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Early marijuana use correlated with lower IQ
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In a new study, scientists have discovered that early marijuana use may result in abnormal brain function and lower IQ. To conduct this study, four groups of teenagers were recruited: - Those with depression who were not marijuana users
- Those with depression who were frequent marijuana users
- Frequent marijuana users without depression
- and healthy individuals who were not marijuana users
Participants were later divided into youth who started using marijuana before the age of 17 and those who began using it later or not at all. These participants underwent psychiatric, cognitive and IQ testing as well as brain scanning. The study found no evidence that marijuana use improved depressive symptoms; there was no difference in psychiatric symptoms between ...
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8597 |
duddy |
7 years ago |
One hairy situation
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The hairy frogfish ( Antennarius striatus) is a marine fish with spines resembling strands of hair - and it can change color. This small fish grows up to 22 cm (8.7 in) long, and has a rounded, extensible body. Its large mouth is forwardly extensible, allowing it to swallow prey as large as itself! The coloring of its body is extremely variable because individual fish tend to match their living environments. Frogfishes have the capacity to change coloration and pigment pattern, taking only a few weeks to adapt. The dominant coloration varies from yellow to brownish-orange, passing through a range of shades, but it can also be green, gray, brown, almost white, or even completely black without any pattern. Body and fins can be marked with roug ...
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7178 |
duddy |
7 years ago |
According to Pascal, it's healthy to believe in God
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Many great minds have sought proof for God's existence. For French philosopher and scientist, Blaise Pascal, God's existence was beside the point. He conceded that nobody knows whether or not God exists, but because it's in our own best interests to behave as if He does, that's the most rational choice. This is what's known as Pascal's Wager, since it argues that it's your best bet to believe in God. (Pascal wrote of the Christian God, but this same argument could apply to any god). If God doesn't exist and you behave as if he does, you haven't lost much - just some sleep on Sunday and a few opportunities for sin. But if God does exist, you have everything to lose or gain: act as if he does exist and you spend eternity in heaven; act as if h ...
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9493 |
duddy |
7 years ago |
Watch this rare footage of some extinct animal species
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The thylacine ( Thylacinus cynocephalus) was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. Due to its striped lower back, it is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger. Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it is believed to have become extinct in the 20 th century. It was the last extant member of its family, Thylacinidae; specimens of other members of the family have been found in the fossil record dating back to the late Oligocene. Surviving evidence suggests that it was a relatively shy, nocturnal creature with the general appearance of a medium-to-large-size dog, except for its stiff tail and abdominal pouch (reminiscent of a kangaroo) and dark transverse stripes that radiated from the top of its back, simil ...
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9632 |
duddy |
7 years ago |
8 glasses of water a day might be excessive
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A new study that's challenging the popular idea that we should drink eight glasses of water a day for health purposes shows that a 'swallowing inhibition' is activated by the brain after excess liquid is consumed. This inhibition mechanism helps maintain tightly calibrated volumes of water in the body. The lead scientist has pointed out that if we just do what our body demands us to, we'll probably get it right. In other words, it is the best practice to just drink according to thirst rather than an elaborate schedule. Building on a previous study, the researchers asked participants to rate the amount of effort required to swallow water under two conditions; following exercise when they were thirsty and later after they were persuaded to drin ...
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12199 |
duddy |
7 years ago |
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