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A positive parenting style might protect kids from the negative effect that growing up in poverty is thought to have on their brain development, Australian researchers say.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans and academic indicators, the study team found differences in the brains of kids growing up in the most disadvantaged environments. But those with supportive parents showed brain development more like that of peers who were less disadvantaged.

“Society is struggling with righting equality, particularly economic equality,” said senior study author Nick Allen, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon in Eugene who is also affiliated with the University of Melbourne.

“We know from social science that being raised in a socioeconomically disadvantaged environment is bad for development,” he told Reuters Health in a phone interview. “What we’re trying to understand now is how children are affected and what we can do about it.”

The researchers analysed data on 166 adolescents between ages 11 and 20 in Melbourne, who were participating in a larger study. All the kids had up to three MRI brain scans at early, middle and late adolescence, and researchers also assessed their family and neighbourhood socioeconomic environments, academic success and characteristics of their parents. 

The examination of parents included educational level, income and the family’s socio-economic status within the immediate surrounding neighbourhood of about 250 homes.

To gauge parenting behaviours, researchers observed as the adolescents and their mothers completed two 20-minute interactions such as event-planning or problem-solving tasks that displayed verbal and nonverbal reactions. Parental behaviours considered to be positive included approving, validating, affectionate or humorous comments. 

The research team found that neighbourhood, but not family-level, economic measures were associated with differences in brain development between early adolescence and the late teen years. The most disadvantaged kids showed differences from others in the brain’s temporal lobes in particular, which could affect stress, memory and language, the study authors write in JAMA Psychiatry.

“Adolescence is an important time for the development of the brain, particularly in terms of factors that influence your life and the ability to regulate behaviour and form relationships,” Allen said.

Positive parenting behaviours, however, seemed to moderate the negative effects of the poor environment, especially in the brain region known as the amygdala, which has a central role in regulating emotions. 

In contrast, the combination of growing up in a disadvantaged neighbourhood and low parental positivity was linked to increased odds of dropping out of school, primarily among boys. 

“We were surprised to find that parenting can actually change development and behaviours,” Allen said. “We still need to work for political and social change to lift people out of poverty, but supporting families could be part of that picture.”

Limitations of the study include the fact that parenting and socioeconomic circumstances were only assessed at one time point, the authors note. They also did not have data on brain development and other factors prior to adolescence that could influence the results.

The study also does not prove that poverty caused the brain differences seen among teens, or the changes seen over time in individual children. 

Still, this link between environment and biology continues the conversation about the increased risks associated with low socio-economic status, such as poor mental health, physical health, school readiness, academic success, high school completion and career opportunities, said Jamie Hanson of the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, who was not involved in the study.

“We’re just starting to realize more and more about the effects of different experiences on the brain,” he told Reuters Health by phone. “It speaks to how experience becomes biologically embedded in us.”

The next research step is to work with those disadvantaged communities and families, he added. In Pittsburgh, for example, neighbourhood community redevelopment programmes are beginning to reach out to families to get them more involved in family and community activities.

“Parents can be a powerful source of change,” Hanson said. “They have the agency to help their kids, even under challenging circumstances.”

One month short of seven years, I am once again doing what I have done eight times already. Let me give you a few clues: it involves sorting, clearing, polishing, painting, crating, packing, labelling and so on. The unused paraphernalia gets discarded while the useful belongings get bundled, in layers upon layers of bubble-wrap and subsequently everything goes inside large cardboard boxes, which are carted, via a lorry, into a gigantic container that then sails towards our new destination.

In fact, it is a little bit like the ancient Egyptian funerary practices of the Pharaohs, where all the worldly treasures and personal possessions were stocked in their tombs long before their death, for their journey to the afterlife. This is a macabre kind of comparison because I have no immediate plans of leaving planet Earth, but latest research suggests that after losing a loved one to death, the most stressful thing a person experiences is moving house.

