Smartphones help in weight loss
Researchers from University of Missouri (MU) Columbia claimed that the applications in smartphone can help dieters shed the extra kilos. “Information technology repackages traditional weight loss strategies and provides new tools such as exercise logs and nutritional databases to implement that knowledge,” explained Cheryl Shigaki, an associate professor in the MU school of health professions. The researchers added that the use of information technology in weight-loss efforts allows people to access features that streamline the tracking of daily health behaviours, such as calorie intake and exercise. The technology enables the users to get visual feedback on their overall progress. “Self-monitoring is key to successful weight loss and information technology can make these tasks more convenient,” Shigaki added. The study has been published in the Journal of Telemedicine and e-Health.
TV shows can transmit stress
Television programmes depicting the suffering of other people can transmit that stress to viewers, said Veronika Engert of Max Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences in leipzig, Germany. Observing another person in a stressful situation can be enough to make our own bodies release the stress hormone cortisol, the study noted. Anyone who is confronted with the suffering and stress of another person has a higher risk of being affected by it themselves. “There must be a transmission mechanism via which the target’s state can elicit a similar state in the observer down to the level of a hormonal stress response,” Engert noted. During the stress test, the participants had to struggle with difficult mental arithmetic tasks and interviews, while two supposed behavioural analysts assessed their performance. The researchers found that 26 per cent of observers who were not directly exposed to any stress whatsoever also showed a significant increase in cortisol.
Mosquitoes kill humans the most
Mosquitoes are the biggest killers of humans, according to a new graphic, released by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Around 100 people are killed every 12 months by the mighty lion, while crocodiles are responsible for 10 times as many deaths. Among the most dangerous animals listed in the graphic are dogs, at number four, due to 25,000 human deaths a year, mostly from rabies caught during dog attacks. The third-deadliest species for humans are snakes, which are responsible for 50,000 deaths every year. Nearly 10 times as many people meet their deaths at the hands of other people, totaling 475,000 annual fatalities. Mosquitoes are the world’s number one killer, according to the 58-year-old philanthropist. They carry devastating diseases. The worst is malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people every year. In addition to malaria, several species of the animal can carry several other potentially deadly diseases, including encephalitis, dengue fever and yellow fever.