Woman missing since 1964 found buried in backyard

 Pittsburgh woman who disappeared in 1964 was found buried in her own backyard 55 years after she was last seen, police said Thursday.

Skeletal remains were found by construction workers in February 2018, according to the pittsburgh post-gazette. Police confirmed last week that they belonged to Mary Arcuri, who was 36 when her husband claimed she left their family and was never to be seen again, the paper reported.

Mary Arcuri and Albert Arcuri bought the home at 5445 Black St in the early 1960s. Four years later, Albert reportedly told his family that Mary left the home and took all her belongings with her.

No police or missing person report was ever filed.

The prompt disappearance sparked whispers among the town, including that the two had been having relationship problems and Albert accused Mary of cheating.

Charles Sberna, Mary Arcuri’s great-nephew, told the Post Gazette his family even believed his great-uncle had murdered his great-aunt. He remembered Arcuri as a man who “didn’t like kids; he was mean.”

Police said they cannot speculate on how Mary Arcuri died or why she was buried in the backyard. Albert Arcuri died in 1965 in a car accident.

When the skeletal remains were found last year, police consulted with retired Assistant Chief Therese Rocco, who led the bureau’s missing person unit for years and was the godmother of Arcuri’s daughter.

Cops initially thought the remains were of another woman, but Rocco provided them with detective copies of a report and dental records that disproved that belief.

Rocco soon learned that the home had been owned by Arcuris and remembered the rumors that had swirled.

Investigators looked into Acuri’s disappearance and used a living relative’s DNA to confirm the identification.

Sberna told the paper his family learned of the news before it was made public.

“It would have been nice if my mother and grandmother knew,” he added.

Resource New york daily news

Big Ben-sized asteroid will skim past Earth TOMORROW in close flyby traveling at 30,420 miles per hour

The asteroid, dubbed 2013 MD8, is expected to skim past Earth at just over 3 million miles away, or about 13 times the distance between Earth and the moon, at 12:55pm (ET) on Tuesday.

With a diameter that's close to 280ft, MD8 rivals the Big Ben clock tower in its size, which stands at 320ft.

The huge space rock is expected to make a 'close approach' to Earth, but its trajectory should see it soar safely by.

NASA considers an asteroid to be 'hazardous' if they come within 4,600,000 miles of our planet.

Asteroid MD8 falls under the category of a 'near-earth object' (NEO), which NASA describes as all asteroids and comets that orbit within 30 million miles of Earth.

NASA tracks this and other near-Earth objects (NEOs) to keep track of any potential incoming threats.

However, there is little to be worried about, even with MD8 being a near-earth-object.

'No human in the past 1000 years is known to have been killed by a meteorite or by the effects of one impacting,' scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained.

'NASA knows of no asteroid or comet currently on a collision course with Earth, so the probability of a major collision is quite small.

'In fact, as best as we can tell, no large object is likely to strike the Earth any time in the next several hundred years,' they continued.

The agency believes that out of the more than 600,000 known asteroids in our solar system, roughly 16,000 are NEOs.

MD8 also falls under the category of a 'potentially hazardous object,' which are those that reach a minimum distance less than .05 au from Earth and have an absolute magnitude (H) of 22.0 or brighter.

Asteroid 2013 MD8 has an absolute magnitude of 24.2.

Resource daily mail

'Now join us and LEAVE your parties': Seven anti-Corbyn MPs who quit Labour over 'bullying and anti-Semitism' invite TORIES to abandon May over Brexit and 'change Westminster's broken politics'

Seven MPs who quit Labour over Jeremy Corbyn today invited Tory MPs to abandon Theresa May and do the same.

The anti-Corbyn rebels vowed to 'change politics' by breaking the Westminster system with their new 'Independent Group' of MPs. 

Chuka Umunna, the ringleader of the new 'gang of seven', made a direct appeal to politicians in all parties warning voters were 'sick of politics as usual'.

Tory MP Nick Boles stopped short of denying he would consider joining - insisting today he had not spoken to any of the seven MPs and was working with all sides to stop a no deal Brexit.

Other Tory MPs such as Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston will also be the focus of attention with just 39 days until Brexit day.  

