Culture

EU researchers are coming up with advanced technologies to spot early signs of fatigue and erratic behaviour in people behind the wheel. By Tom Cassauwers - When Carlo Polidori is driving and starts rubbing the back of his neck, he knows it’s probably time to take a break. The act is a sign that he’s getting tired behind the wheel. Polidori, who is president of the Italian Association of Road Safety Professionals, drove for decades without being aware of his habit. He spotted it in 2022 when joining an EU project...

Skills grow when you practice deliberately in the kitchen, and you can develop a reliable foundation by approaching learning as a series of small, repeatable habits. Start with safety and cleanliness: wash hands, sanitize surfaces,...

Equipment defines how efficiently you cook and how much you enjoy time in the kitchen. Whether you are just starting or refining your technique, a smart selection of tools helps you master fundamentals, expand recipes, and speed up prep without cluttering your counters. You should start with knives and boards. A good chef's knife and a paring knife cover most cutting tasks; a serrated knife helps with bread and tomatoes. Pair them with a sturdy cutting board-wood for gentler knife edges, plastic for easy sanitizing-and a honing steel to keep edges aligned between sharpenings. Cookware and bakeware form the backbone of meals. A heavy-bottomed skillet (10-12 inch), a medium saucepan, and...

Jacobo García Queiruga, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela and Verónica Noya Padín, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela Nowadays you can buy a cheap pair of sunglasses just about anywhere – from supermarkets and petrol stations to corner shops and online fashion retailers, but such ubiquity may prompt doubts as to the protection they can offer. While their lenses usually meet certain minimum UV protection requirements, their quality in other respects, such as visual clarity, is dismal. Opticians, however, are governed by national health regulations, meaning that they have to meet higher standards such as the CE and UKCA marks. Professional opticians are therefore much better equipped to help customers find sunglasses...

Yvonne Prince, Cape Peninsula University of Technology; Glenda Mary Davison, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and Tandi Matsha-Erasmus, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 8 million people die annually from smoking related complications. Despite efforts by governments and various organisations to create awareness about the dangers, around 1.3 billion people still use some form of tobacco and 80% of them live in low to middle income countries. There is no safe level of smoking. Even second-hand smoke can lead to serious complications such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. The mouth (oral cavity) is the first port of entry to the rest of...

Derek Mitchell, University of Leeds - When people think...

Berlin (ots) - A recent study by Wageningen University &...

Yvonne Prince, Cape Peninsula University of Technology; Glenda Mary...

Skills grow when you practice deliberately in the kitchen,...