Latest Stories from Jessica
Study says drinking lager could promote gut health in men
According to new research, men who drink one lager a day – alcoholic or not – have more diverse gut microbes. Great news, as good gut health is known to prevent several chronic diseases. The benefits and dangers of alcohol have been long debated in medical science, but that’s hardly stopped it from being widely consumed across the world. It’s estimated that 2 billion people consume alcohol on a regular...
What the emerging woolly mammoth tusk says about our planet
The internet is going crazy over a mammoth tusk found poking out of an Alaskan riverbank, but is its emergence a warning sign for humanity? Pessimism isn’t my forte, but when age old specimens previously hidden inside frost and within rocks suddenly become visible to the naked eye – the climate concern bell in my brain starts ringing. Researchers from the University of Alaska’s Sanctuary Lab were on a mission to...
Rubbish bins are talking dirty to Swedish citizens to prevent littering
Don’t be startled, Swedes - there’s no one living inside your public bins. They’ve simply been fitted with recordings of women talking dirty to encourage you from putting your rubbish exactly where it’s supposed to go. I’m on the fence about whether this is totally weird or somewhat genius. To discourage people from littering in the streets of Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city, two local rubbish bins have been fitted with...
Will ‘forever chemicals’ hinder human reproductive ability?
Samples taken from 100 men in Denmark reveal the presence of a ‘cocktail’ of toxic chemicals, causing scientists to question how these chemicals are affecting our ability to reproduce. While a large portion of Gen-Z isn’t exactly rushing to populate the Earth (duh, it’s burning!), there’s been concern in recent years that declining sperm counts in men could lead to population problems in the future. Research from the early 90s...
What safe water at Gaza City’s beach means for Palestinians
Decades of tension has affected water quality at Gaza Beach, forcing locals to choose between protecting their physical wellbeing or enjoying life’s simple pleasures. The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, home to 2.3 million Palestinians who have been confined to 362 square kilometres due to the Israeli occupation. To the west of Gaza City lies a beach, one of the only places...
Research says being lonely shrinks brains and increases dementia risk
We might be out of lockdown, but social isolation hasn’t ended for everyone. Loneliness prevails across all generations – and science says it’s not so great for our brains. At some point in our lives, we’ve all felt lonely. Whether you moved to a new place, ended a close and valued relationship, or had a best friend move away for good – avoidance of this gut-wrenching feeling is one that causes...
Bower transforms ghost fishing nets into sustainable swimwear
The way we consume products affects the planet we live on. In light of World Oceans Day, it’s time we highlight initiatives and brands working together to create products that leave our seas better off. While improving the health of our oceans will require a collective effort on a variety of different fronts, figuring out how to eradicate the most visible culprit – plastic pollution – is one of...
AI is being taught to monitor coral reef health through its ‘songs’
Who’s making the hardest beats under the sea these days? We’ll soon find out, because British scientists have trained AI to track the sounds of coral reefs to monitor their health. It’s not all Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo narratives down there, but regardless, the ocean is a noisy place - especially in areas where sea life is abundant. In particular, the complex soundscapes discovered amongst coral reefs can offer up...
Momentum building ahead of 2022 UN Ocean Conference
The President of the UN General Assembly has urged attendees to ‘arrive with demonstrable evidence of progress’ in providing solutions to the current ocean crisis. Documentaries such as ‘Seaspiracy’ and ‘A Plastic Ocean’ raised public alarm on the vitality of Earth’s oceans for humanity’s survival – a fact that marine biologists have known for years. Though the general public is only now waking up to the atrocities taking place out at...
Diving into the Pacific Ocean’s plastic nightmare
Somewhere floating in the Pacific is a collection of plastic so large, experts can only estimate its size - an incomprehensible mass of 1.6 million km2. Unless you’ve been ignoring the state of the planet, don’t have a Netflix account (or access to somebody else’s) and haven’t been graced by the eighth wonder of the world David Attenborough, it’s likely you’re already aware of the plastic problem plaguing our seas. Since...