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable vowed his party would work with the Independent Group - but will also be worried his tiny group of MPs could split and lose members to a new group of centrist politicians. 

The new 'Independent Group' of MPs is drawn from different generations of Labour and also includes Luciana Berger, Chris Leslie, Angela Smith, Gavin Shuker, Ann Coffey and Mike Gapes. 

The members appealed to the public for donations to get the new project - which is not yet a political party able to stand candidates - off the ground. 

They accused Mr Corbyn of turning Labour into a racist party that weakens national security, accepts the 'narrative' of Britain's enemies and lashed him for facilitating Brexit. 

Asked if he would join the new group, Mr Boles - who faces an attempt to de-select him by Brexiteer activists in his Grantham constituency - told BuzzFeed: 'They're all good people and I understand completely why they felt driven to leave Labour.

'I have not spoken with any of them about their plans and am totally focused on working with MPs of all parties to stop a no-deal Brexit on 29 March.' 

In a joint statement, the seven MPs warned 'visceral hatreds of other people, views and opinions are commonplace in and around the Labour Party'. 

The claims provoked a furious response from allies of Mr Corbyn. Len McCluskey claimed anti-Semitism in Labour was 'grossly unfair' and 'contrived'. 

The 'gang of seven' are all fiercely anti-Brexit and most have called for a second referendum on the deal. The move is unlikely to change the balance of Commons votes on Brexit as several of the group already rebelled against Mr Corbyn - but their departure could firm up Mr Corbyn's position against a new vote.  

Resource daily mail

Japanese car maker Honda 'is to close its Swindon plant in 2022 - with the loss of 3,500 jobs'

Japanese car maker Honda is preparing to announce the closure of its Swindon factory putting 3,500 jobs at risk.

The announcement, which is due to be made tomorrow, would mean the plant would close in 2022, reports sky news.   

The company will retain its European headquarters in Bracknell, Berkshire, and its Formula One operation in the UK. 

Honda's plant in Swindon, Wiltshire, is currently the firm's only factory inside the EU. 

A spokesman for Honda was not immediately available to comment on the report.  

Resource daily mail

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Why Do Some People Always Get Bitten By Mosquitoes While Others Don't?

Have you ever felt like you're being specifically targetted by mosquitoes when you end up with itchy welts all over your body, while your friends seem like they're not even aware of the pesky biters' existence?

So why are some people more susceptible to mosquito bites than others? See if you tick off any of these boxes:

1. You have Type O blood

Some blood types are indeed sweeter than others, metaphorically speaking. A study found that people with Type O blood are 83% more likely to get bitten. People with Type A blood are least likely to become mosquito prey, while those with Type B blood are kind of in the middle.

In addition, 85% of people produce a secretion that signals their blood type, making them more obvious prey for mosquitoes compared to the non-secretors, regardless of blood type.

2. You have a large body size

This has to do with your metabolic rate, or the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released from your body as it burns energy. Mosquitoes use CO2 as their primary means of identifying targets and can actually sense CO2 from up to 50 metres away!

Larger people tend to exhale more and give off more carbon dioxide, which is why mosquitoes prefer to go for adults over children. Men are also more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes compared to women, as well as obese or overweight people due to their larger body size and relative heat.

3. You're pregnant

According to a study done in Africa, pregnant women are twice as likely to attract mosquitoes compared to their non-pregnant peers because they give off a greater amount of CO2. In fact, a 2002 study found that women in the later stages of pregnancy exhale 21% more CO2 than non-pregnant women, making them even more noticeable to the pests.

4. You've been exercising or exerting yourself physically

Mosquitoes are attracted to lactic acid, a compound produced by the body after working up a sweat, hence you're more likely to get bitten by mosquitoes if you've just gone out for a run or finished a workout at the gym.

Besides that, the body also experiences a heat increase because of a raise in your body's metabolic rate after strenuous activity or vigorous exercise. Warmth becomes more attractive to mosquitoes as they approach a potential victim.

5. You've just had a beer or a glass of wine

Drinking alcohol also raises your metabolic rate and your body temperature, making you very appealing to mosquitoes.