Symptoms of stress associated with changes in environment are so exclusive that in 1992 the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association  added Relocation Stress Syndrome (RSS) as an official diagnosis. The indicators of RSS consist of loneliness, depression, apprehension, anxiety, anger, and in older adults, increased confusion. The greatest incidences of RSS occur just before and during a three-month period following relocation.

Right! So, if I put my mind to it and do my calculations correctly, I have unknowingly suffered from RSS for twenty-four months already, which totals to two whole years! Wow! And this does not even include the RSS of my current ninth move that is going on, even as we speak. I simply love these random researches I tell you because I can conveniently justify some of my mood swings on its official findings.

So, where am I going, why am I going, how am I going, when am I going? Before I answer all these queries, let me first express how much I will miss Jordan, which has been my country of residence for the last several years. In my entire adult life, as the spouse of an international banker, I have never lived in a place that has been more welcoming, kind, generous and beautiful than the Hashemite Kingdom. The inherent decency of the people here, their charitable nature, their extreme friendliness and large hearts, makes me want to keep up the charade of being mistaken for a Jordanian. Also, I cannot bear to see the disappointment that is evident when they realise I am not one of them. This is, of course, quickly replaced by happy smiles when I reveal the name of my motherland. Why they love India I cannot explain but they do love “Al Hind” that much is obvious. 

The hairdresser, the drycleaner, the fruit vendor, the vegetable seller, the photo studio owner, the bookseller and the managers of the two cafes that I frequent- one in Abdoun and the other at the Taj Mall rooftop, have become my friends. I know them by their first names and they all call me Mallika, which is a complete distortion of my surname, but after correcting them endlessly, I have given up. 

“You are leaving us Mallika?” asked Nzer my hair stylist.

“My name is not that!” I tried the correction one last time.

“You are not going Mallika?” he brightened up.

“Naam. Maa Salameh” I replied in Arabic.

“Goodbye, go in peace, Go in God’s protection, until next time Mallika,” he gushed.

By Seth Kelley 

LOS ANGELES — The tiny, yellow, animated blobs have done it again.

Illumination and Universal’s “Despicable Me 3” is cruising to an easy box office win during a busy holiday weekend. The latest in the franchise is opening to $75.4 million from 4,529 locations — the widest domestic release ever. That total is lower than earlier estimates, which pegged the film above $80 million (earlier tracking suggested it could land even higher), but nevertheless it remains the weekend’s big winner.

Steve Carell plays double duty in “Despicable Me 3” as the series’ protagonist Gru, and now also his twin brother, Dru. The plot centres on the brothers, as they team up for a criminal heist. “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker joins the franchise to voice the villain. Critics are generally on the movie’s side, earning it a 62 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie earned an A- CinemaScore from audiences, which is lower than the A earned by the first two instalments and “Minions”.

“With these characters that have reached a level of ubiquity in our culture, these movies continue to create this want to see,” said Nick Carpou, Universal’s domestic distribution chief, who added, “I think we have the best marketing group in the business.”

Despite “Despicable’s” rule, perhaps the more interesting stories for the industry reside further down the box office chart.

Starting with “Baby Driver”, from Sony’s TriStar Pictures, MRC, and Working Title. Edgar Wright’s latest also appears to be his biggest box office hit, as it is cruising to $30 million from 3,226 locations — that’s including the $5.7 million head start the movie got by opening early in previews on Tuesday.

The movie centres around a character named Baby (Ansel Elgort), who becomes the getaway driver for a kingpin named Doc (Kevin Spacey). Music plays an integral role in the film since Baby suffered a traumatic experience as a child that left him with tinnitus, which he blocks out with music. The rest of the cast includes Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx.

“Edgar and our partners at MRC and Working Title have made one of the most original and entertaining films in recent memory, and we’re so thrilled to see it received as a bonafide hit in a crowded summer season,” said Sony’s distribution chief Adrian Smith.

