| Frustrated McCain unveils his own Afghanistan strategy Posted: 10 Aug 2017 06:35 AM PDT  "We must face facts: We are losing in Afghanistan, and time is of the essence if we intend to turn the tide," the Arizona Republican said in a statement.
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| London Woman Falls Into Path of Bus After Jogger Pushes Her Posted: 10 Aug 2017 05:28 AM PDT  Surveillance footage shows the dramatic moment when a London jogger pushes a woman into the path of an oncoming bus on Putney Bridge.
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| Climate scientists continue to sound the alarm: Global warming fueled record temperatures in 2016 Posted: 10 Aug 2017 12:54 PM PDT  The latest international climate report released by the American Meteorological Society confirms 2016 was the third consecutive year of record global heat.
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| The Latest: Detective grilled in Penn St. hazing death case Posted: 10 Aug 2017 02:22 PM PDT  BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — The Latest on the court hearing in the death of a Penn State fraternity pledge following an alcohol hazing ritual (all times local):
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| Democrats try to co-opt populist rage. Hilarity ensues. Posted: 10 Aug 2017 02:00 AM PDT  The problem with the Democrats' new agenda isn't its language or gauziness. It's the underlying philosophy, which misreads the Trump campaign's core appeal.
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| Norovirus Outbreak On Cruise Ship Sickens 91 Passengers Posted: 10 Aug 2017 10:48 AM PDT  It was the fourth time this year the ship had an outbreak of the highly contagious stomach infection.
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| Colorado man found dead in elevator called for help twice Posted: 11 Aug 2017 08:55 AM PDT ![Colorado man found dead in elevator called for help twice]( "Colorado man found dead in elevator called for help twice") DENVER (AP) — An elderly Colorado man found dead in a parking garage elevator had pushed the emergency button twice but got no response, police said.
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| Nightmare Safari: Grandmother Attacked and Killed by Hippo During Family Vacation Posted: 11 Aug 2017 01:52 PM PDT  Carol Kirken, pictured with her son, died in his arms.
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| Trump shares dubious Twitter poll saying he's better than Obama Posted: 10 Aug 2017 07:01 AM PDT  President Trump has shared a dubious Twitter poll that rates him "a better president" than Barack Obama. Mainstream polls have given Trump low ratings.
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| U.S. destroyer challenges China's claims in South China Sea Posted: 10 Aug 2017 02:29 PM PDT  A U.S. Navy destroyer carried out a "freedom of navigation operation" on Thursday, coming within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, U.S. officials told Reuters.
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| 12-year-old rape victim told to 'turn the other cheek' as Christian school refused to report sexual abuse, lawsuit alleges Posted: 10 Aug 2017 09:39 AM PDT  A 12-year-old rape victim was told by the headmaster of a Christian school "to turn the other cheek" and that "everything in God's kingdom happens for a reason", lawsuit files alledge. The school is being accused of covering up repeated sexual assaults against the boy, downplaying the attacks and refusing to report a rape in a lawsuit that is seeking at least $30m (£23m) in damages. The mother of the boy, who attends Brentwood Academy, a prestigious private school in Williamson County in Tennessee, filed the lawsuit in which she also accuses four eight-grade students, then 14 and 15-years-old, of having repeatedly sexually abused her son when he was in the sixth grade in 2014/15.
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| United Airlines Flight Diverted To New York Due To Cockpit Smoke Posted: 10 Aug 2017 02:12 AM PDT  The flight was carrying 50 passengers and three crew members from Chicago to Montreal, Canada, when it was diverted to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.
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| 3 dead in California after SUV fleeing Border Patrol crashes Posted: 11 Aug 2017 04:11 PM PDT ![3 dead in California after SUV fleeing Border Patrol crashes]( "3 dead in California after SUV fleeing Border Patrol crashes") SAN DIEGO (AP) — An SUV fleeing from U.S. Border Patrol agents smashed through a guardrail and hurtled into a ravine off a San Diego freeway, killing three of the vehicle's occupants and seriously injuring a fourth, authorities said Friday.