6. You're wearing red or dark-coloured clothing

Apart from smell, mosquitoes also rely on sight to spot their prey. Red makes you a prime target, as well as dark colours such as black and blue.

Dr. Jonathan Day, a medical entomologist and mosquito expert at the University of Florida, explained, "Mosquitoes have problems flying in even a slight wind, and so they keep close to the ground. Down there, they spot hosts by comparing your silhouette to the horizon. Dark colours stand out, while light shades blend in."

7. Certain elements of your body chemistry are actually calling out to the mosquitoes

People who produce excess amount of certain acids (e.g. lactic acid, uric acid) and/or have higher concentrations of steroids and cholesterol on their skin surface tend to attract mosquitoes. This does not necessarily mean that mosquitoes prey on those with high cholesterol. Rather, these people naturally metabolise and process cholesterol faster than others, the byproducts of which remain on the skin's surface.

On the other hand, a study done by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that people who are bitten less frequently seem to "smell differently to mosquitoes", 

Resource say

5 of the world’s toughest unsolved maths problems

1. Separatrix Separation

A pendulum in motion can either swing from side to side or turn in a continuous circle. The point at which it goes from one type of motion to the other is called the separatrix, and this can be calculated in most simple situations. When the pendulum is prodded at an almost constant rate though, the mathematics falls apart. Is there an equation that can describe that kind of separatrix?

2. Navier–Stokes

The Navier-Stokes equations, developed in 1822, are used to describe the motion of viscous fluid. Things like air passing over an aircraft wing or water flowing out of a tap. But there are certain situations in which it is unclear whether the equations fail or give no answer at all. Many mathematicians have tried – and failed – to resolve the matter, including Mukhtarbay Otelbaev of the Eurasian National University in Astana, Kazakhstan. In 2014, he claimed a solution, but later retracted it. This is one problem that is worth more than just prestige. It is also one of the Millennium Prize Problems, which means anyone who solves it can claim $1 million in prize money.

3. Exponents and dimensions

Imagine a squirt of perfume diffusing across a room. The movement of each molecule is random, a process called Brownian motion, even if the way the gas wafts overall is predictable. There is a mathematical language that can describe things like this, but not perfectly. It can provide exact solutions by bending its own rules or it can remain strict, but never quite arrive at the exact solution. Could it ever tick both boxes? That is what the exponents and dimensions problem asks. Apart from the quantum Hall conductance problem, this is the only one on the list that is at least partially solved. In 2000, Gregory Lawler, Oded Schramm and Wendelin Werner proved that exact solutions to two problems in Brownian motion can be found without bending the rules. It earned them a Fields medal, the maths equivalent of a Nobel prize. More recently, Stanislav Smirnov at the University of Geneva in Switzerland solved a related problem, which resulted in him being awarded the Fields medal in 2010.

4. Impossibility theorems

There are plenty of mathematical expressions that have no exact solution. Take one of the most famous numbers ever, pi, which is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Proving that it was impossible for pi’s digits after the decimal point to ever end was one of the greatest contributions to maths. Physicists similarly say that it is impossible to find solutions to certain problems, like finding the exact energies of electrons orbiting a helium atom. But can we prove that impossibility?

5. Spin glass

To understand this problem, you need to know about spin, a quantum mechanical property of atoms and particles like electrons, which underlies magnetism. You can think of it like an arrow that can point up or down. Electrons inside blocks of materials are happiest if they sit next to electrons that have the opposite spin, but there are some arrangements where that isn’t possible. In these frustrated magnets, spins often flip around randomly in a way that, it turns out, is a useful model of other disordered systems including financial markets. But we have limited ways of mathematically describing how systems like this behave. This spin glass question asks if we can find a good way of doing it.

Resource New Scientist

Among the Many Talents of the Humble Honey Bee: Arithmetic

Scientists discovered that bees can “learn to use blue and yellow as symbolic representations for addition or subtraction,” according to the report published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances.

While many animals demonstrate an understanding of basic numbers for tasks such as foraging, shoaling, and resource management, more complex math can be done only by a limited number of nonhuman vertebrates.

The findings are significant because honey bees and humans are separated by more than 400 million years of evolution, meaning that “advanced numerical cognition may be more accessible to nonhuman animals than previously suspected,” the study found.

