It’s been a warning for some time now that antibiotics will eventually lose the ability to knock out infections as diseases mutate and change in order to become immune and now it’s happening.

Gonorrhea is one of the more common sexually transmitted diseases worldwide and until recently, once detected, it was fairly simple to treat. Now the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified that there are cases of the STD that are resistant to one of the only remaining antibiotics commonly used to treat it. These cases have emerged in Australia, France, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Britain.

(more…)

It’s not often that we find many similarities between ourselves and insects. A new study however may have us identifying a bit more closely with them…that is in one respect. New research has revealed that fruit flies who are rejected time and again sexually are more inclined to take comfort in drinking alcohol than those who had mated recently.

Sound familiar?

Researchers have found that these behaviors appear to stem from a lowered level of a chemical in the brain called neuropeptide F (NPF) in the forlorn flies. Furthermore, researchers think that the level of this chemical in the body can impact a fly’s “reward system.” This is solid evidence that these insects appear to self-soothe or self-medicate in times or rejection. Think of how many times you have seen this same type of scenario play out in not only the media, but in real life as well.

(more…)

If you forget all the red roses, fancy cars and other “romantic” gestures we frequently see involved in courtship today and look back at what drew our ancestors together, the picture looks a whole lot different.

Not unlike animals today, people were drawn together by choosing what qualities would compliment their own when it came to producing offspring. This is still done today, though usually on a subconscious level. For instance, men are drawn to women with curves which makes them ideal candidates for bearing a healthy child. Women on the other hand are drawn to men with symmetrical faces for much the same reason, they appear to have genes that would benefit their offspring. According to a new study, there may be another less obvious factor for attractiveness – a healthy immune system.

(more…)

One of the disadvantages of taking birth control is the monthly expensive that it can incur. Some brands can end up costing you around $600 a year. If you need to cut your costs but don’t want to give up your pill, here are some tips to help ease the strain on your bank account.

(more…)