“Baby Driver”, like “Get Out” earlier this year and “The Big Sick”, currently showing strong in limited release, is the kind of project that gets Hollywood excited about the chance for original ideas to also be financially viable. Wright’s film picked up buzz when it won the Audience Award and positive early reviews at the SXSW Film Festival. The movie’s marketing capitalised on its colourful aesthetic and emphasis on music.

Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell’s “The House”, meanwhile, is having trouble attracting visitors. The R-rated comedy from New Line, Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow is opening to $9 million from 3,134 locations.

“The House” is the story of a husband (Ferrell) and wife (Poehler) who start an underground casino to help raise money for their daughter’s college fund. Andrew Jay Cohen directed from a script that he wrote with Brendan O’Brien — the two previously collaborated on the “Neighbors” movies.

For the weekend’s top five, Paramount’s “Transformers: The Last Knight” should land in third with $17 million during its second weekend. “Wonder Woman” continues to be a force for Warner Bros., and is on its way to $15.6 million domestically during its fifth weekend. The movie has crossed $700 million worldwide and passed “Suicide Squad” and “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” at the domestic box office. And Disney and Pixar’s “Cars 3” should take the five slot during its third week with $9.5 million domestically.

After a strong start to 2017, a rather slow summer box office overall has brought the year-to-date box office numbers down to about even with last year.

“A weak May followed by a June that failed to become the saviour of the summer now puts July in the hot seat to deliver the goods and get us out of the summer season doldrums,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore.

Outside of the major release circuit, the arthouse appears to have some juice for the first time this summer with strong numbers from “The Little Hours”, “The Beguiled”, and “The Big Sick”.

Gunpowder and Sky’s first theatrical release, “Little Hours” posted the highest per screen average from two locations this weekend. The nun-centric religious satire starring Alison Brie and Aubrey Plaza should open to $61,560. Meanwhile, Sofia Coppola’s “Beguiled” expects to crack the top ten in limited release, after expanding to 674 locations. The Focus Features release should make an estimated $3.3 million over the three-day weekend. And Kumail Nanjiani’s semi-autobiographical romantic comedy “Big Sick” expanded to 71 locations, posting a three-day total of $1.67 million. Lionsgate and Amazon Studios are planning to push the film to wide release on July 14.

Almost unrivalled in its very niche segment and winner of the 2017 Middle East Car of the Year awards’ Large Premium Performance Sedan category, the Audi S8 Plus’ is a discrete, yet, devastatingly swift and reassuring safe luxury sleeper car. 

With vice-like road holding courtesy of Quattro four-wheel-drive and its compact twin-turbo V8 engine cranking out a further 84BHP over the garden variety S8, the S8 Plus is a confident, spacious, comfortable and quick continent-crunching all weather Q-car.

Unique in its combination of qualities, the S8 Plus’ approximate rivals include Mercedes-AMG’s S63 and S65 models, its own Volkswagen group Bentley Flying Spur W12 models and possibly the Jaguar XJ-R.

Sculpted and subtle

Lighter, smaller and more discrete, agile and affordable than possible Bentley and Mercedes-AMG S65 competitors that also break the 600 metric horsepower (PS) barrier – albeit with larger 12-cylinder engines – the S8 Plus is, however, more powerful than both of its more direct V8-powered AMG S63 and Jaguar rivals, and roomier than the latter.

Engineered for comfort, driver appeal outright ability, the S8 Plus is built on stiff and rigid aluminium platform and wears its sporting potential with a certain sense of under-statement, bar for its discrete badging, integrated quad tailpipes, small rear spoiler, brake callipers and large alloy wheels shod with grippy low profile 275/35R21 tyres.

Also optioned with model-specific matt silver paint, the S8 Plus strikes a stylish and assertive, if somewhat subtle picture that forgoes exaggerated boy-racer like bodywork enhancements and trim. Instead, it has a certain sense of nuance that suggests a vast and potentially volcanic ability.