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| Magnitude 6.2 quake hits Philippine island of Luzon, jolts buildings Posted: 10 Aug 2017 11:20 PM PDT  An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hit the Philippines' northern island of Luzon on Friday and was felt in the capital Manila, shaking buildings and forcing the evacuation of offices and schools. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries in the quake, which the United States Geological Survey earlier measured at 6.6. No tsunami warning was issued by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which put the magnitude of the quake at 6.3, and said it expected aftershocks.
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| In 'liberated' Mosul, ISIS still imperils the path to city's revival Posted: 11 Aug 2017 11:57 AM PDT ![In 'liberated' Mosul, ISIS still imperils the path to city's revival]( "In 'liberated' Mosul, ISIS still imperils the path to city's revival") The first sign Ghaith Ali had that Islamic State militants were still active in "liberated" western Mosul was a mysterious square object on the floor of a house he entered to make it ready for returning families. "Our mission was to clear houses before civilians come back, to say 'Your house is good,'" says Ali, a short-haired young man with a thin mustache and slight build, speaking in an Erbil hospital for war victims run by the Italian agency Emergency.
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| 'Mitch, get back to work': Trump knocks McConnell again on health care Posted: 10 Aug 2017 06:13 AM PDT  The president lashed out at the Senate majority leader for the second time in as many days, mocking the Kentucky Republican's failure to pass new health care legislation.
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| Bristol International Balloon Fiesta Posted: 10 Aug 2017 12:16 PM PDT ![Bristol International Balloon Fiesta]( "Bristol International Balloon Fiesta") The Fiesta truly is a sight that can only be seen in Bristol. Held over four days in August at Ashton Court Estate, the event is completely free with charges made for parking on the event site. The event was first held in 1979 and is now one of the largest in Europe.
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| Long Beach Settles Lawsuit After Police Forcibly Remove Woman's Hijab Posted: 11 Aug 2017 01:11 PM PDT  The head covering was taken off by police after she was arrested
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| Woman sues hospital in death of 4-day-old son Posted: 11 Aug 2017 03:32 AM PDT ![Woman sues hospital in death of 4-day-old son]( "Woman sues hospital in death of 4-day-old son") PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon woman is suing a hospital where she gave birth to her son over the baby's death after she accidently smothered him at just 4-days old.
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| A large wildfire has been burning in Greenland for more than a week, and wait, what?!? Posted: 10 Aug 2017 09:22 AM PDT  If shrubbery and peatlands catch on fire on a sparsely populated island that's synonymous with snow and ice, will anyone notice? The answer, thanks to satellite monitoring, is an unequivocal "yes." During the past several days, scientists have been keeping close tabs on an unusually large wildfire in southwest Greenland, about 90 miles northeast of the town of Sisimiut. This is one of at least two fires currently burning in Greenland. SEE ALSO: Nuclear war with North Korea 'would be suicidal', climate experts warn While fires are not unheard of along the ice-free edges of the island, the large one near Sisimiut is noteworthy for its size and duration, scientists say. Wildfires in Greenland are outpacing past years in terms of the number of satellite-detected incidents. The current fire is the largest wildfire spotted in Greenland since a NASA satellite instrument was turned on in 2002. The Greenland fire evolution since July 29 as captured by @ESA_EO 's #sentinel2 pic.twitter.com/Iuk9blyui9 — Stef Lhermitte (@StefLhermitte) August 9, 2017 While most of Greenland is covered by snow and ice, the edges of the island are covered by grasses, shrubs, mosses, and other vegetation that, when sufficiently dry, can burn. According to NASA, satellites first detected evidence of the fire on July 31, 2017. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument and the Suomi NPP satellite's instruments collected daily images of smoke streaming from the fire over the next week. An analysis from Stef Lhermitte of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands suggests that NASA's MODIS instrument has spotted more wildfire activity in Greenland in 2017 than it has during any other year since the sensor began collecting data in 2000. The fire may be burning through peat, which would make it particularly destructive, since peatlands store large amounts of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane. #DEIMOS2 fresh image depicts unusual #wildfire raging right now in #Greenland #EmergencyServices pic.twitter.com/p200SWhmPn — DEIMOS IMAGING (@deimosimaging) August 9, 2017 It is not clear what triggered the fire, though it may have been human-caused since hunting and fishing are popular at this time of year. Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute, said the fire is occurring in an area "popular with hunters." "I spoke to a Greenlandic journalist today who had spoken to the fire service, they have apparently also suggested the two [fires] currently burning are most likely human-caused fires," Mottram said in an email. She also suspects it's a peat fire, saying: "I have not been to this area, but it seems very likely it is a peatland area given other locations I've visited." The area where the large fire is burning has been drier than average this year, with much less precipitation than usual in July, for example. To wrap up: wildfires have occurred in the past over Greenland but 2017 is exceptional in number of active fire detections by MODIS pic.twitter.com/2HGaVieTEe — Stef Lhermitte (@StefLhermitte) August 7, 2017 Mottram hesitated to blame the fire on any climate change trends, though the Arctic is warming rapidly thanks to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. "It's an arid area – and these low rainfall periods happen," she said. "We can say that the mean temperatures in Greenland have been increasing though, based on observations." Jason Box, a climate scientist who also closely studies the Greenland Ice Sheet, said the ongoing fires "are not abnormal," but that the increase in shrubbery in the Arctic is a climate change-related trend that provides more fuel for fires to burn. #Greenland #wildfire on 8 August - 3 #Sentinel2 data combinations: 1. natural colours, 2. highlighting the flames, 3. showing burnt areas. pic.twitter.com/6SepBduxDg — ESA EarthObservation (@ESA_EO) August 10, 2017 Box said that studies have shown that there could be a "sharp increase in fire probability with increasing summer temperature," and that fire frequency is expected to increase as global warming continues. Scientists are currently deployed across the Greenland ice sheet during the field campaign season, trying to get a better handle on how much of the ice sheet is going to melt, and how quickly, since this will help determine the fate of coastal cities worldwide from sea level rise. Interestingly, this summer has been unusually cold for a large part of Greenland. At the Summit Station on top of the ice sheet, a record low temperature for July was set on the 4th, when the temperature dipped to minus-30 degrees Celsius, or minus-22 degrees Fahrenheit. Then on July 28, the temperature climbed to 1.9 degrees Celsius, or 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The wildfire near Sisimiut began during that period of mild weather, illustrating the link between temperatures and wildfire. WATCH: Summer 2017 feels like it's on steroids – and it's only going to get worse
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| Donald Trump spoke to advisers before North Korea 'fire and fury' comments, insist the White House Posted: 10 Aug 2017 07:29 AM PDT  Donald Trump's warning he would unleash "fire and fury like the world has never seen" if North Korea continue to expand their nuclear and missile programmes has sparked widespread speculation about what prompted the US President to fire off his fiercest warning to the country yet. This was followed by a number of reports suggesting members of the White House national security team did not realise President Trump would address North Korea and his remarks were off the cuff and improvised. What's more, a commentator for The Toronto Star suggested Mr Trump's reference to the "likes of which the world has never seen" stemmed from the fact he had just used the phrase to discuss America's opioid crisis.
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| 'Son of Sam' David Berkowitz Reveals Advice to Younger Self: 'Turn Around Before It's Too Late' Posted: 10 Aug 2017 01:05 PM PDT  It's been exactly 40 years since the notorious New York City serial killer was taken into custody.
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| Babysitters Arrested After Putting A Crying Baby In The Fridge Posted: 10 Aug 2017 03:28 PM PDT  "Be careful who you trust your children with. You can't trust anyone, not even your own family."
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| Can John Kerry Stop Kenya From Slipping Into Violence? Posted: 10 Aug 2017 10:13 AM PDT  The former secretary of state is heading up an election observation mission in Kenya, where the opposition leader has alleged the vote was hacked.