Scientists created an experiment using mazes to test whether 14 bees could use yellow and blue to add and subtract. The study found that the bees got the right answer 63% to 72% of the time.

While the testing pool was small, the findings are significant given that brains of bees are 20,000 times smaller than those of humans. According to Science magazine, this could lead to new approaches to artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Resource Time

Why do young children pick their noses and eat it?

Digging for green gold is normal behaviour but let's leave ingesting the little balls of snot to the kids.

Everyone – adults and children alike – occasionally picks their nose to free up the passages. In fact, the diameter of our nostrils has probably evolved to match our finger size, for this reason.

Children often eat their bogies because they are curious, and it’s a convenient method of disposal. There’s no particular medical or dietary advantage, but eating bogies is harmless.

Resource BBC

Tiga beranak rentung

TIGA individu rentung selepas BMW X3 dinaiki terbabas dan terbakar di Kilometer 6.9 Lebuhraya Penyuraian Trafik Lingkaran Kajang (SILK) dekat Serdang, petang semalam, dikenal pasti sebagai suami isteri dan anak mereka.

Suami isteri itu dikenal pasti sebagai Goh Soay Sing, 68, dan Saw Yeng Fui, 65, dan anak mereka, Goh Tian Hing, 44.

Ketua Jabatan Siasatan dan Penguatkuasaan Trafik (JSPT) Selangor, Superintendan Azman Shari’at berkata, kejadian berlaku apabila mereka dalam perjalanan pulang ke rumah di Taman Anggerik Emas, Semenyih selepas menghantar seorang ahli keluarga di sebuah stesen pengangkutan awam di Balakong.

sebaik tiba di tempat kejadian, kereta dipandu Tian Hing hilang kawalan dan melanggar pembahagi jalan di sebelah kiri.

“Susulan kemalangan itu, Tian Hing dan ibunya, Yeng Fui yang duduk di bahagian penumpang hadapan dan bapanya Soay Sing, di tempat duduk penumpang belakang rentung dalam kebakaran berkenaan,” katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini.

Menurutnya, siasatan awal mendapati lokasi berkenaan tidak mempunyai kamera litar tertutup (CCTV) dan tiada saksi melihat kemalangan berkenaan.

Katanya, keadaan cuaca baik dan kejadian berlaku di lebuh raya tiga lorong menghala arah Sungai Long.

“Kes kini disiasat mengikut Seksyen 41(1) Akta Pengangkutan Jalan 1987,”

Sumber metro

Maut dikoyak 11 anjing liar

Tecamac, Mexico: Seorang wanita pekerja tol lebuh raya di sini, maut selepas dikejar 11 anjing liar yang kemudian menerkam dan mengoyakkan tubuhnya hingga mati.

Rakaman CCTV kejadian yang berlaku pada 28 Januari lalu, kini tular di media sosial.

Wanita itu dikenali sebagai Margarita N, 34, dilihat berlari ketakutan akibat dikejar kumpulan anjing terbabit sebelum jatuh dan terkeluar dari lensa kamera.

Daily Mail melaporkan, menurut laporan media Mexico, anjing terbabit mengoyakkan tubuh mangsa hingga mati.

Mayatnya ditemui dengan sebahagian besar daging hilang dan rambut tercabut bersama kulit kepala.

Margarita dikatakan sedang melintas jalan menuju ke pondok tol tempatnya bekerja ketika kejadian.

Datuk Bandar Tecamac mengarahkan pihak berkuasa mengesan anjing terbabit untuk dihapuskan.

Sumber metro

Mr Dash terbaik Asia

ATLET olahraga para negara, Mohamad Ridzuan Puzi dinobat Atlet Para (Lelaki) Terbaik Asia 2018, awal pagi tadi.

Menurut laman Facebook rasmi Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN), anugerah disampaikan Presiden Majlis Paralimpik Emiriah Arab Bersatu, Mohamed Alhameli dan Presiden Jawatankuasa Paralimpik Asia, Majid Rashed pada majlis yang berlangsung di Dubai.

