has clocked up global sales of around 37.5 million since it was first rolled out in 1966. With its winning recipe of value-for-money, thrifty gas mileage and a huge dealer network, a Corolla has been sold on average once every 40 seconds for the past 40 years.” w/ photos

“It was the tradition for many centuries for death masks to be made of monarchs, artists and politicians in the time directly after their demise. Take a look at the many faces of death and find out who this is above.” w/ photos

“When you get the flu, viruses turn your cells into tiny factories that help spread the disease. In this animation, NPR’s Robert Krulwich and medical animator David Bolinsky explain how a flu virus can trick a single cell into making a million more viruses.” — NPR

“John Brenkus and the SportScience team examine the affects of snow on athletes.”

“The old phrase ‘You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ may need updating. For the ankle has overtaken the back as the most satisfying spot to scratch, according to researchers at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina. In the study, reported in the British Journal of Dermatology, healthy volunteers were made to itch on the forearm, ankle and back by rubbing them with cowhage, a plant with tiny hairs that irritate the skin… Professor Francis McGlone, a member of the International Forum for the Study of Itch, said: ‘It was interesting that the ankle was the itchiest site and that the most pleasure came from scratching it, because the back has been well-known as a preferred site for scratching.” w/ photos

“Before we know it they’ll be speaking French. Dolphins are so intelligent they can learn to speak a second language – in their sleep. Captive dolphins in in Port-Saint-Père, France have been recorded sleep talking, scientists have found. But bizarrely, as they rest at night, the aquatic mammals are not making dolphin sounds but whale-like noises. Péos, Mininos, Cécil, Teha, and Amtan, who were born in captivity, have only ever heard whale sounds as recordings, Science magazine reported. If the sounds are confirmed to be ‘whale’, it would be the first known instance of dolphins remembering a particular noise and repeating it ‘later’, researchers say.” w/ photos

“With a few liberating swipes of their paws, a group of research rats freed trapped labmates and raised anew the possibility that empathy isn’t unique to humans and a few extra-smart animals, but is widespread in the animal world. Though more studies are needed on the rats’ motivations, it’s at least plausible they demonstrated ‘emphatically motivated pro-social behavior.’ People would generally call that helpfulness, or even kindness. ‘Rats help other rats in distress. That means it’s a biological inheritance,’ said neurobiologist Peggy Mason of the University of Chicago. ‘That’s the biological program we have.’ In a study published in Science, Mason and University of Chicago psychologists Jean Decety and Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal describe their rat empathy-testing apparatus: An enclosure into which pairs of rats were placed, with one roaming free and the other restrained inside a plastic tube. It could only be opened from the outside, which is exactly what the free rats did — again and again and again, seemingly in response to their trapped companions’ distress.” w/ photo + video

“Funyun lovers, rejoice! Your favorite snack is lovingly prepared before your very eyes.”

“Nobel laureate John Mather and Nat Geo explorer-in-residence Robert Ballard discuss how technology expands the limits of the known universe.”

“If America’s airports had a penny for every rushed passenger through security, they wouldn’t be near as pleased as they are today. The Transportation Security Administration says they’ve collected about $400,000 in abandoned change from passengers emptying their pockets through security checkpoints. That figure was actually down this year in comparison to 2010′s forgotten sum of $409,085.56… ‘Unclaimed money, typically consisting of loose coins passengers remove from their pockets, is documented and turned into the TSA financial office.” w/ photos

“If you have ever felt slighted by an individual or group then this is a lesson in revenge for you! Riga, the capital of Latvia is home to the Cat House, known as such because of the two sculptures of cats high on its roof. It is one of the city’s landmarks and is a testament to the desire of one man to have vengeance (if only metaphorically) on his enemies.” w/ photos

“If you can’t resist passing on a little tittle-tattle don’t be too hard on yourself. People who gossip are apparently doing us all a favor. Far from idle chit chat, talking about others has benefits for both the gossiper and wider society, scientists from the University of California in Berkeley claim. It can, hey say, help control bad behavior, prevent someone being exploited and even lower stress… Researchers published their report in the online issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Mr Willer summed up the findings: ‘Gossip gets a bad rap but we’re finding evidence that it plays a critical role in the maintenance of social order.” w/ photos

“The Netherlands is well known for its excellent cycling infrastructure. How did the Dutch get this network of bicycle paths?… Time to find out.”

