Ancient cave art found in Indonesia

A team of Indonesian and Australian researchers discovered what seems to be the very first record of storytelling through pictures. This cave painting was found on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. According to the researchers, this imagery appears to be 44,000 years old which happens to be thousands of years older than its European counterpart.

The said cave art shows a total of eight creatures that resemble humans carrying spears and ropes who seem to be hunting six animals. These creatures are called “therianthropes”. They are believed to have both human-like and animal-like characteristics. These creatures appear in myths and are believed to be supernatural beings by the locals. Moreover, some of the animals in the painting appear to be local species of buffaloes and warty pigs.

However, a few of these cave paintings have been damaged, according to experts. They added that It would be unfortunate to lose this ancient artwork.

Playing cards spread awareness against gender inequality

In the Netherlands, a woman was not thrilled that a king is regarded as more valuable than a queen in a deck of playing cards.

A psychology major, Indy Mellink, 23 thought this idea fuels the already widespread gender inequality in the society. This thought inspired her to put her creativity into action by coming up with new designs for playing cards. Instead of a king, the most important card would be gold, followed by silver, then bronze. The deck of cards she personally designed called GSB (Gold, Silver, Bronze) is available online. As a matter of fact, she has sold about 1,500 decks to buyers from different parts of the globe.

The first batch who tested GSB admitted that gender inequality never crossed their mind while playing the card game before. Changing the rules of card games may not happen overnight, but dedicated card players are giving it a try.

One Thing You Can Do Right Now to Help Your Heart

Health experts warned about an unhealthy lifestyle that can put a huge risk of heart disease and stroke to individuals. They always advise their patients to eat nutritious food, work out, quit smoking, and limit alcohol intake, but there is something else that can be done that is much simpler and absolutely fee: smile. Dr. Anand Chockalingam, a heart disease expert at the University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Missouri, does this practice—he always recommends his patients to smile. According to Chockalingam, “When we smile, the brain wiring gets altered. The chemicals that are released are more positive.” Chockalingam also added that smiling is the initial step in coping with physical and emotional stress, which was evidenced by many studies. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronary heart disease is the world’s leading cause of death. American Heart Association explained that the connection between stress and heart disease remains uncertain. But the coping mechanism of people under stress might not be healthy. They may binge-eat, smoke, take too much alcohol, and have lack of sleep and exercise, which can all lead to different types of health problems. Dr. Chockalingam says smiling may be of great help, adding that “Once people smile, they are relaxing. This relaxation directly lowers blood pressure, improves sugar levels in the blood. If we are smiling, we are breaking that link between stress and health.”

Poor Sleep Behavior Tied to Many Health Issues

New study suggests that frequently changing one’s sleeping pattern, with different numbers of sleeping hours, can cause metabolic health conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Tianyi Huang, one of the study’s researchers, said that more irregular sleep times would likely result to higher risk of metabolic diseases “no matter if one has short or long sleep duration or has good or poor sleep quality.” And these results cannot be prevented by sleeping longer on some nights, Huang clarified. Kristen Knutson, researcher at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, added that our biological clocks can be the reason why unstable sleeping patterns affect our metabolic health. Explaining further, Knuston said that the human body has 24-hour rhythms that must function collectively with the environment in order to have good health. The body clock of an individual with inconsistent sleeping patterns may have difficulty “staying synchronized” which may result to harm, Knuston added. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides suggestions to prevent sleep-related problems, which include setting a consistent bedtime, sleeping in a dark room without electronics, and avoiding large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bed.

How Many Steps to Take for Good Health?

A new study suggests that older women who walk over three kilometers a day live longer. Based on the findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Americans set a goal of taking 10,000 steps or walking about eight kilometers a day. Researchers, however, have noted that the benefits of walking pace are unclear. Moreover, taking 10,000 steps each day may not be ideal for everyone. Researchers observed 17,000 women in their early 70s as part of the study. The women wore accelerometers to measure the number of steps and intensity of movements they made. The researchers followed up about 4.3 years later, learning that 504 of these women had died since the beginning of the study. The women who took at least 4,363 steps a day showed a 41 percent chance of living longer. A doctor from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts concluded that the number of steps mattered, not the walking pace or rate. It is also possible that changes in women’s behavior may affect their movements.

