It is a little known fact that some people are born with an immunity to HIV/AIDS. Such a person could be exposed to infection again and again and yet not contract the illness. They are the lucky ones. But more than that, they could also be the ones who hold the cure for the world. Some suggest that Elton John may be one such person who is immune to HIV. I today’s post, I look at what causes someone to be immune to HIV and whether Sir Elton John might have this special gift… Read more
Dr Stu’s science of bisuit dunking
Go on, admit it: you love doing it. Every morning at 11 O’clock, tens of thousands of people prise open the biscuit tin to get ready to do some dunking. It’s a worldwide tea break curiosity that has existed to since the dawn of the sweet baked treat. In America, they do it with doughnuts, while South Africans like to use rusks.
In a tonight’s BBC4 documentary, Nigel Slater’s Great British Biscuit, I explain some of the science of biscuit dunking. Here, more of the mysteries of the dunk are unwrapped… Read more
Isn’t it time that fad diets went out of fashion?
Channel 4’s Supersize vs Superskinny is back on the telly. The long-running health show, which challenges two ‘extreme eaters’ to swap diets for a week, used to be my TV-watching guilty pleasure. Previous series’ were known for the infamous ‘feeding tube’ – a huge Perspex cylinder into which a week’s worth of food is emptied. It was a startling and vulgar visual representation of how much (and how little) some people can eat. And while Supersize vs Superskinny has been widely criticised for trivialising serious eating issues, it nevertheless reveals just how topsy-turvy attitudes to food have become. We now live in a world of extremes – and extreme times call for extreme weight loss diets. Read more
Why playing a musical instrument is good for you
A horrifying screech is coming from 221B Baker Street. Dr Watson and Mrs Hudson look at each other despairingly. Sherlock is practicing his violin. Again.
The character depicted in the recent BBC series, Sherlock, has no musical ability. (Although the literary version was a good musician). He would scratch his fiddle to unwind and help his mind solve the latest case. And like the famous detective, some of us also strum a guitar or poot a flute to find some peace and solace. Medical science now tells us that this is only the half of the story. Read more
Take the smartphone addiction test! Are you hooked to your iPhone?
It’s dinner time and the log fire is burning. My wife and I sitting in a pub on a rainy day and we are eyeing the menus – the seafood looks nice. Yes, this is the stuff of an English holiday by the sea: sitting on wooden chairs near an open fire with harassed-looking bar staff in one corner and a gambling machine in the other.
A family dressed in matching waterproof coats – clearly also on their holiday – take seats next to us. That’s odd, I think, there’s none of the usual sibling squabbling between the kids. No, this family is calm and contented because two of the school age kids are on their smartphones. And so are both the parents. Meanwhile, the six year old is playing on a Gameboy.
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The science behind a midlife crisis: are you having one?
Rock concerts, fast cars and beach holidays – a midlife crisis sounds like a dream. If you happen to be a child of a parent going through a 40-something identity crisis – then you’re probably in for a great time.
Just because you’ve bought a ridiculously overpriced motorbike and you’re over 35, does it mean you’re having a midlife crisis? Today we shall be finding out what’s really behind those middle-aged Harley Davidson cravings.
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Does hot weather make you act like an idiot?
At the height of summer, tempers fray: drivers honk their horns and couples bicker in the car park. It’s a hot day and I’m in a rage because the person in front of me has decided to walk at a pace that would embarrass a very slow snail. With a mobility impairment.
‘GET OUT OF MY WAY! Can’t you see I’m in a rush?’
Mercifully, I refrain from shouting at the slow walking woman (with child) in the middle of the street. Thank goodness for good ol’ British self-control.
Along with men’s eye-wateringly white legs (revealed for the first time this year), odd things happen when the mercury rises up the scale. But can you really blame the weather for being an irrational grump? Or do you just need a vacation? Read more
More Money makes you Bad at Work: The Myth of Performance-Related Pay.
Motivated by money? I confess I am. Well ok, not always: there are plenty of things that will trump a stack of greenbacks. However, few of us would object to a kindly benefactor plopping a million quid into our current account. Even for the least materially-minded, it would be difficult to ignore such an offer: an abundance of wealth brings great opportunities to do great things for a great many people. Just ask Bill Gates.
But would money make you work harder? Politicians have a thing for ‘performance-related pay’ – especially when it means cutting the salaries of civil servants. If you listen to the UK Chancellor and his sidekick (Education Secretary, Michael Gove) then getting paid more for doing a good job is “empowering”, “rewarding” and will “drive up quality” (read the words of what he is proposing for teachers). It’s a simple equation: more money = harder work. Who could argue with such a logical conclusion? Well, money may make you try harder, but what you do will be lousy. Read more
Online reviews and movie critics are fantastic – so why do we ignore them?
The carpet is sticky and the smell of hotdogs mingles with sweet popcorn. The trailers are rolling. Even though person’s knee from the seat behind jabs into my back, I don’t care. The summer blockbuster is about to start and I’ve heard great things about it…
But two hours, a bursting bladder and numb bottom later, I leave disappointed.
Everyone hates wasting time and money watching cinematic drivel. If I (or a friend) were to recommend a film to you, would you go and watch it? With dozens of online review websites, no longer must we ‘take a punt’ on a movie. So, it would be safe to assume that all this information makes us better at picking good movies. Oddly enough, it doesn’t. Like a flock of sheep, we ignore good advice. Like lambs to the… Read more
A little less money could do us some good
It can get depressing to reach Wednesday and the week’s food budget has already run out. It reminds me of college life. You young folk who are going to college, you’ve got it all to look forward to: independence, parties, lectures and beans on toast (not necessarily in that order). Let’s face it, with the exception of Benedictine monks, there aren’t many of us who like being short of cash.
But living less disposable income could do our heart a world of good. Recent research shows a link between a lighter wallet, a smaller belt, and a healthier body. You never know, austerity measures and increased taxes may have a silver lining after all… Read more