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| When is the Perseid Meteor shower and how can I see it? Posted: 11 Aug 2017 05:48 AM PDT  The Perseids meteor shower is an annual event that peaks around mid-August,with this year's peak expected between 11 and 13 August. It's regarded as one of the brightest and most visible meteor showers. Here's everything you need to know about the spectacle, including dates and where to see it. #perseids are coming!! pic.twitter.com/F19pqGL3nO— GaryFildes (@TheGaryFildes) July 9, 2017 A post shared by Anders Nilsson (@fotoandersnilsson) on Aug 9, 2017 at 1:33am PDT Lucky snap! I caught this early bird #perseids #meteor just before packing up. It may look like daytime in this image, but it's only the effect of a bright and just off frame #Moon. The #perseid #meteorshower will peak the night of August 12th so grab a blanket, buds, and some #darksky. #nightsky #astronomy #landscapeastro #nightscape #sonyalpha #sonya7s @weownthenight_az @instagramaz @earthskyscience @visitsedona #sedona #cathedralrock #redrocks #az #arizonasky @joanwood01 @_tzr_ A post shared by jarredpd (@jarredpd) on Aug 7, 2017 at 11:27am PDT What is a meteor shower? Ameteor shower occurs when Earth passes through the debris stream occupying the orbit of a comet, in this case comet Swift-Tuttle. Perspective makes meteor showers appear to emanate from a single point in the sky known as the shower radiant. A typical meteor results from a particle the size of a grain of sand vaporising in Earth's atmosphere when it enters at 134,000mph. Something larger than a grape will produce a fireball and this is often accompanied by a persistent afterglow known as a meteor train. This is a column of ionised gas slowly fading from view as it loses energy. The Perseids appear to originate from within the star constellation Perseus, hence the shower's name. A shooting star, top left, is seen during the Perseid meteor shower in Poland in 2016. Credit: EPA/LUKASZ OGRODOWCZYK When can I see the Perseid meteor shower? The window for this year's meteor shower is from July 17 to August 24. Stargazers stand a chance of seeing the shower at any point in this window, however the peak will occur around August 11, 12 and 13. The best time to take a look at the sky will be from about 1am BST in the Northern Hemisphere until the onset of dawn twilight. Space.com says the moon, which will be three-quarters full at the time of the peak, will rise around 11pm meaning the spectacle will be trickier to see this year. However, sky-watchers should still be able to see the shower, despite the moon's glare. Peak rates of 150-200 meteors per hour were recorded in 2016, but typical rates are about 80 meteors an hour streaking across the night sky, each leaving a trail. Complete list of every full moon in 2017 The worlds best stargazing locations How can I see it? Choose a dark location away from stray lights and give yourself at least 20 minutes in total darkness to properly dark adapt. Look at a height approximately two-thirds up the sky in any direction. If you want a recommendation, east through south offers some great background constellations in the early hours during August. Look for the shower's "radiant" from the north-east corner of Perseus. Here are a few great places to view the shower. Galloway Forest Park: Galloway is a couple of hours from Glasgow and an hour from Carlisle. The park's most popular spot for stargazing is Loch Trool. Exmoor and around: Exmoor was granted International Dark-Sky Reserve status by the International Dark-Sky Association in 2011. Light pollution is managed to make the area more appealing to amateur astronomers. Romney Marsh: Night once provided cover for smugglers known as Owlers, but today Romney Marsh offers celestial bounty, arching over a landscape adorned with the spires of ancient churches. Kielder: Kielder Forest is officially the darkest place in England – 250 square miles of wooded beauty where Northumberland brushes against Scotland. It has its own fabulous, modern, wood-clad observatory on the slopes of Black Fell above Kielder Water. North York Moors: As well as stunning night skies, the North York Moors boast historic market towns such as Helmsley and Pickering, plus appealing coastal spots, including Scarborough and Whitby. Reader sends in beautiful Perseid timelapse 00:15 Tell me more about Comet Swift-Tuttle The wonderfully named Comet Swift-Tuttle, the parents of the Persied meteor shower, is the largest object known to repeatedly pass Earth (it's 16 miles wide). It orbits the sun ever 133 years and each time it passes through the inner solar system, it warms up releasing fresh comet material into its orbital stream, according to earthsky.org. The last time it was closest to the sun was in December 1992. It will be back again in July 2126. Total solar eclipse 2017: explainer
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| Yellowstone Park vehicle traffic nearing capacity Posted: 10 Aug 2017 03:44 PM PDT  CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Sometime within the next four to six years, Yellowstone National Park is expected to reach its capacity for being able to handle all the vehicles that tourists drive through the park to see sights like Old Faithful, wild wolves and grizzly bears and spectacular scenery.
