Are The Benefits Of Psychedelics Overblown? Here's One Compelling Case Against The Hype

Psychedelics have been billed as the next big thing in mental health. But are we getting ahead of ourselves? Since I was young, I have been intrigued by altered states of consciousness, such as out-of-body experiences, paranormal phenomena and religious visions. I studied psychology and neuroscience to gain a better understanding of how these experiences come about. And in my scientific career, I have focused on the question of why some people are more prone to having these experiences than others.

Continued here

Should You Feed Your Dog Vegetables? An Animal Nutritionist Reveals the Ultimate Pet Food Hack

Eating more vegetables is one of the fundamental ways us humans can improve our health. But what about that of our favorite pooch? A suite of recent TikTok videos suggest that feeding your dog vegetables is good for their health, even going so far as to say that celery can freshen breath and cucumbers can help boost energy. But is that true? Do dogs need to eat their vegetables like humans do?Provided the animal is getting a diet that is complete and balanced, it shouldn't need any vegetables, Richard Hill, a veterinary nutrition professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, tells Inverse. Most commercially available dog foods are marked as complete and balanced, meaning they contain all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that a dog needs in proper proportions. Hill says theres reasonable assurance that commercially available dog food labeled as complete and balanced is truly complete and balanced.

Continued here

Still Never Got Covid-19? The Reason Is Not What You Think

Understanding why some people never get sick has significant implications for future treatments and vaccine development. Throughout the pandemic, one of the key questions on everyones mind was why some people avoided getting COVID while others caught the virus multiple times.

Continued here

Silly-Looking Stuff That's Actually Amazing

Just because an Amazon item might look kind of ridiculous, like a beard bib or a couch pillow cup holder, doesnt mean it isnt amazing. Within this list, youll find a whole bunch of silly-looking stuff you didnt know you needed but will end up using all the time. Scroll on to see the goods. The purpose of these compression foot sleeves is to give your feet, ankles, and heels a little extra support and comfort. They offer support for new injuries like a sprained ankle as well as chronic conditions like heel spurs or arch pain. They come in five colors and four size options.

Continued here

Kenya's protests are different this time: 3 things that make it harder for government to crush them

On 25 June 2024, a youth-led protest primarily composed of Gen Zs, as they are popularly referred to, stormed Kenyas parliament. Legislators voted to pass the Finance Bill 2024 in its third and last reading ahead of presidential assent. This was the second countrywide protest over the proposed taxes in the draft law and excesses in government spending. The finance bill is a framework that determines how the government raises revenue. The Kenyan government had proposed raising US$2.7 billion by increasing taxes on essential goods and services, from cooking oil to bread. The bill also targeted digital revenue, where the bulk of young people generate their income in an environment with high rates of youth unemployment.

Continued here

Nato at 75: a muted celebration for an alliance facing uncertain times

Nato leaders will have much to celebrate when they gather in Washington for the alliances 75th anniversary this week. Sweden will be welcomed to its first summit as a Nato ally. The leaders will also note progress on defence budgets in 2024, 23 of the 32 allies will meet Natos target of spending 2% of their GDP on defence. The summit will be the last for the alliances long-serving secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg. The well-qualified Mark Rutte, former prime minister of the Netherlands, will move into his office in October.

Continued here

Sudan is now confronting its most severe food security crisis on record

After 14 months of escalating internal conflict, Sudan is now confronting its most severe food security crisis on record. The latest situation report, released on 27 June, reveals a grim picture: more than half the population of 47.2 million is facing acute food insecurity. This signifies severe lack of food, high malnutrition and starvation leading to death.There is also a high risk of famine in multiple regions if immediate action is not taken. Famine is a severe and widespread lack of food that leads to extreme hunger, malnutrition and increased mortality in a population.

Continued here

Namibia's sodomy laws have been overturned - what that means for LGBTIQ+ rights in the country

John Nakuta is a trustee of the Economic, Social Justice Trust (ESJT) of Namibia that promotes and advocates for economic and social justice. His views here, however, are his own and do not represent the views of the ESTJ.The Namibian high court recently invalidated the countrys colonial-era sodomy law, which had made consensual sexual acts between men a criminal offence. The court declared that the common law offences of sodomy and unnatural sexual offences were unconstitutional. This ruling follows a separate decision in 2023 where Namibias supreme court ruled to recognise certain same-sex unions contracted outside the country. These two cases are being celebrated as victories for LGBTIQ+ rights in the country and the continent following similar rulings in South Africa (1998), Botswana (2019) and Mauritius (2023). We asked human rights law lecturer John Nakuta about the ruling.

Continued here

The treatment of environmental activists at Olympic Games contradicts IOC's Olympism ideals

With the Paris Olympics fast approaching under the shadow of the climate crisis, activists and advocates continue to raise questions about the International Olympic Committees (IOC) commitment to one of three pillars of the Olympic Agenda: sustainability. And for good reason. Despite optimistic rhetoric from the IOC and host committees, environmental exploitation by host nations, and the suppression of opposition to such exploitation, have remained a troubling feature of the Olympic Games throughout the 21st century.

Continued here

Computer love: AI-powered chatbots are changing how we understand romantic and sexual well-being

Over the past decade, virtual assistants powered by artificial intelligence, like Apples Siri and Amazons Alexa, have become integral to technologies such as smartphones and social media. More recently, a new type of human-like chatbots are on the rise: AI romantic companions. Chatbots are AI-powered programs that engage with humans through text, voice and images.

Continued here