insert_link Lifestyle Who created the alphabet? A historian describes the millennia-long story of the ABCs Creating the alphabet took thousands of years. kovalchuk/iStock via Getty Images Plus Jane Sancinito, UMass Lowell Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Who created the alphabet and decided its order? – Priti C., age 12, Mumbai, India A, B, C, D, E, F, G – makes you want to hum the […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 11
insert_link Health / Medical Our sense of taste helps pace our eating – understanding how may lead to new avenues for weight loss A team of scientists uncovers a logic the brainstem uses to control how fast and how much we eat. Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images Zachary Knight, University of California, San Francisco As a scientist who investigates hunger and weight control, I’m interested in the way our brains let us know we’ve had enough. As we begin to feel full, we slow down how quickly we eat. For decades, scientists have thought that […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 10
insert_link Namibia ACC and TAIEX host anti-corruption workshop The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is hosting an anti-corruption framework workshop in Windhoek this week in partnership with the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) instrument of the European Commission. The three-day workshop started on Monday. Its objectives align with the execution of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan of 2021-2025, with the focus on Act 2.1.3 which focuses on establishing a comprehensive framework at national level to conduct […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 23
insert_link Science & Technology In the market for a car? Soon you’ll be able to buy a Hyundai on Amazon − and only a Hyundai Hyundai and Amazon announced a big partnership in November 2023. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images Vivek Astvansh, McGill University This is the year you can finally buy a car on Amazon. Well, one kind. Eventually. On Nov. 16, 2023, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Amazon and Hyundai made a big announcement: Starting sometime in 2024, a new pilot program would let shoppers not only browse Hyundai cars on Amazon.com but pay […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 42
insert_link Health / Medical Treatment can do more harm than good for prostate cancer − why active surveillance may be a better option for some A cancer diagnosis is serious, but immediately starting treatment sometimes isn’t the best course of action. ljubaphoto/E+ via Getty Images Jinping Xu, Wayne State University Although about 1 in 8 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, only about 1 in 44 will die from it. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer die from other causes, especially those with a low-risk prostate cancer that […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 12
insert_link Health / Medical How Fringe Anti-Science Views Infiltrated Mainstream Politics — And What It Means in 2024 People protest against covid-19 vaccine mandates outside of Los Angeles Unified School District's offices on May 10, 2022. (DAVID CRANE/MEDIANEWS GROUP/LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS VIA GETTY IMAGES) By Amy Maxmen via KFF Health News Rates of routine childhood vaccination hit a 10-year low in 2023. That, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, puts about 250,000 kindergartners at risk for measles, which often leads to hospitalization and can cause death. In recent […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 16
insert_link Lifestyle Disinformation is often blamed for swaying elections – the research says something else Alexandru Nika/Shutterstock Magda Osman, Cambridge Judge Business School Many countries face general elections this year. Political campaigning will include misleading and even false information. Just days ago, it was reported that a robocall impersonating US president Joe Biden had told recipients not to vote in the presidential primary. But can disinformation significantly influence voting? There are two typical styles of election campaigning. One is positive, presenting favourable attributes of politicians […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 13
insert_link Health / Medical Certain indoor air pollutants can be absorbed through the skin – here’s what you need to know Phthalates are one of these pollutants that our skin can absorb. atk work/ Shutterstock Asit Kumar Mishra, University College Cork and Gabriel Bekö, Technical University of Denmark Even though most of us will spend a majority of our lives indoors, that doesn’t mean we aren’t still exposed to air pollution. Indoor air contains a wide array of pollutants including chemicals found in many common household items, building materials and cleaning […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 18
insert_link Lifestyle Pickle, anyone? 3 possible reasons women get cravings during pregnancy wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock Lauren Ball, The University of Queensland and Katelyn Barnes, The University of Queensland From pickles and french fries to oranges and ice cream, women and other people who are pregnant report craving a range of foods while they’re expecting. A food craving is a strong urge to eat a specific food. The intense desire to eat is not necessarily related to hunger and can be difficult to ignore or […] todayJanuary 29, 2024 10
