pressure

Common Over-The-Counter Painkillers Can Be an Unexpected Source of Too Much Sodium

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Dissolvable painkillers might bring rapid relief, but researchers are warning many of them also come with a hidden and hearty dose of salt. For each half a gram of paracetamol, or acetaminophen, that comes in a dissolvable tablet, you may also swallow around 0.4 grams of sodium, one of the main components of salt.   … Read more

Two New Studies Just Outlined The Basics of Building an Interstellar Light Sail

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For centuries, people have dreamed of being driven at speed across the vast oceans of space by winds of light. As whimsical as the idea sounds, nudging reflective sails slowly towards the speed of light using nothing more than the punch of photons might be our only plausible shot at reaching another star inside of … Read more

The World’s ‘Happiest’ Countries Harbor a Dark Side, Wellbeing Study Reveals

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Have you looked at the international rankings of the world’s happiest countries lately? Measuring a country’s subjective levels of happiness has become something of an international sport. People look with interest (and a little jealousy) to nations such as Denmark, which consistently tops the world’s happiness rankings.   It has also led to Danish practices … Read more

Just Two Simple Muscle Exercises Can Help Reduce Dizziness When Standing Up

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Feeling dizzy or light-headed when standing is a common experience caused by a drop in blood pressure. When this blood pressure dip is very brief and rapid, and not tied to any other health problems, it’s referred to as initial orthostatic hypotension or IOH.   New research suggests some simple muscle exercises before or after standing … Read more

Yoga: At least one session a week may help to lower blood pressure

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A large real-world study adds to clinical trial evidence that people who do yoga tend to have lower blood pressure, which may prevent heart attacks and strokes Health 9 February 2022 By Alice Klein Regular yoga may lead to health benefits Boston Globe Copyright: Aram Boghosian/Boston Globe/Getty Images Practising yoga one or more times per … Read more

What Actually Is a ‘Bomb Cyclone’? An Atmospheric Scientist Explains

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A bomb cyclone is a large, intense midlatitude storm that has low pressure at its center, weather fronts and an array of associated weather, from blizzards to severe thunderstorms to heavy precipitation. It becomes a bomb when its central pressure decreases very quickly – by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.   Two famed … Read more

Tonga volcano: Massive eruption was a once-in-a-millennium event

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The underwater Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption has already triggered a tsunami, a sonic boom and thousands of lightning bolts, and could now lead to acid rain Earth 17 January 2022 By Alice Klein Satellite photo of the eruption CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS The massive explosion of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga on Saturday was its … Read more

Super-Earths: Long-lasting radiation shields may make for life-friendly worlds

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Life on Earth is made possible by our planet’s magnetosphere – an invisible radiation shield that protects the surface – now it turns out that super-Earths could have magnetospheres too Space 13 January 2022 By Alex Wilkins The laser system at the National Ignition Facility in California used to study iron’s properties Damien Jemison The … Read more

The Sun Used to Have Saturn-Like Rings That Stopped Earth From Being a ‘Super-Earth’

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Before Earth and the other planets in our Solar System existed, the Sun may have been surrounded by giant rings of dust similar to Saturn’s, according to a new study.   Those rings of dust may have prevented Earth from growing into a “super-Earth” – a type of planet that is about twice the size of Earth and … Read more

China’s ‘Artificial Sun’ Just Broke a Major World Record For Plasma Fusion

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Just seven months after it announced a milestone record for plasma fusion, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has absolutely smashed it. Their ‘artificial Sun’ tokomak reactor is has maintained a roiling loop of plasma superheated to 120 million degrees Celsius (216 million degrees Fahrenheit) for a gobsmacking 1,056 seconds, the Institute of Plasma Physics reports.   … Read more