Mice That Eat Yogurt Have Larger … Whoa, WHAT?!
An MIT team set out to study the effects of a high-fat, low-fiber diet in mice that also ate yogurt. You know, basically “Can probiotic supplements help overcome a crappy diet?”
What they found surprised them. Mice that ate yogurt were shiny, and had thick, dense, healthy hair, like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. The males also, well … I don’t know exactly how to say this … they walked with a certain “swagger”.
That’s because the testicles of the yogurt-eating males were 15% larger than the junk food mice. Not only were they bigger, but they produced more pups when they mated with females. Females weren’t left out, though. Yogurt-eaters gave birth to healthier, bigger litters.
Surely you’re thinking “So, Biology Man, if I eat yogurt by the wheelbarrow-full, will I turn into Don Juan of the breakfast buffet?” Well, we don’t know how dietary observations like this translate to humans quite yet. But probiotic foods like yogurt likely create a healthier microbiome in the mouse gut, leading to less inflammation and a stronger immune system. All of that leads to a healthier, more virile mouse.
Hey, it’s good for ya. Couldn’t hurt.
(via Scientific American)
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A new technology makes it possible for a quadriplegic to use only thought to move a robotic arm. According to a report out yesterday, a Massachusetts woman was one of two patients to use the arm. She picked up a bottle with coffee in it and drank it, using a straw. This is the first time in 15 years that she was able to feed herself.
And to explain how the technology works, we’re joined now by Dr. Leigh Hochberg, who is a neurologist, an engineer and the lead author on this study. Welcome to the program.
[Listen Here]
Also see “The Brain-Computer Interface That Let a Quadriplegic Woman Move a Cup.”](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4fo1mb2P01qjamtho1_1280.jpg)
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