Watching the World

Hippo Sunscreen

“Hippos protect their hairless skin from the sun by sweating a sunscreen similar to commercial products used by humans,” reports The Independent of London. Upon testing the liquid secreted by an animal in a Tokyo zoo, scientists in Kyoto, Japan, learned how it protects the hippo’s skin against the ravages of tropical sunshine and dirt. The viscous, colorless secretion gradually turns red, then brown and plasticlike. As it turns brown, it changes from alkaline to very acidic, thus acting as a strong antiseptic. The brown coating also serves as a sunscreen by absorbing ultraviolet light, as commercial sunscreens do. However, cosmetics companies are unlikely to market hippo sunscreen in the near future, the paper concluded, first because there are too few hippos in the world, and second because the secretion has such an offensive odor.

 Weight Lifting Beats Pensioner Blues

One study shows that “weightlifting can cut depression by 50 per cent for older people,” reports the Australian newspaper. Thus, weight lifting may be on a par with drug therapy in combating depression in seniors, according to geriatrician Dr. Nalin Singh of Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. In the study, which involved 60 men and women averaging 72 years of age, even those who did low-intensity exercises experienced “a 30 per cent drop in depression, the same as those who did not lift weights but received standard medical care,” says The Australian. Besides fighting depression, weight lifting strengthens “ageing bones and muscles, helping older people avoid falls. It also helps control arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure,” says the paper. Singh suggests that weight lifting “should be offered as a primary treatment for depression, especially for older people.”

TV Teaches Aggression

“Watching television soap operas encourages a range of antisocial behaviour in children, including backbiting, gossiping, spreading rumours, splitting up other people’s relationships and verbal bullying,” according to a study described in London’s newspaper The Times. The study, presented to the British Psychological Society, has found “a significant link” between viewing such indirect aggression on TV and adolescents’ antisocial behavior, says the paper. The worst soaps averaged 14 incidents of backbiting an hour. Lecturer Sarah Coyne of the University of Central Lancashire, England, worries that the “constant and relentless” portrayal of indirect aggression as justified, attractive, or rewarded with a positive outcome gives young people bad role models.

Low-Carb Diet’s Long-Term Effects

Although dieters may lose weight on low-carbohydrate diets, there is little data available on the long-term effects of such diets. Some researchers worry that a protein-heavy diet might lead to liver and kidney troubles, osteoporosis, and other serious health problems. “Much of the yummy stuff in low-carb diets​—think filet mignon with béarnaise sauce—​comes loaded with artery-clogging saturated fats. . . , a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke,” notes Time magazine. In contrast, Dr. David Katz of the Yale University School of Public Health points out: “Diets rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates, found in fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains, have been shown in a wide array of studies to be associated with longevity, lasting weight control, reduced risk of cancer, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, reduced risk of diabetes, reduced risk of gastrointestinal disorders and overall health promotion.”

Painted Sculptures

“Archaeologists and art historians are reluctant to abandon their white-marble view of noble antiquities,” such as ancient Greek statues, states the German magazine Spektrum der Wissenschaft. “The truth is​—they were brightly colored.” Despite historical references to painted statues and the discovery of traces of color on sculptures, the subject has not enjoyed great attention from scholars. Recently, though, indirect proof that statues were painted has come through study of what is known as color-weathering relief. Paint pigments break down at different rates, exposing some areas of a statue’s surface to the elements before other areas. The difference in exposure produces a varied pattern of weathering, indicating that the statue had been painted in various colors. It seems that the art of sculpture “attained completion in the minds of Greeks and Romans only when color was added,” concludes the report.

Quick-Tongued Chameleons

How does a chameleon propel its tongue at such high speed to catch its prey? “The secret is a spring-loading mechanism that stores up energy like the elastic of a catapult prior to release,” reports New Scientist magazine. Scientists knew that a chameleon’s tongue contains sheaths surrounded by an “accelerator muscle.” Now, with the aid of slow-motion video footage, Dutch researchers have discovered that a mere 200 milliseconds before its tongue strikes, “a chameleon uses the accelerator muscle to spring-load energy into the intralingual sheathes, packing them into one another like sections of a telescope. When the chameleon strikes, the pent-up energy can be released in just 20 milliseconds, accelerating the tongue pad forward” to snare its lunch.

Unbelieving Britons

In a poll of 10,000 people in ten countries, Britain was found to be “among the most godless . . . , with the lowest levels of religious belief and activities,” claims The Times of London. While 46 percent of Britons said that they had always believed in God, only two countries, Russia and the Republic of South Korea, claimed fewer believers. More than 90 percent of people in Nigeria, Indonesia, and Lebanon believed that their god was the one true God, but only 3 out of 10 in Britain felt the same way. In most countries more than 80 percent said that belief in God makes one a better person, but only 56 percent of Britons agreed. Whereas 85 percent in the United States, 99 percent in Indonesia, and 83 percent in Mexico believed God created the universe, only 52 percent in Britain did. Asked whether the world would be more peaceful without religion, 6 percent in the United States, 9 percent in India, and 11 percent in Israel said yes, but in Britain the figure was 29 percent!