In the last decade we have seen a number of plus size clothing brands come out in the market. Their marketing spiel is that they make clothing choices available to those who are obese and may not fit into designer versions of regular ware. Their popularity not only shows that it is a good marketing technique, it also underlines the very real problem of obesity prevalent in our society today.

A study was conducted jointly by researchers at the University of East Anglia, UK and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria. It was found that demographically speaking people of a lower education level were more likely to think of their extra weight as normal rather than being overweight.

This misconception was further fed by the availability of plus sized clothing in the market. These clothes allow the population a choice of simply switching to bigger clothing rather than trying to work on improving their health by reducing the extra weight that they carried. Most people who are overweight, didn’t even think of themselves as unhealthy.

The scientific study has been an eye opener to show how retail marketing can contribute to the normalization of body shapes that would medically be considered unfit.

Using electricity to propel vehicles is not a new technology. Electric vehicles have been around for a few decades now and are becoming even better at harnessing and utilizing their battery energy. While electric cars have been seen manufactured commercially, so far the revolution has been ground bound. Not any more.

Pipistrel in Slovenia has come up with a two -seater electric plane. The plane was tested in a flight in Oslo. Known as the Alpha Electro G2, the plane is much more silent than a conventional plane the same size. The take off weight for the plane is 570 kg. It is a prototype based on which a larger model will be assembled.

Norway wishes to use 100% electric planes for short haul distances by the year 2040 and this plane is part of this endeavor. The company Avinor, which is responsible for the 44 airports in Norway has bought this electric plane. The operator hopes to test a commercial route next to see the viability of the plane.

Eventually there is a small electric plane which can seat 19 passengers on the cards. They hope to have this prototype ready by the year 2025. This is one science project that will change the way we think about flying altogether.

Every time a piece of electronics is developed, there is someone waiting in the wings to experiment with it. Each electronic device is fair game for the next guy to work on in terms of reducing it’s size and adding new features. The Japanese were known for their skill with miniature electronics in the last century. In this century it is the nano technology researchers who seem to be grabbing the headlines.

Just recently the researchers at the University of Michigan came forth with a device that measures merely 0.3 mm to a side. It is smaller than a grain of size and is touted to be the smallest computer in the world. Known as the Michigan Micro Mote, this electronic device is able to process data and receive and transmit it as well.

While it is too small to be powered by regular electric current, it is being powered by the frequencies of visible light as it rests on a base station. It was developed to help for research in Oncology, the battle of cancer. It is able to take and report temperatures in minuscule regions comprising of a small cluster of cells in the human body. The system is flexible enough to be reprogrammed for many different purposes and is an interesting science project.

The relationship many people have with their first cup of coffee in the morning can actually be harming them. Too much caffeine in the system has already been shown to agitate and simulate the individual. Now researchers at the University of Gothenburg have conducted a new study that links coffee with obesity in an interesting manner.

The study, which was conducted on pregnant women, involved recording the number of cups of coffee that the consumed each day. This data was later related to their school aged children, and the obesity of the children. Apparently if the pregnant mother was said to have been consuming more than two cups of coffee a day, the school kid was at a greater risk for being overweight. The children were studied till they reached the age of eight years.

While the exact markers for the co-relation will definitely require more studies, it is interesting to note that pregnant women’s diet can affect the child even beyond birth. Needless to say that it becomes very important for a pregnant woman to monitor her diet and eat in a healthy and well balanced manner to ensure that her child benefits from this. A science project may easily show the viability of this statement.

There are a number of alternate healing modalities that have popped up in the market today. All kinds of different methods of medicine and treatment are available as alternatives to the western formal alopathic medicine system. Some have been practiced in indigenous cultures for centuries, while others have emerged much more recently.

The question is, do these so called alternative, holistic healing techniques actually work? Since there is very little data available through scientific research about many of these modalities, it is difficult to say for sure. Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers have tried to do something about the lack of research into one such technique known as Tai Chi.

6 elderly people underwent magnetic resonance spectroscopy over a period of 12 weeks as they practiced Tai Chi. The idea was to check how their health changed during this 12 week Tai Chi program by monitoring neuronal health in the brain and the recovery rates of a metabolite involved in energy production in leg muscles.

Much to the delight of the researchers is was found that Tai Chi helped these six volunteers with both physical and psychological benefits. The research supported the anecdotal evidence that had been found earlier with a proper scientific study.