Health
Discover facts about health. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Health
Why plant-based diets need a B12 source
Going strictly plant-based might be great for the planet, but your biology still heavily craves the animal kingdom. Vitamin B12, a nutrient completely…
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Can fruits and vegetables help your body make aspirin
Turns out your salad is secretly a pharmacy. Benzoic acid found in many fruits and veggies interacts with your gut chemistry to produce salicylic acid—the…
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Leprosy symptoms can take 20 years to appear
Talk about an uncomfortable waiting game. The bacteria that causes leprosy multiplies so painstakingly slowly that its incubation period can stretch out for…
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Can walking barefoot on soil reduce inflammation
The hippies actually had a point. Termed 'earthing,' making direct physical contact with soil allegedly allows your body to absorb negative electrons that…
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Acetylcholine triggers immediate muscle action
A single squirt of this specialized neurochemical is the only reason your limbs obey your commands instead of hanging uselessly. It specifically binds to…
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Teeth grinding mostly happens during early stages of rest
Your jaw strictly decides to go to war just as you are nodding off. The violent clenching and sliding of your smile hardware usually kicks in during lighter…
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The rice-grain-sized bone that helps you hear
While your femur gets all the glory for holding up your massive body weight, the real MVP is the stapes bone hiding in your middle ear. Measuring a pathetic…
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Why boiling water can't kill tetanus spores
If you think washing a rusty nail makes it safe, think again. The bacteria responsible for tetanus form microscopic spores that are practically…
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Why the edges of your vision lose color
Your ability to see color abruptly stops at the extreme edges of your vision. The sensors responsible for color are strictly packed in the dead center,…
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The Adam and Eve myth didn't change your rib count
Despite what centuries of poorly interpreted Sunday school lessons might have suggested, men did not permanently lose a rib to create women. Both biological…
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Ancient surgeons used ants as living stitches
When sewing heavily bleeding wounds shut with a needle was entirely too complicated, ancient surgeons opted for biological staples. In parts of Africa and…
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What kinesiology tape actually does
Covering yourself in brightly colored, stretchy tape patterns looks incredibly athletic, but the actual structural benefits are heavily debated. At best, it…
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Why cinnamon won’t cancel out a sugary diet
Sprinkling a fragrant tree bark onto a massive bowl of sugary oatmeal will not neutralize the consequences. While some tiny, isolated studies show marginal…
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Intermittent fasting may just mean skipping meals
You can call it a revolutionary eating window all you want, but you are basically just skipping breakfast. The main reason it works for weight loss is simply…
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Why pets leave you exhausted after a night in bed
Cuddling with a golden retriever feels lovely until you realize they are ruining your night. Animals possess entirely different rest cycles, twitching,…
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Water aerobics lets you exercise without overheating
Invented as a highly accessible way to keep moving, this low-impact routine completely eliminates the worst part of exercising: getting hot. By completely…
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Why bitter coffee appeals to some people
You aren't fundamentally more sophisticated for drinking espresso completely straight. Research shows that people who crave extremely bitter foods and drinks…
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Sildenafil actively dilates vascular structures globally
The world's most famous little blue pill was a massive disappointment for its original intended purpose. It was engineered to lower arterial pressure, but…
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Why complaining might be good for you
The office pessimist might outlive us all, and there is scientific reasoning behind their infuriating longevity. Suppressing negative emotions spikes cortisol…
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Why public toilets rarely transmit STIs
Unless you are engaging in some incredibly specific acrobatics in the stall, you are safe. STDs require the exchange of bodily fluids and direct contact with…
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Your lungs hide an astonishing length of blood vessels
If you just measured the microscopic circulatory pipes inside a single respiratory balloon, the total length is utterly baffling. You are hiding…
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You can swallow even while hanging upside down
Gravity has absolutely nothing to do with how your meals reach your stomach. Your digestive tract uses powerful, rhythmic muscular waves called peristalsis to…
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People with two different colored eyes have heterochromia
Nature's incredibly subtle way of reminding us that genetic copy-paste sometimes glitches. Heterochromia occurs due to uneven melanin concentration, often…
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Potassium sparks electrical signals in your nerves
The exact same element people tell you to get from bananas is physically responsible for generating tiny lightning storms in your wiring. Without it, your…
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