Funny Statistics

The poor age faster than the rich

In UK, people of lower socio-economic status appear to age 7 years faster than their better-off counterparts, British researchers found.
Researchers showed that "the poor have shorter telomeres, the caps on chromosomes that prevent them from fraying, which makes them biologically older than people of the same age in higher social groups".
After considering other aging factors such as obesity, smoking and exercise, the scientists found that telomeres in people of lower economic status were significantly shorter, "equivalent to what could be considered an extra seven years of biological aging".
Researchers suspects that "psychological stress itself or the loss of control might have a biological impact", "it might raise levels of oxidative stress in the body and make cells turn over more quickly".

This study is some what similar to the previous one blogged here.

60,000 die from skin cancer caused by sunburn

As many as 60,000 people a year die from too much sun, mostly from malignant skin cancer, the World Health Organization reported this week.
It found that 48,000 deaths every year are caused by malignant melanomas, and 12,000 by other kinds of skin cancer. About 90% of such cancers are caused by ultraviolet light from the sun.
According to the report, radiation from the sun also causes often serious sunburn, skin aging, eye cataracts, pterygium — a fleshy growth on the surface of the eye, cold sores and other ills.

Heard from a local radio station today.

Judgment Pay

The annual salary of a U.S. federal district court judge is $165,000 - that's unchanged since 1993. Meanwhile, a 1st-year associate at a large law firm typically earns about $125,000. Since the 1960s, federal judge pay has declined 24% in real dollars, while the average worker's real pay increased 15%.

Source - Fortune, August, 2006

China fact of the day

China's GDP growth in the 2nd quarter of 2006 is 11.3%, the fastest since 1994. Earlier this year, China became the world's 4th-largest economy.

Smoker's hair

Smokers are 4 times more likely to get gray/white hair than non-smokers at young age.
Heard from a local radio station today.

Starting Exercise Later in Life Still Helps Heart

Exercise has been shown to help the heart, whereas a lazy lifestyle can be a major risk factor for heart disease. But few studies have examined how exercise impacts health at different ages. Now Epidemiologist Dietrich Rothenbacher (Univ. of Heidelberg) have shown when comparing to these inactive counterparts, those who were active throughout their lives enjoyed more than a 60% less chance of developing heart disease. But even those who became active only after the age of 40 enjoyed a 55% less chance of cardiovascular trouble, and those who went from being inactive to very active saw the greatest benefits.

Having Older Brothers Increases a Man's Odds of Being Gay

The overall rate of homosexuality in men is about 3%. If men are with several older brothers the rate may increase from 3% to 5%. Is it the social or rearing factors that influence a man's sexual orientation? or rather prenatal mechanisms that begin in the womb?

A recent study by Anthony F. Bogaert of Brock University in St. Catharines, Canadan, has confirmed that this is the prenatal effect, not social. One theory suggests that after delivering a boy, a woman's immune system produces antibodies to male-specific proteins. During subsequent pregnancies the mother's placenta may deliver the antibodies to the fetus, possibly affecting its development.

Sex in media drives earlier teen passion

A study analyzed 308 different television shows, movies, songs, and magazines commonly used by white teenagers and calculated each teens “sexual media diet.” The researchers then followed up with each teen two years later inquiring about their sexual behavior.
As it turns out, white teens who use media with high sexual content were more than 2 times as likely to have sex by the time they were 16 years old than those who used less.

Duh!!!

Getting past sibling favoritism

In many ways, your siblings make you who you are.
18% of people polled say their parents favored one child over another.
36% of people polled say they've become closer to their siblings with age.

Source: Time (July 10, 2006)

What Iranians believe

According to a poll conducted inside of Iran -
46% of Iranians believe America is dangerous and seeks control.
52% strongly agree that Israel is illegitimate and should not exist.
48% believe it is most important to increase rights for woman.
41% agree the most important long-term goal for Iran is to reforming the economy so it operates more efficiently.
36% like to see Iran's society become more religious and conservative.

Power of belief

Doctors have long thought the placebo effect was psychological; now research is showing it has physical -- not just psychological -- effects on your health.

In one research, Doctor told Parkinson's patients they were getting medicine, actually a placebo, then measured the electrical activity of individual nerve cells in a movement-controlling part of the brain. Those neurons quieted down of about 40%, which correlated to the improved mobility of patients' muscle.

To further prove the power of belief, Doctor hooked pain patients to a computerized morphine injection system. Sometimes the computer administered a dose without them knowing it; sometimes a nurse pretended to give it. The morphine was up to 50% more effective when patients knew it was coming.

The origin of multi-tasking

People speak about 150 words/minute, but the average person can listen 400-500 words/minutes. This difference enable people to do some kind of multi-tasking (such as read while listening), although not many people are good at it.

Source: training manual from Creative Training Excellence Inc.

Living alone doubles risk of heart disease

After conducting a study of 138,000 people aged between 30 and 69 in the Danish city of Aarhus, UK, Doctors found people who live alone are 2 times more likely to suffer serious heart disease as those who live with a partner. This results consistent with earlier studies.
Although the reasons for the increased risk were unclear, Doctors believe it is likely to be linked to factors associated with single living, such as smoking, obesity, high cholesterol levels, less frequent visits to family doctors and the lack of a family support network.

The danger of secondhand smoke

Estimated 49,000 U.S adults died in 2005 of heart or lung disease associated with inhaling secondhand smoke. That is 134 death per day.
Estimated 430 U.S babies died in 2005 of variety of sudden infant death syndrome caused by secondhand smoke.

Source: U.S. Surgeon General

The Wal-Mart Effect

A group of Penn State agricultural economists find in (US) counties with new Wal-Mart stores, the usage of food-stamp is 100% higher. They blame Wal-Mart causing the collapse of mom-and-pop local business networks and low wages.
Source: Discover, August, 2006.