A sculpted design brimming with confidence, the S8 Plus’ visage is dominated by a large and seemingly voracious grille, flanked by dramatic slim browed LED headlights. Chiseled bodywork, ridged flanks and a level waistline complement a flowing roofline and conservative demeanour to lend the S8 Plus a grounded, heavy and alert road stance, and allow for good visibility for added driving confidence.

Indefatigable abilities

Silky smooth, yet spectacularly swift, the Audi S8 Plus comparatively compact, but high output direct injection 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine produces an abundant and tsunami-like wave of 516lb/ft torque throughout a broad and ever accessible 1750-6000rpm, which further rises to a 553lb/ft peak throughout 2500-5500rpm during short burst on overboost. 

Underwriting an urgent and indefatigably brutal accumulation of power, the S8 Plus’ bulging and effortlessly flexible mid-range gives way to a maximum 597BHP developed at a 6100-6800rpm top end. Seemingly dismissive of wind resistance as speed builds with confident ease, the S8 Plus can attain an electronically governed 250km/h top speed, but can optionally be de-restricted to 305km/h.

With its twin turbochargers positioned between its two cylinder banks for short intake gas-flow paths greatly reducing turbo lag at idle, the S8 Plus’ is responsive to throttle input. And coupled with tenacious Quattro four-wheel-drive digging into tarmac, the S8 Plus virtually rockets off the line from standstill, blasting through the 0-100km/h acceleration benchmark in a supercar-rivalling 3.8-seconds. 

Welling with an abundant wave of mid-range torque, the S8 Plus overtakes and gains speed swiftly, easily and quietly, but with its engine and exhaust set in more aggressive Dynamic mode, becomes more evocatively and vocal. Steering, gearbox, dampers and differentials can also be individually set to Auto, Comfort and harder-edged Dynamic driving modes.

Adaptable and capable

An adaptable and capable car that can be tailored for comfort or sporty driving, the S8 Plus is also comparatively fuel efficient for a 1990kg car this powerful and fast. Returning just 10l/100km on the combined cycle, its comparatively low fuel consumption is achieved with the aid of a traffic stop/star system and seamless automatic cylinder de-activation when cruising. 

However, the S8 Plus’ fuel efficiency, swift performance, on the move versatility and refinement also owe a significant debt to its slick, smooth and swift shifting 8-speed automatic gearbox, and wide and closely spaced range of gear ratios, which can be manually controlled through steering-mounted paddle shifters for more driver involvement.

Like most high performance four-wheel-drive Audis since the iconic 1980s Quattro, the S8 Plus’ engine is positioned just in front of its front axle, which contributes to its vice-like traction. Traditionally a slight trade-off between weighting balance and road-holding, the S8 Plus — like most recent Audis — does not feel particularly nose-heavy, and with more sophisticated suspension and Quattro four-wheel-drive with a default 60 per cent rear power bias, and quick, in fact feels alert and tidy turning into corners. 

With its active centre differential altering power distribution between 70 per cent frontwards and 85 per cent rearwards for best traction, grip and ultimate performance, the S8 Plus’ also features a selective inside wheel braking torque vectoring system for added agility and nimbleness into corners.

Luxurious ride

A luxury getaway car if there ever was, the plush Audi S8 Plus defies its weight and what is expected of its segment in its ability to cover ground at an incredibly quick pace, and in utmost confidence through corners and in adverse weather. Adapting to prevailing conditions with brutal effectiveness, the S8 Plus enters and exits at speed with unruffled confidence. 

Pushed to its huge grip limits, electronic stability controls and four-wheel-drive prevent understeer. Alternatively, easing off the throttle or pivoting weight rearwards tightens its cornering line. Committed through corners, the S8 Plus’ active rear differential also distributes power to the wheel best able to put it down to the ground.

With weighty, direct and quick steering, resiliently effective brakes and reassuringly stable and settled ride, the S8 Plus excels at speed, and remains quiet and refined inside, and features noise cancellation technology. Riding on adaptive air dampers, it is supple and fluent in Comfort mode well controls lateral weight shift in Dynamic mode, and remains settled and poised on rebound over crests and dips. 

