1 /11
An actual GOBLIN?!
The world just keeps on turning and the things that happen on planet Earth just keep getting stranger. Scientists could help us live for decades more, dogs may be responsible for the next health crisis and the remains of a goblin unearthed?! Read on to discover the strangest stories from the past week… (©BANG Showbiz)
2 /11
Scientists to give us more time
Scientists could have worked out how to increase lifespans by 80 per cent. Experts from the University of California San Diego have, for the first time, shown that it is possible to hijack the genetic pathway involved in cellular ageing. The team were able to increase the lifespan of yeast cells by over 80 per cent and believe that there is no reason why the same feat could not be accomplished with human cells. The findings come amid growing belief amongst scientists that ageing is simply a disease that is able to be treated. The researchers wrote: "Our work represents a proof-of-concept, demonstrating the successful application of synthetic biology to reprogramme the cellular ageing process and may lay the foundation for designing synthetic gene circuits to effectively promote longevity in the more complex organisms." (©BANG Showbiz)
3 /11
Dead goblin found in Mexico
A dead 'goblin' has been discovered buried in a disused warehouse in Mexico. The foetus was found during construction work in Santa Maria Regla, northeast of Mexico City. The goblin has a tiny body, four limbs, a disfigured face and a pronounced nose, claws and a tail. Municipal mayor Francisco Mayoral Flores, who discovered the mummified remains, said: "Everyone can value it themselves based on their beliefs and traditions. If it had been found in another municipality, it would not have been relevant. "But due to the themes of goblins and the mystical here, there is a cultural and social demand to give it importance." Mayor Flores confirmed that the remains could be from a "goblin or a nagual". In Mesoamerican mythology, a nagual is a human with the ability to shape shift into an animal. Authorities have confirmed that the foetus is being analysed by university experts. (©BANG Showbiz)
4 /11
What act is causing an 'epidemic' of throat cancer?
A certain sexual practice is causing an "epidemic" of throat cancers in the US and UK. Dr. Hisham Mehanna, from the University of Birmingham, says that 70 per cent of throat cancer cases are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) - a normally harmless virus that is spread sexually and has been linked to a multitude of cancers. Dr. Mehanna explained that people who have multiple partners and engage in mouth-based acts have up to a nine-fold increased risk of suffering throat cancer. He wrote in The Conversation: "Over the past two decades, there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in the West, to the extent that some have called it an epidemic. "This has been due to a large rise in a specific type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal cancer." (©BANG Showbiz)
5 /11
McDonald's lasts forever...
A couple discovered well-preserved McDonald's fries inside their bathroom wall. Grace and Rob Jones recently decided to remodel their kitchen and bathroom at their 63-year-old home in Illinois but were stunned to find two McDonald's hamburger wrappers and a preserved set of fries inside the wall as they removed the property's original toilet paper holder. Rob told 'Today': "We just kind of assume whoever was building the house probably went there for lunch, and it fell in there or they did it on purpose." The fast food wrappers featured the original logo when the restaurant chain opened back in 1955, including its first mascot Speedee. (©BANG Showbiz)
6 /11
I man, I eat meat!
Men like meat because it makes them feel masculine. A new study has found that guys who enjoy eating meat view themselves as more traditionally masculine and consider it to be "normal". Experts from the University of Canberra in Australia surveyed over 5,000 men and women on their gender typicality and attitudes towards eating meat. In addition to masculine men, the research found that women who consider themselves to be stereotypically feminine think that meat-eating is "natural, necessary and nice". The team believe that this is because people who tend to conform to gender norms are likely to see reducing meat consumption as a "norm violation". (©BANG Showbiz)
7 /11
Dogs to cause next pandemic?
Humans could soon be infected by dog flu. Scientists fear that a deadly dog influenza virus has shown signs that it could leap to pet owners with potentially lethal consequences. Canines were first infected by the bird flu virus H3N2 in 2006 and the illness is now an established threat to dogs but boffins fear that pooches will be a "stepping stone" for the disease to jump to humans. Professor James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge, said: "The changes in the canine virus apparently are making it better adapted to transmit within mammals, as you might expect after such a long period in dogs. "The virus does not seem to pose particularly worrying health threats to dogs - one might be more concerned about the longer term pandemic potential in other species such as humans." (©BANG Showbiz)
8 /11
But I like eating fries...
Eating fries can make people depressed. A new study has analysed more than 140,000 people in the UK, who filled out a questionnaire on what they had eaten in the previous 24 hours. The group was followed up for an average of 11 years to see if they showed symptoms of anxiety and depression and those who ate at least one portion of fried food were 12 per cent more likely to have anxiety than those who did not. Experts at Zhejiang University in China suspect that acrylamide - the chemical substance formed when potatoes are baked and fried at high temperatures - is linked to inflammation in the brain. The study authors note: "Diet has recently been linked with the risk of developing depression and anxiety. "A Western diet of fried or processed foods, refined grains, sugary products, and beer is associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety. "Typically, fried foods are a major part of the Western diet, and the consumption of fried foods increases worldwide, especially during the Covid outbreak." (©BANG Showbiz)
9 /11
Are you ready for AI aliens?
Aliens are likely to be artificial intelligence. Experts doubt that any biological creature will live long enough to travel the vast distance across the universe to reach Earth, meaning that extraterrestrials are more likely to be AI - like the robots in the 'Terminator' films. Scientists also believe that the human race should be focusing on creating AI astronauts to hunt the aliens down. Former NASA astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch said: "For space exploration - meaning exploration beyond our immediate cosmic neighbourhood - it is probably essential. "We should expect more planets in the universe to be populated by AIs than by the Little Green Men of 1950s science fiction. "Rather than look for signs of biology, we might be on the lookout for planets more suitable to AI." (©BANG Showbiz)
10 /11
The right sports bra makes you go faster...
A good sports bra can help women run faster. Research suggests that the right bra could knock 15 minutes off a marathon time of about four hours and more than 30 seconds off each mile by improving both posture and style. Nearly three-quarters of women experience breast pain when they are exercising, which is a significant barrier to activities such as jogging. Wearing the wrong bra can cause women to reduce the amount of movement and side-to-side rotation in their torso and pelvis as they run in an effort to minimise breast pain, reducing exercise efficiency and economy. Study author Dr. Douglas Powell, of the University of Memphis, said: "The findings show that breast support not only influences movement of the breasts but the compensations occur across the entire body. "These compensations can lead to reduced running performance, increased injury risk, and even the development of chronic pain such as back and chest pain. "Our findings, in conjunction with previous research studies, show that sports bras should be considered not only as apparel, but also as sports equipment that can reduce the risk of injury, playing a role in women's health." (©BANG Showbiz)
11 /11
In space no one can hear you have sex!
Space tourists could be hit with a sex ban. Scientists are fearful of what could happen to a baby conceived in orbit due to microgravity and increased radiation. NASA says that "no humans have ever had sex in space" but a report claims "the possibility of uncontrolled human conception" in space "poses a significant risk to the emerging space tourism sector". The space agency adds: "Our knowledge of the effects of these space environments on the early stages of human reproduction and the long-term consequence to human offspring is in its infancy." (©BANG Showbiz)
The world just keeps on turning and the things that happen on planet Earth just keep getting stranger.