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| A 'conversation' with Google's recently fired Tech-Bro-in-Chief Posted: 11 Aug 2017 04:08 PM PDT  The man behind the infamous Google memo has decided he'd like to further his career in shitty memos by writing an editorial for The Wall Street Journal. On Friday, James Damore published a "Well, Actually" piece for the Journal, technically titled "Why I Was Fired." In it, Damore claims that he was the innocent victim of the leftwing ideological echo chamber that is Google: a company that, it should be noted, remains 69% male and 56% white. As a biological woman, I'm too highly neurotic and cooperative to confront Damore directly. I would, however, still like to have a conversation with him that showcases my evolutionary tendency to be agreeable, cooperative and enthusiastic!!!! SEE ALSO: Google reportedly fires engineer for sexist 'manifesto' Below are portions of Damore's piece and my far inferior rebuttal (it's not sexism, guys, I'm just genetically not as talented as him). Damore: I was fired by Google this past Monday for a document that I wrote and circulated internally raising questions about cultural taboos and how they cloud our thinking about gender diversity at the company and in the wider tech sector. Dockray: Woooow, that's terrible! Small edit: I believe you were technically fired because you don't believe 31% of your coworkers are more than a stereotype. Damore: I suggested that at least some of the male-female disparity in tech could be attributed to biological differences (and, yes, I said that bias against women was a factor too). Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai declared that portions of my statement violated the company's code of conduct and "cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace." Dockray: That's awful! As a woman, I really appreciate it when a male engineer suggests I struggle with neuroticism and anxiety because I don't have a penis. #NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/EaD4tKoH21 — James Damore (@Fired4Truth) August 10, 2017 Damore: ... having these views challenged can be painful, so we tend to avoid people with differing values and to associate with those who share our values . . . [Nowadays] we are more mobile and can sort ourselves into different communities; we wait longer to find and choose just the right mate; and we spend much of our time in a digital world personalized to fit our views. Dockray: YES. Though I'm not 100% sure that if I was less "mobile" I would want to become bffs with someone who wants to " demoralize diversity " and "de-emphasize empathy". Please never run for public office. Damore: Google is a particularly intense echo chamber because it is in the middle of Silicon Valley and is so life-encompassing as a place to work. With free food, internal meme boards and weekly companywide meetings, Google becomes a huge part of its employees' lives. Some even live on campus. Dockray: Sounds like they definitely don't have enough money to fund those diversity programs. Damore: In my document, I committed heresy against the Google creed by stating that not all disparities between men and women that we see in the world are the result of discriminatory treatment. Dockray: That is correct, you did. Damore: When I first circulated the document about a month ago to our diversity groups and individuals at Google, there was no outcry or charge of misogyny. I engaged in reasoned discussion with some of my peers on these issues, but mostly I was ignored. Dockray: Good job, most of your peers. Damore: Everything changed when the document went viral within the company and the wider tech world. Those most zealously committed to the diversity creed — that all differences in outcome are due to differential treatment and all people are inherently the same — could not let this public offense go unpunished. Dockray: Yo liberals: can you please show a little more respect for "de-emphasize empathy" conservatives? #BothSides Damore: When the whole episode finally became a giant media controversy, thanks to external leaks, Google had to solve the problem caused by my supposedly sexist, anti-diversity manifesto, and the whole company came under heated and sometimes threatening scrutiny. Dockray: I think you typed "supposedly" when you meant to say "definitely" — but maybe your agreeable woman editor just didn't want to say anything. Damore: It saddens me to leave Google and to see the company silence open and honest discussion. If Google continues to ignore the very real issues raised by its diversity policies and corporate culture, it will be walking blind into the future — unable to meet the needs of its remarkable employees and sure to disappoint its billions of users. Dockray: Who the fuck knows what will happen? In the meantime, consider this one user satisfied. WATCH: Good Day Westeros: The 'Game of Thrones' battle we've all been waiting for
