CLIMATE CHANGE AND SLEEP
A new study shows that climate change is making it harder to fall asleep. The study, published in Cell Press over the weekend, shows that millions of people are already sleeping less because of higher overnight temperatures. The study looked at people in 68 countries and found that when nights were hotter than 86 degrees, people slept 14 minutes less. That averages out to over 44 hours per year. Here in the U.S., at least 30 percent of adults in most areas reported sleeping less than 7 hours per night, with as many as 43 percent in areas of the south and west. The elderly and people in low-income countries were the most impacted, with the study citing a lack of air conditioning as an issue.
MOSQUITO STUDY
Finally, a couple weeks ago we told you about the study showing that your coconut body wash might stop mosquitoes from biting you. Well now, there's new research showing that your body odor is also a major factor. The study, published in Current Biology, showed that carboxylic acids, a compound that's produced by bacteria on your skin, was the most attractive to mosquitoes. On the flipside, one subject who had higher levels of eucalyptol, a chemical found in the eucalyptus tree, repelled the mosquitoes the most. Unfortunately, these scents can be so subtle that showering or wearing stronger deodorant probably won't be enough to trick the flying pests, but this research could help develop better repellants or traps for mosquitoes in the future.
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Alina Hauptman, a communications strategist at the Best Friends Animal Society, joined Cheddar News to discuss how pets can actually give a boost to your mental health.
Michele Power, a meteorologist for News12, said that one explanation for this "parade of storms," at least in the United States, is a phenomenon called the "atmospheric river,:
Cheddar News explains how the way you brew coffee could contribute to global warming.
The beginning of the year is critical for those in need of blood transfusions as people tend to stop donating during the holidays. The winter in general also experiences a dropoff as donors get sick more frequently.
Dry January doesn't have to mean sober January — at least for the 21 percent of participants turning to cannabis or CBD to make it through the month.
SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket to bring a powerful GPS satellite into orbit for the U.S. Space Force.
Moderna is applying for regulatory approval for its RSV vaccine, which it says has shown to be effective against the respiratory virus.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called out ExxonMobil for withholding highly accurate predictions about the impact of climate change.
A new study has found that most Americans think it is okay to put tap water in medical devices such as humidifiers and neti pots, but experts say this is unsafe.
