McDonald’s has been in the news a lot this month, thanks to big changes the fast-food company is making to several of its menu offerings.
The company began making these changes more than a year ago, when it replaced margarine with real butter in its Egg McMuffins, and added kale and spinach to the iceberg lettuce in its salads. (Those kale salads wound up being higher in calories than McDonald’s famous Big Macs, though.) [1]
Although most people in the developed world have never heard of most neglected tropical diseases, these ailments actually affect more than 20 million people worldwide and lead to the death of over 50,000 people annually. Tropical diseases have previously had very little treatments and thus, no hope for some of the poorest communities in the world, but now we’ve come closer to finding some solutions.
Most of us are already aware that having a baby can come with a significant price tag. However, that price can vary quite a bit from state to state, with the average cost hovering around $10,000 for the birth of a baby and an extra $5000 for a C-section.
How disgusting is double dipping, really? Researchers at Harvard were inspired by the character of George Costanza in a 1993 episode of Seinfeld in which he is caught “double-dipping” a chip at a wake. Double-dipping, for those unaware, is when one dips a chip, takes a bite, and then dips their chip again. The other characters, horrified by George’s behavior, said that his act was akin to putting his entire mouth on the dip.
But does science support George or the other characters in this debate?
Earlier this month, the Wendy’s fast-food chain announced it will quit using chickens raised with ‘human antibiotics’ by 2017. [1]
On August 3, New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman warned that hucksters were peddling bogus Zika virus prevention products, and told manufacturers that he would “shut them down.” [1]
For the most part, Americans aren’t freaking out over Zika. According to a new CCN/ORC poll, just 23% of respondents said they are at least somewhat worried about themselves or a family member catching the virus, but 77% said it’s not weighing heavily on their minds. [2]
Darrell Hill of the US Olympic shot put team has a dad that couldn’t be prouder of his son’s accomplishments. The former bus driver-turned Uber driver, Ellis, is so proud that he tells everyone who enters his car that his son is on the US Olympic team.
However, because of a shortage of funds, Ellis Hill thought he wasn’t going to be able to make the trip to Rio to see his son compete for his country in person. But then he picked up Liz Willock on July 26. Proud of his son’s accomplishments, he bragged about him to Willock, as any doting father would.
Scientists have long noticed how sunflowers turn toward the east as the sun rises, continuing to follow the sun as it journeys across the sky throughout the day. However, exactly why sunflower behave in this way hasn’t been known, until now.
As health officials predicted, the Zika virus is beginning to spread across south Florida, and now a type of genetically modified (GM) mosquito designed to fight the virus has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [1]
Researchers at the University of Cambridge are warning that being overweight in middle age may age your brain by 10 years. [1]