Classy and luxurious inside, it is well constructed and stylish, with clean interfaces, quality materials and rich textures including Alcantara roofliner and quilted leather seats. Driving position is supportive, comfortable and highly adjustable while space is generous.

Well equipped, the S8 Plus long standard and optional features include a 360° camera further aids good visibility, four-zone climate control, user-friendly infotainment system with WiFi connectivity and advanced semi-automated driver-assistance safety systems.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 4-litre, twin-turbo, in-line V8-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 84.5 x 89mm

Compression ratio: 9.3:1

Valve-train: 32-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Ratios: 1st 4.714; 2nd 3.143; 3rd 2.106; 4th 1.667; 5th 1285; 6th 1; 7th 0.839; 8th 0.667

Reverse/final drive: 3.317/3.204

Drive-line:, self-locking centre differential, optional limited-slip rear-differential

Power distribution, F/R: 40 per cent/60 per cent

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 597 (605) [445] @6100-6800rpm

Specific power: 149.5BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 300BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 516 (700) @1750-6000rpm

Torque, lb/ft (Nm), overboost: 553 (750) @2500-5500rpm

Specific torque: 187.8Nm/litre (overboost)

Torque-to-weight: 376.8Nm/tonne (overboost)

0-100km/h: 3.8-seconds

Top speed, restricted/de-restricted: 250/305km/h

Fuel consumption, urban/extra-urban/combined: 13.7/7.9/10-litres/100km 

CO2 emissions, combined: 231g/km

Fuel capacity: 82-litres

Length: 5147mm

Width: 1949mm

Height: 1458mm

Wheelbase: 2994mm

Track, F/R: 1632/1623mm

Overhangs, F/R: 1012/1141mm

Headroom, F/R: 1036/983mm

Luggage volume: 520-litres

Unladen weight: 1990kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning Circle: 12.3-metres

Suspension: Multi-link, adaptive air dampers

Brakes: Ventilated & perforated discs

Tyres: 275/35R21

Knots
Nuruddin Farah
New York: Riverhead Books (Penguin), 2007
Pp. 418

Besides telling an exciting, often suspenseful story, “Knots” is a psychological study in novelistic form of human motivation, hope, needs, fears and the function of memory. It’s not that nothing happens in the outside world. On the contrary. It is set in Mogadishu, “a city rampant with the ghosts of its innocent dead”, in the later stages of the civil war. (p. 109) 

Though pitched battles have given way to money-grabbing skirmishes, violence looms all around and sometimes bursts out. But most of the narrative — and what makes it engaging and thought-provoking — is author Nuruddin Farah’s descriptions of what goes on in the head of the protagonist, Cambara. 

There is a cast of interesting characters, but the unflinching focus, the plot’s catalyst and the magnet for all the others is Cambara, a woman whose childhood was in Mogadishu, but whose family moved to Canada to escape the war. Now she is back, intent on putting an abusive marriage behind her and mourning the death of her ten-year-old son. She doesn’t confide these personal motives to everyone, but justifies her return by saying she wants to recover her family’s property which has been taken over by a warlord. She also wants to stage a play she has written. In short, she wants to reinvent herself. Luckily she can draw on the support of a friend of a friend, Kiin, who is part of the local Women’s Network organising against gun violence, for peace and aiding those in need.