Atlet yang turut dikenali sebagai Dik Wan itu mencipta rekod dunia acara 100m lelaki T36 (celebral palsy) dan rekod Sukan Asia bagi acara lompat jauh pada temasya Sukan Para Asia di Jakarta, Oktober tahun lalu.

Dia yang meraih tiga emas di Jakarta muncul atlet pertama Malaysia diberi pengiktirafan itu.

"Saya gembira dan berterima kasih kepada Jawatankuasa Paralimpik Asia kerana memberi penghargaan ini. Ia membakar semangat saya untuk terus melakar pencapaian lebih baik selepas ini," katanya.

Pada masa sama dia turut mengucapkan terima kasih kepada kedua ibu bapa yang memberi sokongan dan juga kepada Majlis Sukan Negara, jurulatih R Jaganathan dan Majlis Paralimpik Malaysia yang banyak membantu kariernya.

Pada temasya di Jakarta, atlet itu mencipta rekod dunia acara 100m lelaki T36 dengan masa 11.87 saat bagi memadam rekod dunia lama, 11.90s milik atlet Russia, Evgenii Shvetcov yang dilakukan pada Kejohanan Dunia 2013 di Lyon.

Ridzuan juga meleburkan rekod Sukan Para Asia acara lompat jauh dengan catatan terbaiknya 5.59m dan memadam rekod lama (5.45m) yang dilakukan Yang Yi Fei pada 2016.

Pada temasya sama, atlet yang mendapat bimbingan jurulatih Jaganathan itu turut merangkul emas acara 400m.

Sumber metro

Pulangan lumayan ternak rusa

BERMULA sekadar hobi masa lapang, seorang pesara tidak menyangka menternak rusa sejak tujuh tahun lalu memberi pulangan hasil lumayan berikutan permintaan daging haiwan itu yang tinggi walaupun harganya mahal.

Mohd Zaid Zakaria, 56, menternak rusa di kawasan seluas 0.4 hektar dengan menyediakan tiga kandang yang boleh memuatkan 14 ekor.

Dia mengakui menternak rusa itu lebih mudah berbanding haiwan lain termasuk kosnya juga murah dan tidak membebankan.

“Keputusan menternak rusa sebagai hobi masa lapang adalah tepat apabila ternakan yang diusahakan sejak 2013 kini memberi pulangan hasil lumayan.

“Saya tidak mahu menjadikan usia emas sebagai alasan untuk berehat dan duduk diam di rumah tanpa melakukan sebarang aktiviti,” katanya ketika ditemui di Kampung Sungai Sam, Gua Musang, hari ini.

Mohd Zaid berkata, dia menceburi bidang penternakan rusa kerana jarang dilakukan orang lain dan menguntungkan.

“Permulaan saya mengeluarkan modal RM13,500 untuk membeli lima rusa berkualiti jenis timor rensis dari seorang penternak di Sungai Jin, Kuantan, Pahang.

“Rusa berkenaan cepat membiak dan setakat ini saya sudah menjual enam rusa yang diternak dengan harga antara RM2,000 hingga RM6,000 seekor,” 

Baki lapan rusa lagi akan cepat membiak kerana lima daripada ibu rusa bakal melahirkan anak bagi menambahkan semula ternakan itu.

“Selain dapat jual rusa hidup, saya juga jual daging haiwan berkenaan dengan harga RM45 sekilogram. Rusa spesies ini senang dijaga kerana tidak mudah diserang penyakit seperti haiwan lain termasuk lembu dan kambing,” 

Sumber metro

Kes RM90 juta: SPRM panggil beberapa individu

BEBERAPA individu akan dipanggil Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) bagi membantu siasatan berhubung dakwaan RM90 juta dimasukkan ke dalam akaun pemimpin PAS.

Menurut sumber, kertas siasatan berhubung kes berkenaan telah dibuka susulan SPRM menerima laporan daripada pihak polis berhubung isu berkenaan pada petang semalam.

“Beberapa individu termasuk yang berkaitan dalam isu ini akan dipanggil SPRM dan kami meminta semua pihak bersabar serta tidak membuat sebarang spekulasi berhubung siasatan kes berkenaan,” katanya kepada BERNAMA, hari ini.