Women’s Influence Growing in US Men’s Professional Basketball

The growing influence of women in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the men’s professional basketball league in North America has become evident with the rise of several women in the organization. The involvement of women in the organization can be seen from broadcasting, officiating, and coaching to high-level management and even team ownership. Currently, 11 women are serving as assistant coaches in the thirty (30) NBA teams. One of them is Boston Assistant Coach Kara Lawson. She was a basketball star back in her University and has won several medals and awards in the field of basketball in the past few years. Player Gordon Hayward commended her as she was very experienced and well-versed in the field. Another woman assistant coach in the league is Kristi Toliver. Aside from being an assistant coach for NBA’s Washington Wizards team, she is also playing for WNBA’s Washington Mystics. Former professional basketball player Nancy Lieberman sees these trends as a great leap from the time when women’s presence in NBA was very rare. Richard Lapchick, who examines racial and gender hiring numbers for the NBA, believes that soon, NBA will have its first female head coach.

Georgia Museum Devoted to Bigfoot

In the mountains of northern Georgia, what once was a restaurant, has now become a museum dedicated to Bigfoot or Sasquatch, an ape-like creature that is said to inhabit the forests. The owners of this place are David and Malinda Bakara. David has long been a member of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. Being a bigfoot field researcher and a Disney fan, David envisions the place to be something like a family attraction. Some people’s attention was drawn to the exhibit while some are not. The museum features several maps, statues, and videos of bigfoot. It also has statements from people who claim to have seen a bigfoot in real life. Some say that it is very human-like to the point that shooting them felt wrong. A glass container can also be found in the museum which allegedly contains feces of a bigfoot in Oregon. The place is very welcoming when it comes to people who provide additional evidence to support the existence of the bigfoot. According to David, who claims to have seen two bigfoots, these creatures come in many subspecies, and that the terms used to call them also vary from one place to another. Despite doubt of other people as to its existence, David says that it was fine with him as he knows that he will never be able to persuade everyone.

What’s So Bad about Processed Foods?

Processed foods such as chips and soda contain high amounts of salt, sugar, and fat. Scientists are looking further into other factors that may harm human health by eating packaged foods. According to scientists, processed foods are linked to the increase in obesity rate worldwide. The main cause is how these foods are made. They are mass produced that require little to no cooking, and additives are added to the packed foods. Even morning cereals, energy bars, and some types of yogurt are considered processed foods. A four-week study involving 20 people run by researchers at the National Institutes of Health showed that those who ate processed foods consume 500 more calories a day on top of what they normally eat. Furthermore, when people are fed less processed foods, they produced more hormones that control hunger. The reason behind this reaction is still unclear. Individuals are also noted to eat processed foods more quickly. The sources of nutrients differ as well. Fibers from fruits and vegetables are notably better at making people feel full compared to fibers found in processed foods.

Non-alcoholic ‘Mocktails’ Growing in Popularity

Bandrovschi was urged by a friend to stop drinking alcohol for a month and she agreed. She claimed that she was not really a drinker so it was easy for her. Little did she know, she was able to realize that it is not only easy to do away from alcohol but, is also more enjoyable for her to go out with friends without drinking alcohol. With this, she decided to open Listen Bar, one among the growing number of alcohol-free bars in the United States. These bars are popular for their ‘mocktails’. Mocktail is a wordplay from the word ‘cocktail’. This is usually an iced drink made with any of various ingredients such as juice, herbs, and soda water, but without alcohol. This has become popular these days especially for young people. According to Amanda Topper, an international market researcher, this led to fewer people drinking alcohol in public places and providing women with safer and more enjoyable bars. The idea of mocktails is not just confined to alcohol-free bars as some regular bars are serving them too. Traditional suppliers are also becoming part of the movement. Even beer suppliers are trying to venture into non-alcoholic drinks. The idea is to promote a community wherein people can socialize without the need for alcoholic drinks.

Why Americans Spend Billions of Dollars on Fantasy Football

Nima Vaez-Zadeh has been playing fantasy football for years. In fact, checking the performance of his fantasy football team had been part of his daily routine. This may be the case not just for Vaez-Zadeh, but for a lot of Americans as well. Fantasy football is a competition wherein participants get to pick players from the real league, the National Football League (NFL), and score points according to their performance. When the season starts to commence, participants will give money which will form part of the ‘pot’ for the league. The performances of the players from the real league will be scored and the participant with the highest score will get the money from the pot. The Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association’s approximations show that 59 million are playing fantasy games in the United States and Canada combined. But, according to Andrew Challenger, these leagues are costing US businesses billions of dollars. With the competence required in the game, workers need to check on the performance of their players requiring them to use a daily average of thirty minutes. This time could have gone to the business, but instead, it is paid to the employee in a time when he is not actually working. As to Vaez-Zadeh, aside from the fun and entertainment, you can get from playing, it also allows you to reconnect and keep in touch with your friends.