Hardly does Cambara encounter a person, enter a new place or undertake to do something without the author conveying her impressions, calculations, expectations, second thoughts, worries and fears. She is that kind of person who thinks a lot about what she does but in the given situation her introspection is magnified by the events of her recent past and her challenging present. Most of all, she wants to make a difference by drawing people into her circle of positive dynamics, by caring for them if they need it, by opening new horizons before them. “Cambara is famously admired or feared for confronting problems head-on and immediately. Nor does she have difficulty admitting her failings… She is in her element only after she has sorted out a knotty situation…” (p. 94)

Fiercely independent, she likes to be in control, but sometimes a memory is triggered, and she sinks into the angers, humiliation and sorrow of the past. “On the outside, she appears to know what she is doing; not so inside. She is terribly worried that she may not pull it off… But the actor in her takes absolute command of the situation”. (p. 139)

One reads along, ensnared by Farah’s impeccable prose, wondering if Cambara’s good intentions will bear fruit in the extremely adverse conditions surrounding her; meanwhile, one gains valuable insights into human behaviour and Somali society in particular. 

Farah is Somali but now lives in South Africa. His writing style is remarkable: He manages to be both elegant and earthy, and uses startling and highly original imagery. The whole book is written in the present tense, and the long descriptions of Cambara’s inner world are often interrupted by abrupt change or action, giving a sense of immediacy. Farah deliberately steers his story to show the vast human and material damage wrought on the individual and the country by years of war, but the thrust of the novel is not just exposing Somalia as a failed state, as one often reads in the media, but pointing to pockets of light that hint at the potential for healing. 

It is not by chance that Farah chose a woman to be the protagonist. The whole slant of the story is pro-woman. Though there are a few positive male characters, “reconstructed men” as Cambara calls them, war and all its negative consequences are usually linked to male behaviour, while women’s productive and nurturing role is emphasised. Cambara’s story shows alternatives to oppressive thinking and practices, especially women’s subordination. While some characters exhibit all the symptoms of the country’s collapse into violence and lawlessness, others reject the clannishness and disregard for human rights that have kept the conflict going. The story shows the failure of violence and the value of empathy and collective work.

By Ryan Faughnder

LOS ANGELES — Film franchises are having a chilly summer at the box office. “Transformers: The Last Knight” stalled out, “The Mummy” got buried, and “Alien: Covenant” drifted off into space.

Now it’s up to the yellow Minions of “Despicable Me 3” to help cure the malaise.

The cartoon comedy is expected to gross $90 million to $100 million in the United States and Canada this weekend, according to people who have read audience surveys, which would make it one of the top summer openings this year.

A strong launch could boost summer ticket sales that are down 7 per cent this year compared with the same period last year. Other than superhero movies “Wonder Woman” from Warner Bros. and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” from Disney, the season’s biggest movies have mostly failed to live up to expectations. The fifth “Transformers” film, for example, grossed a weak $69 million debut in the United States and Canada.

Elsewhere at the multiplex, two R-rated original films will seek grown-up moviegoers: Edgar Wright’s action flick “Baby Driver” and New Line’s parents-gone-bad comedy “The House”.

Anticipation for the next “Despicable Me” is high, according to analysts. A strong debut for “Despicable Me 3”, the latest in the computer animated series from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, would be the latest success for Illumination, which had a huge hit last summer with “The Secret Life of Pets”. However, it’s not expected to reach the $116 million the 2015 spinoff “Minions” grossed in its first weekend.

Illumination has proved a formidable competitor in the crowded animation business by making successful movies that cost about $75 million to produce — considerably less than Pixar and DreamWorks Animation films. The gibberish-speaking, pill-shaped Minions have proved inescapable marketing devices, taking over New York cabs and the stars on Amazon’s customer review system. The tiny henchmen propelled “Minions” to more than $1 billion in global receipts.

“Despicable Me 3” again stars Steve Carell as the voice of criminal mastermind Gru, as well as his long-lost twin brother Dru. The film also features the voices of Kristen Wiig and Trey Parker.

As the cartoon sequel dominates, “Baby Driver” will test moviegoers’ appetite for a well-reviewed, high-concept action comedy. The latest from British director Wright, about a young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) who needs to constantly listen to music to overcome chronic tinnitus and do his job, is expected to gross $15 million to $22 million domestically in its first five days after opening on Wednesday.

