Your grandmother was right: Mosquitoes remember human smells, but also swats

Your grandmother’s insistence that you receive more bug bites because you are ‘sweeter’ may not be that far-fetched as a study claims that mosquitoes can rapidly learn and remember the smells of hosts. Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the US said dopamine is a key mediator of this process. Mosquitoes use this information and incorporate it with other stimuli to develop preferences for a particular vertebrate host species, and, within that population, certain individuals, they said. However, the study also proved that even if an individual…

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Natural Healing: 7 Everyday Foods That Are Also Effective Antiseptics

Changing seasons may be a natural process, but it also results in various illnesses, as people suffer from common cold, flu, fever, skin infections and allergies. This is mostly because at this time our body’s immunity is weak as it tries to adapt itself to the changing climate. So to stay protected, a good habit would be to resort to natural ingredients that have long been touted as effective remedies for boosting immunity, fighting infections and being antiseptic in nature. Natural antiseptics can help by providing immediate aid against infections. The truth is that…

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Technology Is Taking Away Jobs, But It’s Also Creating Them

Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn says it’s really happening. On Microsoft acquiring LinkedIn, he had a lot to say to his employees but some of the key things that stood out were his thoughts on how technology and automated processes are really changing the future of employment. Apart from all the wide-ranging effects it will have on our lives and society, in general, he says that technology is really beginning to displace millions of people from their jobs. So what should we do? What should really define our time? Weiner…

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Men Can Also Get Osteoporosis

Long thought to be a “women’s disease”, osteoporosis can affect men too because apart from the hormonal changes around menopause, factors such as low testosterone levels, sedentary lifestyle choices, excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking or tobacco-use can also contribute to the disease, health experts suggest. Osteoporosis, which causes bones to become weak and brittle, affects more women because they tend to have thinner bones than men. Moreover, it is also known that as women reach menopause, their vulnerabilities to the disease go up because estrogen, a hormone in women…

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Contraceptives also help keep your bones stronger

Turns out, contraceptives may also be helping women in maintaining their vitamin D levels. Contraceptives are known for keeping women safe from unwanted pregnancies and have helped many developing countries in keeping a check on the population boom. But turns out, contraceptives may also be helping women in maintaining their vitamin D levels. A recent study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism has revealed that women who stop taking contraceptives in order to get pregnant may witness a fall in vitamin D levels in their…

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Can’t do Vegetarian? Try Flexitarian, Which Also has Health Benefits

PhotoCredit:istock From black bean burgers on restaurant menus to eight varieties of hummus at the supermarket, the meatless movement shows no signs of slowing down. The first real blip of vegetarianism in the United States started in 1971 when Frances Moore Lappé published “Diet for a Small Planet,” and explained that meat-based diets can be harmful for our planet and our health. Lappé wrote about ways to reduce food waste and enhance sustainability, but her ideas weren’t widely acted upon; she was ahead of her time. Fast-forward 45 years, and…

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