A satellite tour of the world’s biggest slums

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Kamagasaki, Japan. A slum in Nishinari-Ku one of 24 wards in Osaka, with a density of 30,000 people in every 2000 meter radius. Source: Androniki Christodoulou

Booming urban populations have seen poverty on the rise in some of the world’s biggest cities. Of the 3.49 billion people that now live in cities, 827.6 million are slum dwellers, according to a UN Habitat Report. Global slums can be vastly different in nature…

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Heart beats to the rhythm of a Circadian Clock

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Hearts respond to natural rhythms.

Sudden cardiac death -catastrophic and unexpected fatal heart stoppage — is more likely to occur shortly after waking in the morning and in the late night.

In a report in the journal Nature, an international consortium of researchers that includes Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland and Baylor College of Medicine explains the molecular linkage between the circadian clock and the deadly heart rhythms that lead to sudden death.

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Neglected New York City phone booths converted into communal libraries

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A phone booth with a new purpose.

The days of the phone booth may be numbered in New York City: with the flood of smartphones, vandalism and lack of maintenance, it may be time to re-think how else they might be used. Local architect John Locke’s proposition is to convert them into communal libraries or book drops, complete with brightly coloured shelving, much like your bricks-and-mortar institutions…

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The noiseless USB karaoke microphone can be a lifesaver

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Sing all you want and don’t annoy others.

Are people getting tired of hearing you sing, and now they’re starting to shoot dirty look daggers into your heart, causing you to lose faith in your future career as a singer?

Then you need to get this plunger looking thing and strap it on your noisemaker. It’s called the Noiseless USB Karaoke Microphone and it just might save your life…

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How to optimize your caffeine intake: there’s an app for that

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Java monitoring control thru technology.

Two doctors at Penn State University have developed Caffeine Zone, a free iOS app that tells you the perfect time to take a coffee break to maintain an optimal amount of caffeine in your blood — and, perhaps more importantly, it also tells you when to stop drinking tea and coffee, so that caffeine doesn’t interrupt your sleep.

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Telling white lies common practice among doctors: study

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Everybody lies — even doctors.

Eleven percent of doctors say that they have told a patient or a child’s guardian something that was not true in the past year, and about 20 percent say they have not fully disclosed a mistake to a patient because they were afraid of being sued, according to a new study.

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Study: Spanking kids can cause long-term harm

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The study shows a mountain of accumulated evidence the damage physical punishment can have on a child.

Long-term developmental damage as well as a lower IQ can be a result of spanking children according to a new Canadian analysis that seeks to shift the ethical debate over corporal punishment into the medical sphere.

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Battling invasive carp with improvised weapons

The Peoria Carp Hunters began as ordinary aerial bowfishermen — people who shoot arrows at fish jumping out of the water. But when they saw that their efforts were not reducing the numbers of Asian flying carp, an invasive species in the United States, the heroes took more extreme measures. Watch and wonder at the weapons and armor that they have devised to battle our piscine foes….

Link -via Say Uncle

How to electrify your brain to be smarter with a 9-volt battery

brain current q23423Boost your brain power with some cranial current.

Transcranial direct current stimulation can make your brain work better. DARPA proved it can make you better at video games, the U.S. Air Force has shown it cuts drone remote-pilot training in half, and Harvard researchers have used it to treat depression. So what is this magical device that powerfully manipulates your brain function and where can you get one?

It’s not much more than a battery and a bunch of wires. In fact, you could actually make it yourself…

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Massage feels good because it changes your gene expression

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Ahhhh. Massage.

Stiff muscles definitely benefit from a rub down, but scientists have never quite known why. Now, a team of researchers has shown that it works by changing your gene expression — quite literally, your body is hard-coded to release pain-easing chemicals when you’re massaged.

If you listen to people in the world of alternative medicine, they’ll normally tell you that massage “releases toxins”. That is bull, and scientists know it. But knowing an answer is wrong doesn’t give you the right one. No, doing some science does…

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.