Stretching is deemed as absolutely necessary by many scientists and fitness experts, making people more flexible and less prone to injury during exercise. However, these alleged benefits are seemingly baseless, as research shows stretching has very little benefit (if any at all) to both athletes and regular people. In fact, people have been observed to perform significantly worse after stretching; it’s speculated that this is because stretching can damage the muscle and reduce its length before exercising. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
