Caffeine causes shopaholics
The shopaholic in you is just a coffee away, according to new research conducted at numerous retail stores in various countries and a laboratory. The research shows that consuming a caffeinated drink before or while shopping leads to impulsive shopping, increased spending and an increase in the number of items purchased. “Caffeine, as a powerful stimulant, releases dopamine in the brain, which excites the mind and the body,” said a researcher at the University of South Florida. “This leads to a higher energetic state, which in turn enhances impulsivity and decreases self-control.” The research involved setting up an espresso machine at the front of a store and offering coffee to 150 shoppers and another 150 water or decaffeinated coffee. The shoppers who drank the caffeinated spent about 50% more and bought nearly 30% more items than those who drank water or decaffeinated coffee. In a laboratory, business school students were put in the same situation but were asked to partake in online shopping. Caffeine drinkers were seen to shop impulsively while noncaffeine drinkers were observed to be more “practical”.
Sniffing out similarities
Researchers in Israel have found that the human sense of smell plays a bigger role in social interaction than previously thought. According to the study, humans are always subconsciously smelling themselves and others while making subliminal comparisons and drawing close to those who smell most like themselves. The researchers studied friendships that formed rapidly between random pairs of individuals and made use of an electrical nose (enose) to examine the chemical signatures of the odours. The study showed that people who reacted positively to each other smelled similar. It ruled out the possibility that friends smelled like each other because they had participated in similar activities or eaten similar foods. In addition, the researchers could predict positive interactions between people with 71% accuracy. “These results imply that, as the saying goes, there is chemistry in social chemistry. This is not to say that we act like goats or shrews — humans likely rely on other, far more dominant cues in their social decision-making. Nevertheless, our study’s results do suggest that our nose plays a bigger role than previously thought in our choice of friends,” according to the head of the Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research.
Arrest warrant for Zimbabwe author
A warrant of arrest has been issued for one of Zimbabwe’s prominent literary figures, Tsitsi Dangarembga, after she missed a court appearance on charges of inciting violence. The author of Nervous Conditions was arrested in July 2020 for staging an anti-government protest with a neighbour, holding up a placard that read: “We want better; reform our institutions.” Dangarembga was released on bail the next day. Her trial is yet to start. Her lawyers intended to have the case thrown out for lack of evidence and the court was set to rule on the request on Monday. Lawyers said she missed her court appearance for medical reasons and that she was seeing a doctor in Germany. Dangarembga will seek to have the warrant cancelled.
Killer maternal instinct
A baby pilot whale has been spotted swimming with a pod of orcas near Iceland, with no other pilot whales around. A team from the Icelandic Orcas Group noticed the killer whales with the newborn pilot whale while studying the marine animals. “Among the orcas was what appeared to be a newborn pilot whale. There were no observations of pilot whales in the area the whole day. Where did this baby come from?” asked the researchers with the Icelandic Orcas Group. “This adds a whole other layer of complexity to the study of interactions between pilot whales and killer whales.” The two species of whales have been observed acting antagonistically towards each other but, according to Steve Byrne, the founder of The Global Orcas Society, the calf may have found a home among the killer whales. Calves may get lost or abandoned and orcas have a strong matriarchal social structure where females help each other raise their young. “Orcas are a highly developed species”, he told Newsweek. “They understand, perhaps even have empathy for those in need. A pilot whale calf alone in the ocean has a need for care to survive.”
Paris attacks trial comes to a close
The biggest trial in modern French history came to a close this week after judges announced the verdicts of the 20 men accused of being perpetrators in the 2015 Paris attacks that left 130 people dead. Salah Abdeslam, the lone survivor of the 10-strong jihadist group that carried out the terror attack, was found guilty and sentenced to life without parole. He claims he chose not to detonate his explosive vest for reasons of humanity, and pleaded for a lighter sentence. “I made mistakes, it’s true, but I’m not a murderer, I’m not a killer,” he said. The court, on the other hand, found that his vest malfunctioned.
His fellow suicide bombers completed their attacks, leaving Abdeslam to face trial along with 19 other suspects who were accused of lesser crimes involving providing weapons and vehicles. Thirteen of the defendants received sentences ranging from two to 30 years for their crimes. “It’s a balanced verdict, harsh for some, less so for others. It’s called justice,” said a lawyer representing several plaintiffs following the verdict.
Whistling testes send man to ER
A medical report has identified a man in Ohio to be the first person to have a “whistling scrotum”. The man was rushed to an emergency room out of breath, with a swollen face and a “hissing” noise from his testicles. X-rays showed that the man had excess air floating around his body, which caused his lungs to collapse. Further analysis of his bizarre condition indicated that there was an open wound on the left side of his scrotum, the result of a procedure performed on his testicles. The wound allowed some trapped air to escape. After recovering in the hospital after several days, the man was sent home but still had air trapped in his scrotum for an additional two years. His condition was defined as pneumoscrotum and he had to have those parts of his genitals removed. The report stated that his pneumoscrotum may have been caused by the surgical injuries that resulted in trapped air.