Category Archives: Science & Health

Science and health issues or matters. Find health items for virus COVID-19 in this category.

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Science & Health, Web & Technology

Will this “bionic” font help you read faster? | Literary Hub

By Jessie Gaynor, May 31, 2022, 12:10pm

from article..

Focusing on a screen, whether it’s your work screen or your post-work FUN SCREEN(!), can feel like it’s draining the life force right out of you and making it impossible to focus on anything longer than 280 characters (and to be honest, some of those long Tweets are a stretch, too).

But a new tool, a font called “Bionic Reading,” claims to help readers—particular those with attention issues—focus on an absorb text. The font renders “the most concise parts of words” in bold, which the font’s creators claim will “guide the eye over the text” and help the brain remember “previously learned words more quickly.”

from article…

Source: Will this “bionic” font help you read faster? ‹ Literary Hub

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Libraries, Podcasts, Science & Health, Web & Technology

Librarian Jessamyn West on teaching computer skills in rural Vermont | Slate

“In my dream world, library school would partly be help desk school.”

Podcast production by Cameron Drews, May 29, 20227:00 AM

https://dcs.megaphone.fm/SLT7794022753.mp3

Screenshot…

This week, host June Thomas talks to Jessamyn West, a librarian in rural Vermont who’s working to improve computer literacy and access to library services in her community.

In the interview, Jessamyn explains her process for helping people to learn basic computer skills, like building a resume, setting up an online dating profile, or learning how to use a mouse.

She also talks about her broader mission to make sure technology is intuitive and accessible to everyone who needs it.

After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler discuss mantras and understanding your strengths and weaknesses.

Note: View transcript…

Source: Librarian Jessamyn West on teaching computer skills in rural Vermont

Current Affairs, Science & Health

Scientists find key brain abnormality that may explain why some people are psychopaths | ZME Science

A brain region that is associated with reward perception and impulsive behavior is 10% larger in psychopaths.

ByTibi Puiu, June 2, 2022, in Health & Medicine, News, Psychology

Credit:Pixabay.

Psychopathy is one of the most recognizable and well-studied personality disorders — and for good reason too: it can sometimes be deadly dangerous.

But with all the research that’s been poured into studying psychopathy and its anti-social traits, we still don’t have a clear picture as to what causes it.

Like other developmental disorders, there is not one single cause of psychopathy, with research indicating a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors that work together to shape people into psychopaths. These factors could manifest themselves in fundamental biological differences at the neural level between psychopathic and non-psychopathic people — and a new study may have just spotted one such biological difference. …

By looking at the brain scans of the individuals who scored higher on the psychopathy test, the researchers noticed that an area of the forebrain, known as the striatum, was about 10% larger in psychopathic people compared to individuals with low or no psychopathic traits.

Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for original item…

Source: Scientists find key brain abnormality that may explain why some people are psychopaths

Current Affairs, Food & Drink, Science & Health

Coffee with sugar can be healthy, reduce death risk, study suggests | USA Today

By Mike Snider, USA TODAY, May 31, 2022

close up of coffee cup
Photo by Chevanon Photography on Pexels.com

Coffee drinkers, new research reinforces previous findings that your daily cup of joe may help you live longer – regardless of whether you add a bit of sugar.

Compared to non-coffee drinkers, regular consumers of unsweetened coffee were 16% to 21% less likely to die during a seven-year follow-up period, according to a new study in the May 31 edition of the peer-reviewed Annals of Internal Medicine.

Those who added sugar and drank 1½-3½ cups daily of sweetened coffee were 29% to 31% less likely to die, researchers said.

Source: Coffee with sugar can be healthy, reduce death risk, study suggests

Current Affairs, Food & Drink, Memories & History, Pleasures, Science & Health, Travel

Faster, cleaner, greener: What lies ahead for train travel | CNN Travel

Ben Jones, CNN, Published 29th May 2022

from article…

(CNN) — Faster, cleaner, greener and packed with advanced technology; rail is the only transport mode currently well placed to provide the backbone of our future mobility needs.

But, while a few niche projects promise ultra high-speed travel, much of the industry is focused on keeping the world’s increasingly urbanized population moving while simultaneously limiting the effects of climate change.

And then there’s the pandemic. Like many other sectors of the travel industry, train operators across the globe have experienced one of their toughest-ever periods over the last two years.

Passenger numbers collapsed overnight in 2020 as lockdowns prevented commuters and leisure travelers from leaving home. Two years on, Monday to Friday commuting looks to be a thing of the past as many of us choose to work from home or spend just a couple of days a week in the office.

Source: Faster, cleaner, greener: What lies ahead for train travel | CNN Travel

Current Affairs, Love & Relationships, Memories & History, Politics, Science & Health, Times They Are A-Changing

Is this the end of retirement as we know it? – BBC Worklife

By Sophia Epstein, 30th May 2022

from article…

The ‘retirement ideal’ has been changing for years. Older people are increasingly unretiring, changing the shape of this life stage.

Picture retirement in your head. It’s a laughing, grey-haired couple sipping piña coladas on a white sand beach; perhaps they’re getting some liquid courage for their sky dive later. Not a care in the world, their only responsibility is getting their grandchildren good gifts for their birthdays.

It’s a beautiful fantasy – and for many retirees, present and future, it’s just that: a fantasy. The concept of retirement as we know it is changing, and has been for a long time.

The number of people working past retirement age has grown consistently since the 1990s. In the US, 32% of people aged 65 to 69 were in work in 2017, far more than the 22% who were working in 1994. In the UK, employment rates for people older than 65 doubled between 1993 and 2018.

Source: Is this the end of retirement as we know it? – BBC Worklife