Sexually Rejected Alcohol-Drinking Flies

A new study at the University of California, San Francisco found that male fruit flies that had been rejected drank, on average, four times more than those that had successfully mated. In the experiment, 24 male fruit flies were put in one of two situations — either in a vial with female fruit flies ready to mate or in one with female fruit flies who already had. Then, after four days, they were given the opportunity to choose between plain food and food that had been spiked with alcohol.

Though researchers expected all of the flies to prefer alcohol-laced food, they found that the males who had successfully mated passed on the boozy food. The rejected males, however, displayed a clear preference for it. On average, the rejected male flies "drank" four times more alcohol than those that had mated.

Why you shouldn't even bother trying to remember last night!

Why you shouldn't even bother trying to remember last night: Drunken blackouts are caused by alcohol switching off brain’s memory function, study shows

It’s often said that alcohol killing off brain cells is behind the blackouts, but according to a study what’s actually happening is that booze is preventing new memories being recorded in the first place.

Yukitoshi Izumi, research professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said: ‘We’ve found that exposure to alcohol inhibits some receptors and later activates others, causing neurons to manufacture steroids that inhibit memory formation.’

The brain cells affected by alcohol are found in the hippocampus and other brain structures involved in advanced cognitive functions. When the hippocampal cells are treated with moderate amounts of alcohol, the key areas for memory formation are unaffected, but exposing the cells to large amounts of alcohol inhibits the memory formation mechanism.

‘Some people may be more vulnerable to alcohol’s effects than others. In other words, just because your friend may be able to drink a certain number of drinks and appear to be functioning fine, it does not mean that you or everyone else can.’ said lead author Reagan R. Wetherill.

‘Blackouts’, where very heavy drinkers wake up and are unable to remember anything that happened, are quite rare, says Weatherill – but their cousin, the ‘brown out’, where details vanish, is much more common.

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You Won't Believe These Images Are Hand-Drawn!

Despite looking like they have been captured on a camera, these are actually hand-drawn images created by hyperrealist artist Paul Cadden. The 47-year-old, from Scotland, is able to recreate photos in amazing detail, often just using only a pencil.

Hyperrealism was born from the idea of photorealism, which are paintings based on photographs but created in a non-photographic medium. Taking an average of between three and six weeks to produce, Cadden creates about seven pieces each year - which usually come in A1 or A0 sizes - and sell at galleries for up to £5,000 ($7,855) each.

Starbucks Uses Insects In Strawberry Frappuccinos

Starbucks uses cochineal extract, which is the ground-up bodies of INSECTS, as a dye for their popular rose-coloured Strawberry Frappuccinos.

Bugs from mainly Mexico and South America are dried out before they are ground and used in the milky-based Frappuccino drink. As stomach-turning as it may sound, the ingredient is in fact harmless. Commonly used to help liven up the dull hues of jams, meats, cheese, baked goods, alcoholic drinks and more, cochineal extract has been used as a colouring agent in food and drinks for centuries. It has been deemed safe by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration.

Starbucks said it had decided to use cochineal extract to help limit the use of artificial ingredients in its products.

The zombie survival 'Google Map' that will help you find food and guns after the undead apocalypse!

It's well known horror film fact that when a zombie apocalypse arrives, those who want to see off the army of the undead need a variety of supplies to survive. Nearby medical care, weapons and nutrition are the key concerns for anyone hoping to successfully avoid being feasted on by rampant zombie legions. Now, should any remaining humans be overcome by confusion or panic during the zombie invasion, a unique world map has been created detailing all the key locations people need to survive.

The 'Zombie Survival Map' plots petrol stations, grocery stores, and even gun shops in major cities across the world, should the worst happen and the undead take over the planet. The map shows the nearest key locations in the fight against zombies, such as convenience stores, gun shops, and hardware stores.

So Do redheads feel more pain? Scientists set out to discover truth of controversial theory

Numerous studies have suggested that redheads feel more pain. And now a new study from Southampton University Hospital is looking to confirm the theory. The trial includes people with red hair over the age of 30. Researchers are comparing their reactions to tiny electric shocks with those of people with brown or black hair. The trial is set to end in September.

In 2009, a study in the Journal of the American Dentistry Association showed that redheads experience more trepidation at going to the dentist. Past research has suggested that redheads generally require more anesthesia than people of other hair colors.

The Village At The Top Of The World

At a height of 2,195 metres - or 7,200 feet - the Nepalese inhabitants of Nagarkot in the Himalayas can count Mount Everest among their nearest neighbours.

A hardy population of 3,500 people carve out an existence on the slopes of the steep mountains farming for centuries with traditional terraces to stop crops sliding away.

Photographer Anton Jankovoy, from Ukraine, travelled to the amazing district 20 miles east of the Nepal capital Kathmandu and captured these amazingly unreal photographs.