Good news: knuckle cracking won’t give you arthritis
Physical anthropologists believe that we have entered a knuckle cracking phase. This may not be a surprise to many of you who regularly crack your knuckles (and sometimes even feet or neck). It’s a common belief that this sort of behavior is a response to psychological distress, which can also lead to arthritis. Dr. Donald Unger decided to test this amateur theory. After analyzing five decades of data, he concluded that there was no relationship between knuckle cracking and arthritis development. Another researcher, David Kingsley from Stanford University, became involved in the topic unintentionally after being asked by a student from his son’s fourth grade class whether knuckle cracking was bad for you. Challenging the class to come up with a way to test this hypothesis, a student proposed that the class be divided in half, where one group would crack their knuckles and the other group would not. (In order to obtain results one would have to wait for up to 20 to 50 years). However, there have already been two similar studies that already exist with neither finding that the development of arthritis was due to knuckle cracking. Bottom line: you can keep on cracking.—Maleeha Majid
Source: Scientific American
Speed gene discovered in thoroughbred horses
Dr. Emmeline Hill, a leading horse genomics researcher of University College Dublin’s School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Science has conducted groundbreaking research leading to the discovery of a “speed gene” in thoroughbred horses. This discovery will be particularly useful to the horse racing and breeding industries: both international, multi-billion dollar businesses. The “speed gene” is likely to alter decision-making in the bloodstock industry since breeders, owners, and trainers will no longer need to rely on the static breeding techniques that have been used for centuries. Using the revolutionary Equinome Gene test, it is now possible to know a horse’s genetic type, saving the time that would have otherwise been spent in training and other breeding decisions. One can conveniently and efficiently use the gene test to identify which horses are suited for specific distances, according to the characterization of their genetic trait. This allows for enhanced precision in selecting horses for the optimization of racing potential.—Cristina Olteanu
Source: Scientific American
