Best Science Images of 2007

Take a look at the Best Science Images of 2007. Can you figure out what this is?



An insect? It may look like one but it's not even close. It's actually a CT image revealing the delicate structures underlying the human nose!

5 Healthy Eating Habits

Want to live longer and healthier? Maybe what you put in your mouth and how you put it in your mouth matters more than you think. Something for the slow eaters to cheer about. ;)

Healthy Habit 2: Savor leisurely dining

Countries known for putting it into practice: Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Japan

A meal in these countries often lasts several hours. In fact, one of Greece's dietary guidelines, its version of our USDA dietary guidelines, is to "eat slowly, preferably at regular times of the day, and in a pleasant environment." Sharing a meal is so important that Greeks call someone a friend "by saying we have shared bread together," Trichopoulou says.

For the French, Italians, and Spanish, meals provide quality time with friends and family, a practice that encourages healthful bonds. Eating comfortably and slowly discourages overeating and fosters relaxation, which aids digestion. The body processes food more easily and efficiently when it's calm, Montignac says.

What you can do: Take time to savor the scent, texture, and flavor of food. A traditional Japanese tea ceremony, for example, includes a role for each of the senses -- watching and listening as the tea pours from pot to cup, picking up the cup and feeling the heat, smelling, and finally, tasting. Another way to savor your supper: Divide it into separate courses. Instead of bringing everything to the table at once, have a salad course, then fruit, entrée, and dessert -- with, say, at least 10 minutes between each course to digest, chat, and relax. Whether you're dining with a spouse, family, or just you, set the table and sit down, rather than grazing in the kitchen -- and enjoy.

Get other healthy eating tips here.

Firefox Campus Edition

This may be of use to us researchers. Mozilla has released a special version of its popular Firefox browser for students - Firefox Campus Edition.

What's different from the Campus Edition and the normal release is that the Campus Edition already has three addons which are deemed to be widely used by students like us such as FoxyTunes, StumbleUpon and Zotero.

Actually, I only find Zotero of relevance to us. I've used FoxyTunes before and don't really like it. StumbleUpon is alright but maybe not that relevant to us researchers. Zotero however I find very interesting and useful. You can view the guided tour of Zotero to judge for yourself.

I think I will just add the Zotero addon to my current browser instead of installing the Campus Edition as it essentially is the same except for the addons.

Why some people are prone to mosquito bites

Are you a mosquito magnet? Scientists may have found the reason why.

Scientists have worked out why mosquitoes make a beeline for certain people but appear to leave others almost untouched.

Specific cells in one of the three organs that make up the mosquito’s nose are tuned to identify the different chemicals that make up human body odour.

To the mosquito some people’s sweat simply smells better than others because of the proportions of the carbon dioxide, octenol and other compounds that make up body odour.

It is those people who are most likely to be bitten.

Read the full article here.