Sumber berkata siasatan akan dibuat mengikut Akta SPRM 2009 dan Akta Pencegahan Pengubahan Wang Haram, Pencegahan Pembiayaan Keganasan dan Hasil Aktiviti Haram 2001.

Sebelum ini, artikel yang dilapor oleh Sarawak Report pada Ogos 2017 antara lain mendakwa dana berjumlah RM90 juta “dipercayai” dimasukkan ke dalam akaun bank pimpinan atasan PAS bagi menarik mereka supaya menyokong UMNO dan Barisan Nasional (BN).

Sumber metro

Dakwa temui bangkai V81

Sekumpulan penyelam mendakwa berjaya menemui bangkai sebuah kapal perang Jerman yang hilang secara misteri di perairan Scotland selepas Perang Dunia Pertama.

Bangkai kapal perang yang dipercayai V81 adalah sebahagian daripada Armada High Seas yang terbabit dalam pertempuran Jutland pada 1916. Pertempuran itu adalah satu-satunya pertempuran laut terbesar ketika Perang Dunia Pertama.

V81 kini dipercayai terdampar di dasar laut kira-kira 32 kilometer dari Freswick, Scotland.

Pertempuran Jutland meragut lebih 6,000 askar Britain dan 2,500 askar Jerman dengan tentera laut Britain kehilangan 14 kapal manakala Jerman kehilangan 11 kapal.

Bagaimanapun, V81 antara kapal perang yang selamat tetapi ia ditenggelamkan oleh tentera Jerman sendiri pada 1919 di Scapa Flow, Orkney di Scotland kerana bimbang ia dirampas tentera Bersekutu selepas tewas dalam Perang Dunia Pertama.

Daripada 74 kapal yang ditawan tentera Britain, 52 karam di lautan tetapi sebahagiannya termasuk V81 berjaya ditunda ke pantai untuk mengelak ia daripada karam sebelum dileraikan.

Namun, rekod menunjukkan V81 tidak pernah sampai ke tempat kawasan simpanan sekerap dan lokasi kapal itu terus menjadi misteri.

Kelab Penyelam Caithness percaya bangkai kapal yang ditemui kira-kira 32 kilometer dari lokasi V81 sepatutnya dibawa adalah kapal yang hilang itu.

“V81 ditunda ke Rosyth untuk dileraikan tetapi tali penunda putus dan kapal itu terus karam berhampiran Freswick,” kata pengerusi kelab berkenaan, David Steele.

Davy Carter dari Syarikat Penyelam dan Bangkai Kapal turut mempunyai pendapat yang sama.

“Kami tahu ia adalah V81 berdasarkan serpihan kapal yang kami temui,” katanya.

Penyelam turut merakamkan gambar bangkai kapal itu dan mendakwa terdapat nombor siri dan reka bentuk yang menunjukkan ia adalah V81 yang hilang.

“Ia mempunyai dua turbin sama seperti kapal Jerman pada waktu itu. Ia juga mempunyai meriam dan serpihan dengan tulisan Jerman. Kami tahu ia adalah V81,” kata Carter.

Bangkai kapal itu hampir hancur selepas berpuluh-puluh tahun terdampar di dasar laut tetapi masih terdapat beberapa bukti yang menunjukkan kewujudannya.

“Bangkai kapal ini sudah pecah. Ia terdampar pada kedalaman 14 meter, berhampiran dengan tebing menyebabkan ia terdedah dengan tindak balas ombak dan arus kuat,” ujar Steele

Kebanyakan yang tinggal adalah serpihan besi berkarat seperti bahagian bawah kapal, dek dan beberapa serpihan tembaga.

“Satu-satunya serpihan besar yang tinggal adalah turbin dan kotak gear serta apa yang kami percayai aci kipas berkembar,” jelasnya.

Gambar yang dirakam kumpulan itu menunjukkan turbin yang diliputi rumpai laut tebal, meriam dan beberapa objek yang tidak dapat dikenal pasti.

Sumber metro

Men who have smoked marijuana are MORE fertile than those who don't: Harvard study finds higher concentration of sperm in men who have tried cannabis even once

The result came as a surprise to Harvard University scientists measuring the sperm counts of more than 600 men from couples attending a fertility clinic.

