WEIRD STUFF

Humans love to see dogs wagging their tails

Researchers have suggested that dogs wagging their tails became common amongst canines during domestication as people take pleasure from the rhythm of the movement.

Dog owners often rely on tail wagging to understand how their pooch may be feeling, and experts have proposed some theories to encourage further research into the subject.

Dr Taylor Hersh, co-author of the article from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands, said: "We may not be able to take a time machine back to the beginning of the dog-human relationship, but we can look at dog behaviour today, in tandem with human behaviour, to try and understand what that domestication process looked like.

"Tail wagging is a very apparent and interesting behaviour to start with."

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Fruit juice can make children fat

A fruit drink is often seen as a healthy option, but new research suggests that they contribute to weight gain in kids and should be avoided in order to tackle obesity.

Scientists from the University of Toronto analysed data from over 46,000 children and discovered that the more often they drank fruit juice, the fatter they tended to be.

They have warned that juice is "liquid calories", and parents must limit their child's intake to prevent them from growing up overweight.

Writing in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the authors said: "Our findings are in support of public health guidance to limit consumption of 100 per cent fruit juice to prevent overweight and obesity."

The experts accept that fruit juice can be a "convenient" way of meeting daily fruit dietary requirements, but stress that it causes weight gain due to "high amounts of free sugars and energy".

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Yoga lowers risk of diabetes

Boffins have found that breaking up the day with three minutes of the practice per hour is good for those tied to their desks in the office or at home.

Yoga is seen as an effective method of slashing the chance of diabetes, as it reduces blood sugar levels.

Fifteen adults in their mid-20s were asked to sit down and imitate an eight-hour working day at a desk by a team at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Participants either did a yoga routine, tai chi or no activity at all, and it was found that sugar in blood decreased by around 10 per cent following the quick-fire yoga break.

Writing in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, the experts said: "Breaking up sedentary behaviour using three-minute bouts of yoga significantly lowers blood glucose in healthy individuals without compromising concentration or well-being."