That would be a solid debut for the movie that cost $34 million to make after factoring in rebates from filming in Atlanta. The movie, from Media Rights Capital and Sony Pictures’ TriStar unit, marks a relatively large commercial debut for Wright, best known for quirky spoofs such as “Shaun of the Dead” and “The World’s End”.

Meanwhile, New Line Cinema and Village Roadshow Pictures are aiming for a $12 million opening for “The House”, starring Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell as parents who start an illegal casino to send their daughter to college. R-rated comedies have struggled for attention this summer amid the big-budget action at the multiplex. Audiences recently gave the cold shoulder to Scarlett Johansson in “Rough Night” and Amy Schumer in “Snatched”.

WASHINGTON — The rich variety in shapes of the eggs that birds lay — elliptical, pointy, spherical — seems to be linked to how well a given bird flies, researchers report.

The recently released  study which appeared in the US journal Science stems from the most extensive research yet on a mystery that has flummoxed biologists for centuries.

“In contrast to classic hypotheses, we discovered that flight may influence egg shape. Birds that are good fliers tend to lay asymmetric or elliptical eggs,” said Mary Caswell Stoddard, a biologist at Princeton University and one of the lead authors of the study.

Another finding is that the flexible inner membrane of the egg, not the hard outshell, is what generates the diversity of eggs out there in nature.

Until now, scientists have put forth a variety of theories about the variety of egg shapes. One says that the place where a bird nests is what determines the egg shape.

This line of thinking held that birds that nest near a cliff often lay eggs that are cone-shaped so that if they roll, they do so in a tight circle and do not fall off the precipice.

In order to settle the debate, researchers looked at the shape of 49,175 eggs from around 1,400 species of birds, some of them extinct. This came from a database at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley.

The eggs were classified according to how asymmetrical and elliptical they were, and by biometric and environmental parameters. 

The researchers then created a mathematical model bringing together all of the variations in shape and other factors.

They were then able to study the links between egg shape and physiological traits of birds, and determined that one of the best parameters for predicting egg shape is a bird’s skill at flying.

Bottom line: the most aerodynamic birds tend to lay eggs that are long or pointy.

“Variation across species in the size and shape of their eggs is not simply random but is instead related to differences in ecology, particularly the extent to which each species is designed for strong and streamlined flight,” said co-author Joseph Tobias of Imperial College London.

Regardless of age gap people can easily discuss arts, politics, education, social issues, love, the news in general, and countless other matters without a problem. They would usually understand each other. When it comes to IT, however, things are not as simple as that.

Keeping up with the fast pace of evolving technology is already hard enough. Being able to discuss it with those who are in an age bracket much different from yours sometimes proves to be as hard.

Dealing with the change is important, but talking about it and communicating with the others is as important. Actually discussing technology evolution and innovations with our peers is part of the process and helps to understand technology better, to make better use of it.

So how does someone who for instance is 60 talk about Whatsapp with someone who is 18? It does not always go without saying, and the difficulty has nothing to do with the people’s IQ or background; the difficulty is only related to the age difference, to the way different people perceive, approach and use technology.

The first person has seen the technology evolve over the years, has kept reading and learning about it, sometime has put effort experimenting with it, and eventually ended up with a good understanding of it. The second was practically born with it and sees it as a perfectly natural thing, as something that is to take for granted.

The first is always in awe of Whatsapp, how amazing it is, the fact that it is free, and usually wonders how we used to do without it just a few years ago. The second does not see anything extraordinary in it — quite the opposite; it is seen as very ordinary. A discussion about Whatsapp between such two people would be odd to say the least. They cannot look at it with the same eyes. Whatsapp is only one example of course.

There is also another factor: it is the speed at which the young and the “less young” would learn new IT tricks. This is obviously another gap and it does not make discussions any easier.

A few days ago I had the chance to see what a 3-year little girl learnt very quickly and how she adapted to a new thing in a few seconds.

