Uci news

Most of us have been spending a lot more time at home these past couple of years, prompting us to ask questions about the quality of the indoor air we breathe. Pre-COVID reports show that we Brits spend more than 90 per cent of our time indoors , where levels of some toxins can be up to five times greater than they are outdoors. The internet is full of claims that houseplants can help, with just about every wellbeing site boasting its own top-10 rundown of the most powerful air-purifying plants. But is there any truth to the claims? Unfortunately, not much. Most of the articles, if they cite any evidence, point to a  NASA study from 1989 . Back then, scientists were investigating plants’ ability to remove harmful chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air of sealed environments such as space stations. In our homes and offices, sources of VOCs include paints, varnishes, furniture, carpets and printers. The study found ...

If you find yourself spending hours on your PC, it’s important to have the best setup possible. From casual users to die-hard gamers, there is always room for a little upgrade. Not too long ago, picking the best accessories for a computer was a lot easier. All you needed was a monitor , mouse , keyboard and perhaps a decent mouse pad . Nowadays, things are getting complicated. Streamers are taking over the internet, podcasts are all the rage and Mark Zuckerberg’s claims about the metaverse are supposedly threatening to banish us into a virtual dystopia. Our relationship to technology is shifting, bringing endless new products and gadgets for us to wade through. Below, we’ve rounded up our top picks for the best PC accessories for you to consider. Anker AK-UBA Wireless Mouse We all know how annoying wrist strain can be when you’ve been using a mouse for too long. This wireless mouse from Anker features a handshake style wrist with an upright design, aiming to provide a sm...

Sometimes the anticipation that builds up throughout the day on Christmas Eve can be too much to bear: Where’s Santa now? When will I get my presents? Is his journey going smoothly? Well fear not, NORAD’s Santa Tracker has got your back. Kicking off at 11pm GMT on 23 December, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight as NORAD’s Santa Cams will stream videos on the website as Santa sleighs his way to various locations. Then, anytime on 24 December trackers worldwide access the website or Android or Apple apps to see a constantly updated stream of Santa’s location. Amazon Alexa users can also ask for Santa’s location through the NORAD Tracks Santa skill for Amazon Alexa. Read more about Christmas: Is Christmas food and drink putting our health at risk? 8 maths hacks to master Christmas The secret science behind Santa’s (not so secret) little helpers The website also features Santa’s North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, cinema,...

If the pressures of modern life are making you feel like you’d love nothing more than to scream your heart out into the void, you’re not alone. Sensing the zeitgeist, in 2020 the New York Times launched their “Primal Scream Line” with the offer to “scream after the beep”. More recently, in September 2022, the Screamatorium experience came to London’s Leadenhall Market , offering visitors the chance “to really let it out with a big old scream into a decibel meter”. In a similar vein, you might have noticed the rising popularity of “rage rooms” where you can “take your ‘weapon of choice’ and destroy a variety of household objects, from old china to flat screen TVs or computers”. After years of a pandemic, a deepening cost of living crisis and war in Europe, perhaps it’s little wonder that many of us are desperate to let out all our pent-up stress and anger. But ‘scream therapy’ or ‘primal therapy’ is nothing new – it actually started life in California in the 1970s as a fringe approa...

We humans are social animals: we live in groups, form long-term bonds, and take care of each other. Behind the scenes, we are also the caretakers of each other’s nervous systems. Here’s what I mean. Your brain works day and night to keep your body healthy by regulating its resources like water, oxygen, salt and glucose. This regulation is like a budget for your body. Actions that replenish your resources, such as eating and sleeping, are like deposits. Actions that spend resources, like getting out of bed in the morning, your heart beating while you read quietly, or your immune system protecting you from viruses, are like withdrawals from your budget. Some withdrawals are even healthful, such as exercising and learning new things — they’re like investments that pay dividends later. Anything that makes budgeting more efficient, like support from a loved one, is like a savings account. Anything that makes your budgeting less efficient, like being around someone who is unpredictable, ...

A binary planet system is a theorised arrangement where the mass of two closely orbiting objects, are similar. The criteria which distinguish between a ‘binary planet’ (or ‘double planet’) and a ‘planet-moon system’ (or ‘planet-satellite system’) are, unfortunately, not well defined. An obvious criterion is the ratio of the two objects’ masses. A value close to 1 implies the objects are very similar in mass, but how close to 1 does the ratio have to be for the system to be a double planet rather than a planet and moon? The Earth-Moon system has a ratio of only 0.01230, while the Pluto-Charon system has a ratio of 0.122. Neither is particularly close to 1, and so neither is regarded as a binary planet. Other criteria have been suggested, such as the position of the ‘ barycentre ’ about which the two objects orbit, the strength of the gravitational force of the parent star on the pair, or how the objects were formed in the first place. The Pluto-Charon system could be described as ...

Bad breath is the bane of many people’s lives, but a new way to cure this could be found right in our homes, using bacteria found in fermented food like yoghurt, sourdough bread or miso soup. A new study published in the journal BMJ Open has linked certain probiotic bacteria to the dispelling of bad breath (halitosis). While these bacteria can be found in common foods, the study looks at their effectiveness as supplements. The four bacteria known as Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus reuteri, Streptococcus salivarius, and Weissella cibaria  were taken in the form of supplements, resulting in fresher breath. Bad breath is normally caused due to volatile sulphuric compounds, produced by bacteria in the mouth mixing with food debris. While there are plenty of available ways to try and tackle this, the use of probiotic bacteria could offer an easier alternative. To address the effectiveness of these bacteria, scientists looked through research databases for relevant clinical...