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| Rights groups sue over moving of Virginia white nationalist rally Posted: 10 Aug 2017 04:57 PM PDT ![Rights groups sue over moving of Virginia white nationalist rally]( "Rights groups sue over moving of Virginia white nationalist rally") U.S. civil rights groups filed a lawsuit on Thursday to have a white nationalist rally in Virginia moved back to its original venue, saying that city officials' last-minute decision to shift the event violated organizers' rights. The suit by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Rutherford Institute, a civil liberties organization based in Charlottesville, Virginia, comes ahead of Saturday's "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, which city officials expect to draw thousands of participants and counter-demonstrators.
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| Trump Increases Rhetoric on North Korea, As His Aides Fight It Out Posted: 10 Aug 2017 01:51 PM PDT  'Fire and Fury' perhaps wasn't tough enough, president says on golf vacation.
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| Outrage Over Walmart 'Back-to-School' Sign on Gun Display Posted: 10 Aug 2017 07:24 AM PDT  The department store chain has apologized.
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| Teacher who admitted sexually abusing a student released from prison after 195 days Posted: 10 Aug 2017 05:15 AM PDT  A teacher who admitted sexually abusing a student and plying him with vodka has been released from prison after 195 days. Sarah Lewis pleaded guilty to forcible sexual abuse of a teenage boy at her home in Payson, Utah, and telling the 17-year-old he had to keep their relationship secret. The Daily Herald reported in July that the lawyer, Thomas Means, pushed for the change after learning of an alteration to the law that made unlawful sexual conduct with 16- and 17-year-olds a third-degree felony, rather than the second-degree offence of forcible sexual abuse.
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| Restaurant in China discounts meals according to cup size -- and not the drink kind Posted: 10 Aug 2017 08:59 AM PDT  At Trendy Shrimp restaurant, located inside a mall in Hangzhou, a poster depicting a line-up of anime women with varying breast sizes informed patrons that the bigger the chest, the bigger the discount, reports the BBC. The poster, which first appeared on August 1, has been taken down, following complaints from locals. But women willing to let their cup size net them a cheaper meal can still get their discount.
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| Judge: Parents owe $292,000 for suit in son's gym mat death Posted: 10 Aug 2017 08:32 AM PDT  The parents of a Georgia teenager found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat and their attorney must pay more than $292,000 in legal fees to dozens of people they accused of foul play in a lawsuit that was later dropped, a judge ruled.
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| 13 Crazy Good, Quick Dinners For Kids Posted: 11 Aug 2017 03:31 PM PDT |
| San Clamante Beach Closed After Great White Shark Sighting Posted: 10 Aug 2017 02:16 AM PDT  Shark attacks are on the rise along the West Coast and frequent shark sightings are causing fear among regular beachgoers. Recently, a great white shark sighting in San Clemente pier in California prompted the closure of a beach.
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| U.N. urges end to Gaza crisis in punishing summer heat Posted: 11 Aug 2017 06:15 AM PDT  GENEVA/GAZA (Reuters) - A political crisis in Gaza is depriving two million people of electricity, vital medical care and clean water in sweltering summer temperatures, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday. It appealed to Israel, the State of Palestinian and Hamas authorities in Gaza to resolve their conflicts. "We are deeply concerned about the steady deterioration in the humanitarian conditions and the protection of human rights in Gaza," U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a news briefing in Geneva.
