When was the last time you were alone with your thoughts for more than a moment or two? Did you enjoy the peace and quiet? Or did you desperately seek distraction? New research suggests many of us will go to great lengths to avoid simply having to think to ourselves.
In 2010, a woman who had received no pre-natal care arrived at a hospital in rural Mississippi already in labour. Tests revealed she was HIV-positive. She gave birth to her baby girl before medication could be given which may have prevented the transmission of the virus from her to her baby.
Thanks to a specialised group of cells called pacemaker cells, your heart keeps beating, and at a regular pace. There are a few thousand of these cells in your heart and they send out the electrical signals that initiate each heartbeat.
Did you ever make mix tapes of your favourite songs? It was a major hobby of mine, and the songs I included changed constantly. But what if you got to create the mix tape of all mix tapes, one that would last for one billion years?
The clergymen of Överkalix, Sweden, kept meticulous records of births, deaths, family linages, and crop harvests for generations. Using their data, scientists have discovered that your DNA can depend on your ancestor's gluttonous excesses or frugal famines.
Espresso Science 