They expected cannabis to have a detrimental effect on sperm count and fertility. Instead, those participants who admitted ever taking the drug turned out to have higher sperm counts than non-users.

The finding does not necessarily mean that smoking cannabis increases the chances of fatherhood, the study authors and other experts were quick to point out.

They suggest that the association may not show any cause-and effect relationship, but rather reflect the influence of the male hormone, testosterone, on both sperm count and risk-taking behavior, such as smoking cannabis.

A new Harvard study suggests that a frequent marijuana smoker, like Seth Rogen's hapless character in Knocked Up, who impregnates Katherine Heigl's character in a one night stand, might really be more fertile than a man who has never used cannabis

Lead researcher Dr Jorge Chavarro, from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, said: 'These unexpected findings highlight how little we know about the reproductive health effects of marijuana, and in fact of the health effects of marijuana in general.

'Our results need to be interpreted with caution and they highlight the need to further study the health effects of marijuana use.'

Previous research involving animal experiments or men with histories of drug abuse has suggested that cannabis impairs male reproductive health.

For the new study, investigators collected 1,143 semen samples from 662 men between 2000 and 2017.

On average, the men were 36 years old, mostly white and college educated. All of them belonged to couples seeking help with conception from a fertility clinic. Participants were asked to fill in questionnaires detailing their history of cannabis use.

More than half (55 percent) of the men reported having smoked cannabis at some point.

Of those, 44 percent said they had taken the drug in the past, and 11 percent classified themselves as current users.

Analysis of the semen samples showed that men who had smoked marijuana had average sperm concentrations of 62.7 million sperm per milliliter (million/mL).

Those who had never smoked a joint had an average count of 45.4 million/mL. Only five percent of cannabis users had sperm counts below 15 million/mL, the World Health Organization's (WHO) threshold for 'normal' levels, compared with 12 percent of men who had never smoked cannabis.

In addition, greater cannabis use was linked to higher levels of the male hormone testosterone among smokers.

Writing in the journal Human Reproduction, the scientists said it was possible that low level exposure to cannabis might benefit sperm production in some way.

The endocannabinoid chemical messenger system in the brain, which is targeted by the drug, is known to play a role regulating fertility.

On the other hand the association could have nothing to do with the effects of cannabis.

Dr Feiby Nassan, another member of the Harvard team, said: 'An equally plausible interpretation is that our findings could reflect the fact that men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to engage in risk-seeking behaviors, including smoking marijuana.'

This view was echoed by leading British expert Allan Pacey, Professor of Andrology at the University of Sheffield. He said: 'As the authors point out, men with higher sperm concentrations are likely to have more testosterone in their bodies and thus may be more likely to smoke marijuana because simply they are willing to take more risks.

'In conclusion, I am not convinced that this paper moves us any further forward in this debate.

'Moreover, nor does it give support to any apparent fertility benefits of smoking marijuana.

'In my opinion, this should be avoided at all costs in any couples trying to start a family.'

Professor Sheena Lewis from Queen's University Belfast said: 'In studies from our lab in Queens University, Belfast, we found exactly the opposite effects.

In subjects, each taking the same moderate dose of marijuana daily over only several weeks, their sperm quality plummeted. Sperm motility decreased, acrosome reactions failed to occur and worst of all, sperm counts dropped' and the function of the Sertoli or 'support' cells that create key proteins to sperm production declinees, she explained.

'I would urge caution in accepting the findings of this study, without further information.'

Resource Dailymail.com

8 Kesilapan Besar Yang Kerap Dilakukan Di Dalam Bilik Air Yang Ramai Tak Sedar

1- KENAPA TAK TUTUP PENUTUP MANGKUK TANDAS?

Sebenarnya, ada sebab kenapa mangkuk tandas duduk dilengkapi dengan penutup. 60% responden tidak menutup mangkuk tandas mereka ketika mengepam (flush). Tabiat ini menyebabkan partikel air dari proses flush tadi akan terpercik keluar dari mangukuk dan mungkin terkena pada bahagian-bahagian lain di dalam tandas seperti berus gigi, sabun dan sebagainya. Menurut kajian dari Dr. Charles Gerba, bakteria yang terbebas boleh berada diudara agak lama sebelum menjumpai habitat yang sesuai. Oleh itu, jika anda seorang yang mementingkan kebersihan, pastikan menjadikan ia sebagai amalan.

