Stretching
before exercise
prevents injury
Finnish researchers analysed
studies covering almost 5,000
participants and concluded that
stretching before exercise had no
effect on injury rates. However,
a gentle aerobic warm-up will
prepare the muscles for
a workout.The idea that particle accelerators, particularly the Large
Hadron Collider (LHC), might cause Earth-threatening black
holes has been in the news since the LHC opened. Micro black
holes are hypothesised to be generated by high-energy particle
accelerators like the LHC, but they wouldn’t be a threat to the
planet. Unlike their massive astronomical cousins, the
hypothetical micro black holes would evaporate almost
instantly. And although it would be an important discovery, no
micro black holes have been detected at the LHC so far. ßA MALFUNCTION AT A PARTICLE
ACCELERATOR COULD SUCK
THE ENTIRE PLANET INTO A BLACK HOLE
TOBIAS JOLLY IS A DATA ANALYST AND BIOCHEMISTRY GRADUATE.BAREFOOT RUNNING IS
BETTER FOR YOU
Barefoot running has grown in
popularity over the past few years.
The proponents usually claim that
running without traditional running
shoes improves form, prevents
high impact ‘heel strikes’ and
reduces injury rates. However,
media articles supporting
barefoot running generally rely on
questionable evolutionary
hypotheses or anecdotes.
A group of researchers at the
University of Cape Town
examined papers looking
at the biomechanics
of barefoot versus
traditional
running. Dr
Nicholas Tam
and his team
concluded
that while
barefoot
running might
reduce the risk
of certain injuries,
such as knee pain, it
may also increase the risk
of others, such as stress fractures
to the feet. Individual experience
may vary, but there is so far no
scientific basis on which to
prescribe barefoot running to
reduce injury rates.PEOPLE ARE MORE
LIKELY TO COMMIT
SUICIDE IN WINTER
PLAYING CLASSICAL
MUSIC TO BABIES
MAKES THEM GROW
The assumption that the dark and UP SMARTER
cold of winter cause a peak in
suicides is understandable, but
it’s not supported by the statistics.
Researchers from Inje University
in Seoul looked at studies from a
range of countries, and found that
the biggest peak is around April
and May (in the northern
hemisphere). This peak also
varies based on a number of
demographic factors, particularly
age. The seasonal variation in the
suicide rate is smaller in the UK,
but winter is not the most
dangerous period.
There may or may not be a
correlation between intelligence
and an appreciation for classical
music. ‘The Mozart Effect’ that
suggests classical music
improves children’s intelligence
was first described in an early
1990s study, but since then, it
has not been established as a
robust phenomenon that
survives study replication.
Parents’ time is probably better
spent teaching their children that
correlation does not imply
causation.