BBC Science Focus - 02.2020

Q&A

DEAR DOCTOR...

DELICATE ISSUES DEALT WITH

BY SCIENCE FOCUS EXPERTS

I LOVEEATINGGARLICBREADFORLUNCH.

WHAT’STHEQUICKESTWAYTOFRESHENMY

STINKYBREATH FOR AFTERNOON MEETINGS?

Asyoudigestyourlunch,thesmelly,

sulphur-containingcompounds

(‘sulphides’)inthegarlicare

absorbedintoyourbloodstream,

andwillcomeoutviatheexhaled

breathfromyourlungs,andeven

fromporesinyourskin.Brushing

yourteeth(andyourtongue),and

swirling with mouthwash, will help

totemporarilymaskthesmell.Even

beer,though,a 2016studyatOhio

StateUniversityfoundthatleuce,

applesandmintleavescontain

enzymesandchemicalscalled

‘phenoliccompounds’thatbreak

downgarlic’ssulphidesbeforethey

reachtheblood.Sochomponapples

or mint leaves aer lunch!LV

MYOTHERHALF’SPENCILERASER

COLLECTIONISTAKINGOVERTHEHOUSE.

PLEASE HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND HIM.

Collectingunusualobjectsis morewidespreadthanyoumightthink,and

therecanbevariouspsychologicalfactorsatplay.Forstarters,wehavean

evolvedtendencytoaccumulateresources,andwhereasthisusedtobe

foodortoolsforsurvivalorstatus,todayit manifestsinmoreidiosyncratic

ways– suchaserasers.Yourpartner’scollectionmightbeakintoanadult

‘comfortblanket’– whileallaroundis inconstantchange,thecollector

retainscompletecontrolovertheirgrowingcollection.A collectioncan

buildupoveryearsorevendecades,andthisseemingpermanencecan

alsoprovideconsolationagainstexistentialanxieties.Infact,many

collectorswillmakecarefulplansforwhathappenstotheircollectionaer

theydie.Thefocusofyourpartner’scollectionmightstrikeyouasstrange,

buterasersmakeanappealingitem.They’resmall,cheap,comeininfinite

forms,aremultisensory(I’llbethehassomescentederasers)andcanbe

imbued with memories from the collector’s childhood, for instance.CJ

Whilethere’splentyofevidence
forthepositiveeectsof
meditation,it’snotcompletely
risk-free.Itscontemplationand
focusedawarenesscanbring
uncomfortablethoughtsand
feelingstothesurface.A 2017
surveybypsychologistsinSpain
andBrazilfoundthataround 25
percentofregularmeditators
have‘unwantedexperiences’,
includingpanicaacks,emotional
feelingsandderealisation(losing
contactwithreality).Soyoumight
notbedoinganything‘wrong’.In
fact,inmanymeditative
traditions,confrontingthe
challenges– andlearninghowto
acceptandworkwiththem– is
seenasanimportantpartofthe
exercise.However,somepeople
aremorevulnerablethanothers.
Forexample,peoplewith
pre-existingsevereanxietycan
experience‘relaxation-induced
anxiety’whentheymeditate.This
mightbebecausetheyfeara shi
backtotheirbaselineanxiety
levelaerbeingina morerelaxed
state.If you’restrugglingwiththis
oranyothermentalhealthissue,
youshouldseekprofessional
supportbeforeexperimenting
with meditation any further.CJ

MEDITATIONLEAVES

MEFEELINGMORE

STRESSED.WHAT

AM I DOING WRONG?

A shootingstar,or

‘meteor’,is causedby

a tinypieceofrockor

dustburningupin

theEarth’s

atmosphere.If one

wascomingstraight

atyou,it would

appearasa brief

ashoflightata

singlepointinthe

sky– ratherthanthe

usualstreakoflight

weassociatewith

shootingstars.This

briefashwouldbe

diiculttospotwith

theunaidedeye,but

theycanbeseenin

long-exposure

photographsof

meteor showers.AGu

STEVEWELCH,VIAEMAIL

WHATWOULDA

SHOOTINGSTAR

LOOKLIKEIFIT

WASCOMING

STR AIGHT

TOWARDS YOU?