BBC_Earth_Singapore_2017

Beer typically has around 40 calories per 100ml (one pint

= 568ml). To get your daily 2,000 calories just from beer,

you’d need to drink 11 pints every day, which is hardly

healthy. But the alcohol is the least of your problems.

Beer, even real ale or Guinness, contains no fat, almost

no protein and – crucially – no vitamin C. Without any

source of vitamin C, you’ll experience symptoms of

scurvy in two or three months and be dead in six. LV

Just as the placebo effect causes positive

results if you believe you are taking

beneficial medicine, there is a negative

version, called the nocebo effect. This

creates harmful effects such as pain, high

blood pressure, dizziness and rashes if you

believe that these are possible side effects

of the medication you have been given,

even though it’s a placebo. LV

How long could

you survive on

beer alone?

Can the placebo

effect harm you?

PHOTOS: GETTY X4, WIKIPEDIA ILLUSTRATIONS: RAJA LOCKEY

While age is usually thought of as just the number of years you’ve been alive, people

with identical ages often look – and seem – very different. In 2015, scientists at

King’s College London published research suggesting that measuring the activity

of around 150 specific genes gives a measure of ‘biological age’ linked more

strongly to longevity than mere chronology. But genetic activity is only one factor

differentiating biological and chronological age. Exercise, diet and weight can also

make a big difference. This has led to various questionnaires – such as the BBC’s

online quiz ‘What’s My Real Age?’ (bit.ly/age_quiz) – which can give clues about your

current ‘real’ age, and offer advice on what you can do about it. When using these

quizzes, do bear in mind that some of the measures are still controversial. RM

What is being done to preserve Pompeii?

Humans need to sweat to survive in warm

conditions, and that’s only possible if the

combination of temperature and humidity –

known as the wet-bulb temperature – stays

below around 35°C. According to a 2012 study

by scientists at MIT, this limit could be reached

globally if our planet warms by around 12°C.

Fortunately, few scientists think global warming

will do this in the foreseeable future. RM

How hot could Earth get before

it’s uninhabitable for humans?

IN NUMBERS

The number of wildebeest

that drown during the

migration every year.

The percentage of the

world’s population who eat

chillies every day.

25

6000

The number of tiny needles

embedded into a painless

skin patch vaccine that

could be used instead of

traditional syringes.

10 0

QA

&