Music: No need for drugs – get your “feel good” dopamine from music. Scientists have found that the pleasurable experience of listening to music releases this neurotransmitter in the brain, a chemical important for more tangible pleasures associated with “rewards” such as food, drugs and sex. The study revealed that even the anticipation of pleasurable music induces dopamine release. The research was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Read More…
Green: Want to help the planet? Waste less food. Scientists have identified a way that the United States could immediately save the energy equivalent of about 350 million barrels of oil a year – without spending a penny or putting a ding in the quality of life: just stop wasting food. The study, reported in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, found that it takes the equivalent of about 1.4 billion barrels of oil to produce package, prepare, preserve and distribute a year’s worth of food in the United States, while consumers waste about 27% it in general. The top most wasted food items were fats, oils, dairy, grains, eggs, sugar and other sweeteners. The waste represents a largely unrecognized opportunity to conserve energy and help control global warming, so do your part. Read More…