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| The Latest: Trump says Merkel doesn't speak for US on NKorea Posted: 11 Aug 2017 01:24 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the North Korea crisis (all times EDT):
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| Diet drinks and food actually trigger weight gain and diabetes, says new study Posted: 10 Aug 2017 11:15 AM PDT  Diet drinks or foods may actually promote weight gain and trigger diabetes because the brain misreads the number of calories present and reduces metabolism, a new study suggests. Researchers at Yale University in the US discovered that the body stops burning energy from food if there is a 'mismatch' between food sweetness and calories. In nature, sweetness signals energy and the greater the sweetness the more calories are available, so the brain has evolved to expect the two to come together. When they do not, the brain can become confused, thinking there are fewer calories to burn. This research should be enough to convince you that artificial ingredients, whether they be in food or drink, can screw up your systemTam Fry, National Obesity Forum The scientists say it could help explain previous studies that have suggested that artificial sweeteners can increase blood sugar levels and possibly trigger diabetes. "A calorie is not a calorie," said senior author Dana Small, Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. "The assumption that more calories trigger greater metabolic and brain response is wrong. Calories are only half of the equation; sweet taste perception is the other half. "Our bodies evolved to efficiently use the energy sources available in nature. Our modern food environment is characterized by energy sources our bodies have never seen before. "When sweet taste and energy are not matched less energy is metabolized and weaker, or inaccurate, signals are sent to the brain. Either one of these effects may affect metabolic health." The brain needs sweetness to start burning calories Credit: Anthony Devlin PA For the new study, scientists scanned the brains of 15 people when they were drinking diet drinks, and compared them to regular beverages. They also monitored how much energy was burned by the body. They found when there was a 'mismatch' between sweetness and calories - as is often the case with diet drinks or foods because they are not as sugary - the calories fail to trigger the body's metabolism. Reward circuits in the brain also did not register that calories had been consumed, which could lead to eating more. Commenting on the paper, Dominic Dwyer, Professor of Psychology at Cardiff University, said: "What the paper does imply, correctly in my view, is that mismatches between calories and sweetness interfere with metabolism of calories in a way that could have negative impact on weight gain, diabetes, heart disease etc. but that determining the link between the unprocessed calories and metabolic health needs future work. "The most important implication is namely the fate of calories consumed in the mismatch conditions. "These are not efficiently metabolised at the time of ingestion and thus processed later and/or stored either of which could drive weight gain and interfere with metabolism." Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, added: "This research should be enough to convince you that artificial ingredients, whether they be in food or drink, can screw up your system even though they may sound healthy. "They may be free of calories but not of consequences and diabetes is only one of them. " Experts said if people were worried they should stick to drinking water Credit: Dominic Lipinski PA However other British experts were more skeptical about the findings and warned people to stick to drinking water if they were concerned about artificially sweetened drinks. Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at Glasgow University, said: "There is currently no strong evidence that diet drinks are necessarily bad for you whereas there is stronger and consistent evidence for sugar sweetened drinks being linked to higher diabetes risk. "Overall, my advice to people drinking sugar-rich drinks would be to replace with water but that if this is not possible, diet drinks are still a better choice to prevent tooth decay. "Whether diet drinks also help weight loss or other benefits is uncertain and requires proper long term trials which are currently lacking." Tom Sanders, Professor emeritus of Nutrition and Dietetics, at King's College London, added: "The statement that a calorie is not a calorie is gobbledegook. Calories are a measure of the energy value of food. The remark is as stupid as saying a pound of feathers is lighter than a pound of lead. "The claim is not supported by the observational evidence on people who are long-term consumers of artificial sweeteners. "Furthermore, an analysis of trials of replacing sugar sweetened drinks with artificially flavoured drinks show that there is some weight loss. Weight gain is certainly is not caused by drinking artificial sweeteners." The research was published in the journal Current Biology.
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| Scott Peterson Says He Was 'Staggered' by Guilty Verdict in Murder of Wife Laci Posted: 11 Aug 2017 01:55 PM PDT  Peterson is currently on death row at San Quentin State Prison.
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