Scientists attending a global warming conference in London warn the world is close to a point of no return, which will make conditions irreversibly hotter.
Scientists at the “Planet Under Pressure Conference” say it’s critical to contain global warming in this decade.
Will Steffen, executive director of the Australian National University’s Climate Change Institute, said, “This is the critical decade. If we don’t get the curves turned around this decade we will cross those lines.”
Standing up for yourself could save your life
(Photo: David Boyle Creative Commons)
Standing more and sitting less could reduce your chances of dying earlier, according to a study which looked at 200,000 people.
The Sax Institute‘s 45 and Up Study found adults who sat 11 or more hours per day had a 40 percent increased risk of dying in the next three years, as compared with those who stood more and sat for fewer than four hours a day.
People who weren’t physically active – and sat the most – have twice the risk of dying within three years than active people who don’t sit as much.
Among the physically inactive group, those who sat the most had nearly one-third higher chance of dying than those who sat least.
“That morning walk or trip to the gym is still necessary, but it’s also important to avoid prolonged sitting,” said Hidde van der Ploeg, lead study author from the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health.
Today’s cattle descended from wild ox
(Photo: Andrew Gray via Flickr)
All the cattle on Earth today descended from the same few dozen animals, which were domesticated from wild ox in the Near East some 10,500 years ago, according to the findings of a recent genetic study.
An international team of scientists took DNA from cattle living today and compared it to the bones of domestic cattle excavated from several Iranian archaeological sites.
The archaeological samples were taken from sites located in a region where cattle were first domesticated, not too long after the concept of farming took hold.
After comparing the sequences of DNA, the team found that differences in the DNA could have only taken place if just a small number of animals, approximately 80, were domesticated from the wild ox.
Chocoholics rejoice!
Mmmmm chocolate! (Photo: Jim Rudoni via Flickr)
Good news for chocolate lovers who are concerned about their weight.
New research links frequent chocolate consumption to a lower body mass index (BMI).
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, studied about 1,000 men and women who didn’t have cardiovascular disease, diabetes or high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels.
Participants were asked how many times they ate chocolate in a week. The researchers found that adults who ate chocolate more frequently had a lower BMI than those who ate chocolate less often.
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