WEIRD STUFF

Boredom can be good for people

Neuroscientist Professor James Danckert argues that boredom should be seen as a positive "call to action" and be channelled into learning new skills rather than just scrolling on the phone.

Professor Danckert, of the University of Waterloo in Canada, told the BBC podcast Instant Genius: "Boredom is useful because it's a call to action. It's pushing you to find something to engage in that's meaningful and valuable.

"If you're bored and you just turn to your phone, you're not responding very well to the signal of boredom."

The expert explained that music icon Jimi Hendrix used boredom to transform from an ordinary musician into a "guitar genius".

Danckert suggests that people should use boredom to think about "small goals" such as forming relationships and acquiring new skills.

Although he did warn that the feeling can cause "problematic" behaviour for some, including gambling and social media addiction.

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Air pollution linked to severe dementia

Research carried out in Atlanta, Georgia, has discovered that people with more exposure to traffic-related particulate matter air pollution were more likely to have high amounts of the amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease in the brain.

The findings from Emory University add to the dangers already caused by traffic jams, including climate change and respiratory illnesses.

The experts set out specifically to investigate the effect of exposure to the particulate matter known as PM2.5 on the human brain and found that high levels raised the risk of Alzheimer's.

Anke Huels, the lead author of the study, said: "We found that donors who lived in areas with high concentrations of traffic-related air pollution exposure, in particular PM2.5 exposure, had higher levels of Alzheimer's disease neuropathology in their brain.

"In particular, we looked at ... a score that is used to evaluate amyloid plaques in the brain, in autopsy samples, and we showed that donors who live in areas with higher levels of air pollution, and also higher levels of amyloid plaques in their brain."

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Watching TV increases toilet use

Adults who spend five hours or more per day watching television or videos are more likely to need to urinate multiple times per night - a condition known as nocturia - a new study has revealed.

Boffins at Wenzhou Medical University in China assessed data on more than 13,000 people aged 20 and above and it was revealed those who spent over five hours glued to screens had a 48 per cent higher risk of nocturia compared to those who viewed TV or videos for less than an hour per day.

The experts wrote in the journal Neurology: "As individuals increasingly engage in screen-based activities, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of extended TV and/or video time on patterns of nocturia is crucial for both healthcare professionals and public health practitioners.

"Our research showed that individuals who spent five or more hours a day watching TV and/or videos were significantly more likely to develop nocturia."

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Research links low sperm count to cancer risk

Children of men with low sperm counts are at greater risk of developing cancers.

A landmark study at The University of Utah has discovered that the families of men who have a lack of sperm were up to 150 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with tumours than the offspring of males who had normal sperm counts.

The risk and type of cancer varied significantly depending on how low the sperm count was -- but there were marked increases in the chances of getting bone and joint cancer (156 per cent) and thyroid cancer (54 per cent) among family members of men with low sperm.

Study author Joemy Ramsay said: "When family members share cancer risk patterns, it suggests that they have genetic, environmental, or health behaviours in common.

"By identifying which groups of families have similar cancer risk patterns we can improve our understanding of the biological mechanisms of both cancer and infertility.

"It will help us to assess the risk of cancer for families and provide improved patient counselling."