Getty Images Ready to catch up on all the headlines you`ve missed this week? Find out how G-chat might be messing with your work life, what your produce looks like placed under an X-ray, and the latest in nutrition and health studies.
1. G-chat is stealing your soul. Not only that, but it`s also messing with your productivity and destroying your relationships. Researchers at Stanford University discovered that online multi-taskers are more easily distractible, struggle with organization and concentration, and are not as dynamic as people who don`t use technology such as G-chat.
2. An MRI scanner shows you what the inside of your fruits and veggies look like. Weird, but cool: MRI technologist Andy Ellison wanted to capture a cross-section of fruits and veggies, the way he would on a normal human brain, so he put a bunch of different produce through an MRI scanner. From corn to starfruit, he left almost no organic matter untouched! Check out his project here and get an inside look at the guts of your food.
3. We`re more addicted to our phones than ever. Technology—can`t live with it, apparently can`t function properly without it. According to a new study, 176 million smartphone users open apps more than 60 times per day. Basically we`re running around with our smartphones glued to our hips, obsessively opening and checking mobile and web apps, with the biggest offenders being teens, college students, and middle-aged parents (who are probably trying to stay in touch with the first two groups).
4. It may soon be easier to reduce your cholesterol. New research published in the journal Circulation this month explores the theory that glycosphingolipid (GSL) is responsible for the absorption of cholesterol in the body. In a series of experiments, researchers used a chemical compound called D-PDMP to block the production of GSL in rats that were fed a high-fat diet to determine how that would affect cholesterol levels. They found that the rats that received the D-PDMP treatment did not have a buildup of fat in their arteries or blood vessels, despite their diet, leading the researchers to speculate that perhaps there`s a way to turn off the GSL "switch."
5. Everyone apparently has herpes. Well, okay, not literally everyone, but pretty close: Vox`s Susannah Locke looked at all the data, and it turns out, even if you don`t know it, there`s a good chance you`ve got some form of the herpes virus, which includes chicken pox, shingles, and cold sores. In fact, it`s estimated that 50 to 70 percent of women aged 45 to 50 have some form of herpes (simplex 1 and 2). The older you are, the more likely you have it. The bad news is you may have the virus and not know. The good news is that most people actually go through life without ever seeing symptoms, so the CDC doesn`t even recommend screening the general population for it.
BDST: 1623 HRS, APR-24, 2014