“The United States is a boozy bunch. Americans consumed the equivalence of 3.73billion bottles of wine in 2011, making it the top global consumer of fermented grapes. Old World wine drinkers came in next, with Italy, France, and Germany coming in second, third, and fourth places, respectively. The report, released by trade show Vinexpo and International Wine and Spirit Research, revealed that the New World and the Far East greatly increased their consumption in recent years. The study surveyed 114 consumer markets and 28 producer countries, AFP reports.” w/ photos

“The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent of people in an unprecedented way, unleashing unlimited creative opportunities. But does democratized culture mean better art, film, music and literature or is true talent instead flooded and drowned in the vast digital ocean of mass culture? Is it cultural democracy or mediocrity? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.”

“Poltergeists are not the typical kind of haunting ghosts, as they interact with the material world, sometimes with malevolent force. Organizations like the American Paranormal Research Association routinely study these phenomenon, as seen in the series Haunted Discoveries, searching to rule out all possibility of foul play and confirm true paranormal activity. A few separate 20th century studies by parapsychologists trace poltergeist activity to humans. The theories say that humans cause inexplicable physical manifestations such as levitation through emotional and mental triggers. The human-poltergeist connection has caused controversy around many poltergeist cases, as they normally center around one person and are witnessed by very few… until now.” w/ photos + videos

“Babies understand what their mothers say, even when they speak in a language their children have never heard before, scientists claim. They found one-year-olds reacted in exactly same way to their mother’s voice regardless of whether she was speaking in English or Greek. It proves what mothers have long known – that babies pick up on tone of voice rather than the words. The researchers, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, observed babies as they watched their mothers perform actions with toys using the English words ‘whoops’ and ‘there’. The scientists studied reactions from one-year-old babies to their mum’s voice even when she was speaking either languages… And the same process was repeated in Greek with the same tone in the voice. The academics found that babies reproduced the same reaction regardless of whether they knew the language – proving it was all Greek to them.” w/ photos

“Being placed into a machine for another experiment, these mice are playing a big part in the continuing fight against obesity. A team from the the Integrated Research and Treatment Center for Adipositas at Leipzig University are using the animals to test a number of developments they hope will lead to an obesity pill. The team, of whom Eva Boege, pictured below, is a member are analyzing tissue samples of both obese people and animals. They are 800 samples currently stored there, with an expansion in the pipeline. Scientists at the university are looking at ways that hunger and satisfy appetite can lead to university. They are focusing on parts of the brain that are involved in the regulation of hunger in the hope of developing a treatment.” w/ photos

“Many cats seem to know, for example, when they are going to the vet’s — hiding away in the hope that their owners might get bored of looking for them and give up on the idea. More dramatically, some animals seem to sense when their owners have had accidents or have died in distant places — as documented on my database of more than 5,000 case histories involving psychic phenomena in animals. This includes 177 cases of dogs apparently responding to the death or suffering of their absent masters or mistresses, mostly by howling, whining or whimpering, and 62 accounts of cats showing similar signs of distress. Conversely, in 32 instances people knew when their pet had died or was in dire need, even when they were many miles away at the time. As we will see, these paranormal powers are of potentially huge value to human beings in the prediction of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis. And yet, as someone who has spent his entire adult life working as a biologist, holding senior academic posts both here and in the U.S., I am constantly surprised and frustrated by the refusal of my colleagues in the scientific world to take them seriously.” w/ photo

“People suffering from depression and bipolar disorder who don’t respond to drugs and therapy could finally find relief from their symptoms thanks to a brain pacemaker. The medical device is implanted under the skull and sends electrical impulses deep into the brain. Scientists led by Dr Helen Mayberg from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, found 41 per cent responded to the treatment and one in five went into remission after just six months. The trial included patients with bipolar disorder along with those with severe depression. It followed on from an earlier study by Dr Mayberg that was the first to show deep brain stimulation could help people with major depressive disorder.” w/ photos

“This makes me feel special… hehe!” — iamawesomecat

“I’m selling love, contact me for more information. The price can be discussed.” — IntaCrock