Mood:  bright

The population of the planet reached seven billion in October, according to the United Nations. But what's the figure for all those who have lived before us?

It is often said that there are more people alive today than have ever lived - and this "fact" has raised its head again since the UN announcement about the planet's population reaching a new high.

The idea helps fuel fears that the population is expanding too fast.

Full Story from BBC

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Thursday, 9 February 2012 01:03 CET

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Mood:  d'oh

An elderly French man is fighting to make a formal break with the Catholic Church, in a case that could have far-reaching effects.

Rene LeBouvier, 71, has taken the church to court over its refusal to let him nullify his baptism after losing his faith in the religion.

Though he was raised in a community where Catholicism dominated every walk of life, Rene changed his views in the 1970s after spending time with 'free thinkers'.

Full Story from dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Thursday, 9 February 2012 11:03 CET

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Mood:  chatty

Loners who use Facebook in a bid to make new friends only end up annoying the few pals they already have, new research claims.

Findings reveal that people suffering low self-esteem who sign up to Facebook often end up over-sharing personal information and moaning.

This presents a negative image of them which irritates existing friends and puts new ones off from getting close to them.

Full Story from dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Wednesday, 8 February 2012 11:17 CET

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Mood:  happy

Feelings of anxiety following a harrowing experience are normal; they help us survive in a world of real threats. But as time passes and a potential threat diminishes, stress, in turn, ought to die down. It doesn't for everyone. Sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as anxiety disorders and depression , are unable to switch off their feelings of extreme stress long after the trauma that induced it has ended.

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have identified the proteins that switch off the stress response

Full Story from lifeslittlemysteries.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Wednesday, 8 February 2012 01:52 CET

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Mood:  chatty

Silver can kill some cancers as effectively as chemotherapy and with potentially fewer side effects, new research claims.

Scientists say that old wives tales about the precious metal being a ‘silver bullet’ to beat the Big C could be true.

The metal already has a wide range of medicinal uses and is a common antiseptic, antibiotic and means of purifying water in the third world.

Full Story from dailymail.co.uk

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Wednesday, 8 February 2012 17:10 CET

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Mood:  cheeky

Mars may have been arid for more than 600 million years, making it too hostile for any life to survive on the planet's surface, according to researchers who have been carrying out the painstaking task of analysing individual particles of Martian soil. Dr Tom Pike, from Imperial College London, will discuss the team's analysis at a European Space Agency (ESA) meeting on 7 February 2012.

Full Story from sciencedaily.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 11:18 CET

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Mood:  chatty

Society rewards extroverts, but quiet types have a hidden strength all their own,

Imagine a 2-year-old who greets you with a huge smile, offering a toy. Now here’s another child who regards you gravely and hides behind his parent’s leg. How do you feel about these two children?

Full Article from time.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Tuesday, 7 February 2012 10:59 CET

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Mood:  a-ok

Once again, alien conspiracy theorists have attempted to use publicly available NASA images to prove that the space agency must be engaging in an elaborate UFO cover-up. And, once again, they've been foiled by the laws of physics.

This time, they called attention to peculiar new footage captured by a telescope onboard NASA's STEREO-B spacecraft -- one of a pair of probes parked on either side of the sun which, together, provide a 360-degree view of the inner solar system. The footage shows Venus, Earth and, on the opposite side of the field-of-view, a mysterious triangular object headed our way.

Full Story from cbsnews.com

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Tuesday, 7 February 2012 01:41 CET

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Mood:  chatty

The recent crash landing of Russian spacecraft Phobos-Grunt has focused attention on the increasing amount of space junk orbiting the planet. So does this mean the Earth has been getting lighter? The BBC's Radio 4 programme More or Less turned to a group of Cambridge University academics for the answer.

Full Story from BBC

Posted by Neil Bartlett DHyp M.A.E.P.H at 01:01 CET

Updated: Monday, 6 February 2012 13:09 CET

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