2- BAHAYA MENYIMPAN BERUS GIGI DI DALAM TEMPAT BERTUTUP

Mungkin anda rasa kaedah ini dapat menghindari berus gigi yang digunakan dari tercemar dengan bakteria. Hakikatnya, apabila berus gigi yang telah digunakan dan masih basah disimpan terus di dalam bekas bertutup ia lebih menggalakkan pembiakkan bakteria. Ini disebabkan, kondisi berus yang masih lembap ketika disimpan tidak dapat kering sepenuhnya dan menjadi habitat terbaik pembiakkan bakteria.

3- JANGAN SIMPAN BARANG MAKE-UP DI DALAM BILIK AIR

Memang memudahkan anda bersolek jika barang make-up disimpan di dalam bilik air. Sebab itu, ada yang mengambil keputusan menyediakan bekas simpanan barang make-up di dalam bilik air. Sebenarnya, barang make-up anda tak kiralah lipstick atau berus tak sesuai disimpan di dalam bilik air. Kondisi bilik air yang lembap akan menggalakkan pembiakkan bakteria pada barang make-up anda walaupun disimpan di dalam bekas yang bertutup. Hal ini juga akan menyebabkan barang make-up cepat rosak.

4- TUKAR LUFFA ATAU BERUS BADAN SETIAP 3-4 MINGGU

Selagi tak lunyai, berus atau penyental badan akan digunakan. Silap tu, lagi kerap anda menggunkannya, lebih kerap ia perlu diganti. Ini disebabkan tekstur penyental yang berserabut terutamanya yang diperbuat dari serat petola menjadi habitat sempurnan bagi bakteria.

5- SIDAI TUALA, BUKAN SANGKUT

“Good rule of thumb” tuala perlu dicuci atau ganti setiap lepas 3 kali digunakan. Itu pun jika anda sidai selepas digunakan. Tapi, jika anda sekadar sangkut atau gantung tuala, kondisinya yang lembap akan menggalakkan pembiakkan bakteria. Sebab tu, tuala mudah bertahi lalat.

6- TAK ADA PENGUDARAAN

Jika bilik air anda dilengkapi dengan sistem pengudaraan tak kialah jenis kipas, tingkap atau sebagainya, pastikan ia sentiasa dibuka ketika anda menggunkannya dan 15-20 minit selepas. Ia bagi memberi peluang untuk mengurangkan kadar kelembapan di dalam bilik air dengan kadar segera.

7- TAK PERNAH CUCI SHOWER CURTAIN

Ini lagi satu masalah yang ramai abaikan. Ada yang dah bertahi lalat jadinya. Sebaiknya, shower curtain perlu dicuci setiap bulan. Kalau malas sangat, cari je shower curtain jenis mudah dicuci menggunkan mesin basuh.

8- BAKTERIA MUDAH MEMBIAK DI TELEFON BIMBIT

Mesti ramai buat tabiat membawa HP ke dalam bilik termenung kan? Sedar tak ia mudah menjadi tempat pencemaran bakteria. Walaupun anda mencucui tangan usia membuang, ada tak HP tersebut di cuci.????

Sumber: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com

Relatives of woman killed in self-driving Uber crash file $10M claim

TEMPE, Ariz. — Two relatives of a woman killed when she was struck by an autonomous Ubervehicle have filed a $10 million claim against the Phoenix suburb where the incident occurred in March.

The Arizona Republic reports the previously undisclosed claim filed last fall against Tempe seeks $5 million each for the husband and daughter of 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg. Such claim notices are a required precursor to possible lawsuits.

The claim says Tempe created a dangerous situation by installing a brick pathway across the median where people were not supposed to cross the road.

Tempe spokeswoman Nikki Ripley said the city does not comment on pending litigation but she confirmed that Tempe hasn't responded to the claim and that it was made about the tme when Tempe replaced the walkway with landscaping.

Resource nbcnews