From Diet Coke & Mentos to Post-it Notes

The dudes that brought to you the Diet Coke/Mentos geyser has now tried their hands on another project - Post-it Notes.



Wonder what the EepyBird fellas will think of next!

Function of Appendix Discovered

For as long as we can remember, we seem to think that the appendix is a useless body part. In fact, it could even be harmful if inflamed and not removed in time. As such, when we have a surgery somewhere in that region, we are asked if we would like to remove our appendix too. However, recent findings may have now discovered the true function of the appendix.

Some scientists think they have figured out the real job of the troublesome and seemingly useless appendix: It produces and protects good germs for your gut. [...]

The appendix "acts as a good safe house for bacteria," said Duke surgery professor Bill Parker, a study co-author. The location of the appendix — just below the normal one-way flow of food and germs in the large intestine in a sort of gut cul-de-sac — helps support the theory, he said.

Also, the worm-shaped organ outgrowth acts like a bacteria factory, cultivating the good germs, Parker said. [...]

Would you still remove your appendix (under normal circumstances) after knowing this? Actually, the researchers don't think there is a need for an appendix in a modern industrialised society and you can still remove your appendix without causing any harm to your body system.

Ten Reasons To Eat More Chocolate

We know by now that consuming chocolate is good for our health. Even without knowing its nutritional and medicinal benefits, we still chow the dark matter down, no? In the past, chocolate has even been used to cure certain diseases. Here's some of the ten reasons to eat more chocolates, backed by research too, that may prove useful to us now.

2. Improves blood flow to brain - a University of Nottingham professor found that drinking cocoa drinks rich in flavanols improves blood flow to key areas of the brain for two to three hours. Flavanols in the cocoa drink are a key ingredient of dark chocolate. Professor Macdonald's study also suggested that cocoa flavanols in chocolate may enhance brain function to help fight sleep deprivation, fatigue, and the effects of ageing.

3. Boosts mood - MSNBC reported that caffeine and other chemicals in dark chocolate can improve your mood and ease premenstrual symptoms. Mark's Daily Apple wrote that the chemical phenylethylamine in chcolate has been found to trigger feelings similar to "falling in love."

7. Helps ease chronic fatigue syndrome - a study found that adults with chronic fatigue syndrome who eat 1.5 ounces of 85% cocoa dark chocolate were less fatigued after they eat chocolate.

10. Eases a persistent cough - a UK study found that theobromine, a component in cocoa, may be more effective as a cough medicine than standard drug treatments. The research showed that "theobromine acts on the sensory nerve endings of the vagus nerve, which runs through the airways in the lungs to the brain."

I've been feeling under the weather for awhile now. I guess I need to go out and grab myself some chocolates now. Anyone else need a bar or two? ;)