Overweight young adults may have poorer episodic memory than their peers, research suggests

A latest research by the University of Cambridge suggested that overweight young adults may have poorer episodic memory - the ability to recall previous events - as compared to their peers. The study has joined the increasing proof of a link between memory and overeating.

In a preliminary study, appeared in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, researchers from Cambridge’s Department of Psychology discovered a link between high body mass index (BMI) and poorer performance on an episodic memory test.

Though it is a small study, its findings have backed existing results that say bodyweight could be linked to changes to the brain’s structure and function and its ability to carry out certain cognitive tasks optimally.

CDC: Pregnant women should avoid traveling to 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil due to Zika risk

On Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that pregnant women should avoid traveling to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil because of Zika virus infection risk.

The CDC also suggested that women looking forward to conceive, and their male partners, must exercise suggested precautions and extra care in case they travel to the Olympics or Paralympic Games, which is going to be held in August and September in Rio de Janeiro.

The advisory said, “The CDC Recommends that pregnant women consider not traveling to the Olympics. If you have a male partner who goes to the Olympics, you may be at risk for sexual transmission”.

Texas: Abortion debate returning to a recast Supreme Court

The abortion debate is making a comeback to a recast Supreme Court that now could be tilted against the questioned Texas law. And the declaration will possibly come back to Justice Anthony Kennedy.

On Wednesday morning, in a highly predictable, hour-long oral argument, the court will think about challenging a 2013 Texas law governing abortion clinics. Whatever may be the intention of the law, it will effectively limit abortion providers and holds back women looking forward to end their pregnancies.

Alphabet-Owned Company introduces New Atlas Robot That Does Tasks

Have you ever thought what if robots would surround us? If not, you must now turn fanciful with the idea. Boston Dynamics has released a video showing their latest version of atlas robot. The robotics design company is owned by Alphabet, formerly known as Google. In the video, atlas can be seen moving boxes and regaining balance again after being knocked down.

The video was released on Tuesday and received more than eight million views in two days. The video showed how the robot is capable of performing human like tasks. It walked with ease on different surfaces, it walked on snow, indoors and outdoors. It even copied action of lifting and then placing boxes on shelves after a man. It was surprising to see the robot restoring its balance after being knocked down.

MIT Researchers say Simple Sea Sponge is Common Ancestor of Modern Animal Kingdom

Today, more than eight million animal species have inhabited earth, but in the beginning of the world, there were very few species. The first form of life that set up home on the planet was a simple sea sponge, claimed a new study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge.

MIT researchers conducted genetic tests and confirmed that molecules found in 640-million-year-old rocks were produced by sea sponges. The rocks in the study are older than the 540 million years old period, known as the Cambrian explosion, when many animal species dwelled in different regions of the world.

NASA Scientist Philip Lubin explains how 30-minute Mars Trip May Meet Reality

NASA scientist Philip Lubin claims he can get a crewed spacecraft to the Red Planet in just 30 minutes and that too without a magic trick. It is possible to reach Mars at a significant fraction of the speed of light using energy propulsion, thinks Lubin.

Speed of a spacecraft heading towards Mars could be accelerated by firing a laser at the craft, said UC Santa Barbara physics professor Lubin. As per the scientist’s 30-minute trip to Mars plan, a powerful laser could be used at the spacecraft to provide it extra acceleration. When the laser will strike the space vehicle, it may be able to achieve frictionless acceleration in space.

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