WEIRD STUFF
Cheaters using bell peppers to send signal
Unfaithful individuals are turning to the food aisle in an attempt to find some extra-marital fun as two bell peppers in the trolley suggest to others that they are open to straying.
The 'Bell Pepper Code' trend has exploded on the dating site Illicit Encounters -- used by married people pursuing affairs -- after a user revealed how it spiced up their love life.
They said: "It's perfect! No one would ever suspect that your weekly food shop could lead to something a lot more... sizzling."
However, if people are merely looking to use the veg in their meals, the stems must not be facing downwards.
Illicit Encounters spokesperson Jessica Leoni told the Daily Star newspaper: "While we normally encourage discretion in these matters, we never thought we'd see the day where people would be checking out each other's vegetables in the supermarket - and not in the way you'd expect!
"If this catches on, I suppose we can only hope everyone's keeping their cool in the frozen food aisle."
Oral sex linked to throat cancer explosion
A new report has revealed that hundreds more people are passing away from throat cancer than before the coronavirus pandemic, while there has been a near 50 per cent increase in cases since 2013.
Cancer Research UK data shows that the trend is being driven by younger patients being diagnosed with the illness, as it shows a considerable rise in both men and women age 25 to 49 between 1993 and 2019.
Smoking, alcohol and human papillomavirus (HPV) - a normally harmless virus that spreads sexually and through skin contact - are the main causes of the disease.
Professor Ali Khurram, an expert at the University of Sheffield, said: "There is poor awareness of the disease and the causative factors. We are seeing these cancers in much younger patients now.
"A significant proportion of the increase can be attributed to HPV infection (tonsil cancer), but the majority remain linked to smoking or tobacco chewing and alcohol, which are being increasingly used.
"Poor oral health and socio-economic factors also contribute to the increased incidence."
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Clock changes cause a rise in cancer
Experts from the British Sleep Society have advocated for the abolition of daylight saving time (DST) as the biannual change has plenty of negative health consequences.
The clocks went back back on Sunday, and studies have suggested that the risk of fatal accidents increases by six per cent following the DST transition; and there is also increased evidence of cardiovascular events and mortality in the days after the switch.
Professor Malcolm von Schantz, study co-author at Northumbria University, said: "Mornings are the time when our body clocks have the greatest need for light to stay in sync.
"At our latitude, there simply is no spare daylight to save during the winter months, and given the choice between natural light in the morning and natural light in the afternoon, the scientific evidence favours light in the morning."
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Underwater temple found in Italy
An 'Indiana Jones' underwater temple has been discovered by archaeologists.
The ruins of the temple have been found off the coast of Pozzuoli (formerly Puteoli) in Italy and it marks the first known temple built by the Nabateans - an ancient Arabian civilisation that features in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
The civilisation was also responsible for the construction of Al Khazneh - an elaborate rock-cut tomb in Jordan - where the Steven Spielberg flick was filmed.
The discovery was made in 2023 during an underwater archaeological documentation of the port of Puteoli, but the team spent the last year further excavating the temple.
A study published in the journal Antiquity said: "The existence of a Nabataean sanctuary within the port area confirms that there was a community from that region participating in the commercial activities of Puteoli.
"The edification of the sanctuary was possible when the Nabataeans enjoyed the freedom and opportunities offered by the friendship with Rome and the independence of their motherland."
Researchers suggest kissing has a less-than-romantic origin
Kissing has been suggested to have origins that might be considered less than romantic: a method for removing lice. A scientific paper argues that our ancestors engaged in the practice of locking lips as a way to eliminate both ticks and lice from their fur.
Adriana Lameira, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Warwick, became interested in the origins of smooching last year after historians revealed that the practice dates back to 2500 BC.
Lameira believes that gorillas used their mouths to remove ticks and debris before the grooming ritual was minimised until just the last kiss-like stage remained.
He said: "This final step, when the (ape) groomer closes the grooming bout by 'kissing' the groomed, exhibits parallels in form, context and function to human kissing to an extent that no other proposed behaviour thus far has.
"What was once a time and labour-intensive ritual to cement and strengthen close social ties became gradually compressed until a groomer's final kiss turned into a crystallised symbol of trust and affiliation."
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AI tools to assist in detecting broken bones
Artificial intelligence (AI) can help doctors spot broken bones on X-rays.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) health assessment body reveals that research suggests that the technology could speed up diagnosis and ease the demands on clinicians by reducing the need for follow-up appointments.
Four AI tools are to be recommended for use in urgent care in England, while each image will be checked by a medical professional to ensure that the bots aren't working alone.
NICE says that broken bones are missed in three to 10 per cent of cases - making it the most common diagnostic error in emergency departments.
Mark Chapman, director of health technology at NICE, thinks it will make medics' jobs easier.
He said: "These AI technologies are safe to use and could spot fractures which humans might miss, given the pressure and demands these professional groups work under."