She “already” knew how to use a tablet to select YouTube clips featuring songs for children. Naturally, with the tablet she would use her finger to tap on the touch screen to select and to play the video. That day the tablet was not available and her father had to run YouTube for her on his laptop computer, a model that did not have a touch screen.

The little girl tried a couple of times to select a video with her finger, as if the computer had a touch screen. When this did not work, her father showed her the mouse attached to the laptop, how to place the cursor on the video and to click the mouse to run the clip. It did not take more than that, a couple of seconds and virtually no words spoken, and it was all understood and applied, without any difficulty. I still remember how hard it was for adults (well, some of them at least…), years ago, to learn how to use a mouse and to feel comfortable with it.

If you are above say fifty and want to discuss any IT topic with someone who is much younger than you are, be it for fun, for social talk or for professional reason, you have to do some adjustment to your reasoning, your wording, your arguments and to the way your present your topic. You must also keep in mind that whatever seems amazing, awesome, extraordinary for you is something very common and ordinary for the other party. You learnt it the hard way; they were practically born with it.

On the other hand, if you are much younger than those you are discussing high-tech with, just be kind and patient. Even if they are as smart as you are, and maybe even smarter, they may not be as fast as you may be. It is just about age, not IQ.

Kids may develop an implicit bias against overweight and obese people early in childhood that leads them to make quick judgements based only on size, a small experiment suggests. 

The study tested snap judgements made by youngsters ages 9 to 11 right after they’d seen pictures of children with varied body shapes.

Participants were briefly shown pictures of older children who were similar to each other in age, race and sex but of different weights. Right after that, they briefly viewed images of meaningless fractals and were asked to rate these abstract geometric patterns as “good” or “bad”.

After seeing pictures of healthy weight children, the participants gave 64 per cent of the fractals a “good” rating, compared with just 59 per cent of the fractals they saw after looking at overweight children.

If the participants had no implicit weight bias, researchers would expect them to rate half of the fractals “good” and the other half “bad,” the study authors say. A difference in the proportion of “good” ratings after pictures of healthy weight versus overweight children, however, indicates implicit bias.

“What’s surprising here is that the bias is similar to that seen for race, and shows us that even kids already have strong preferences based on weight,” said lead study author Asheley Cockrell Skinner of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. 

The children had to make their judgements in a hurry. They only saw pictures of other children for 350 milliseconds, followed by an image of a fractal for 200 milliseconds. 

Each participant viewed eight pairs of images. Pictures showed children engaged in a variety of activities like reading, running, standing and studying. In the pictures, children wore similar outfits and had similar facial expressions. 

The difference in percentages of “good” fractal ratings — that is, the degree of young participants’ implicit bias — depended on how much the participants themselves weighed.

Overall, the implicit bias rate was 5.4 per cent, researchers report in Paediatrics. But among healthy-weight participants, the implicit bias rate was 7.9 per cent, compared with 1.4 per cent for overweight participants. 

“It’s possible children with obesity have greater exposure to other people, such as family members, who have obesity; [they] may be more accepting of obesity; or healthy children may not see children with obesity as `like them,’ which affects their preferences,” Skinner said by e-mail. 

Beyond its small size, other limitations of the study include its group of mostly white, affluent participants recruited from a single location, the authors note. This might mean the results would be different in a more diverse group of children. 

Still, the findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that weight bias starts early, said Rebecca Pearl, a researcher at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania who wasn’t involved in the study. 

“Prior research has shown that children as young as preschool age show preferences for thin versus overweight peers,” Pearl, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by e-mail. 

Parents can influence this, however, said Dr Anne McTiernan, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre.

“Parents should teach their children to be accepting of people of all sizes,” McTiernan, who was not involved in the study, said by email. “They can also screen for images their children see on TV and on the Internet.”

They should also lead by example, said Justin Ryder, a paediatrics researcher at the University of Minnesota Medical School who wasn’t involved in the study. 

“Using terms like fat, unhealthy, lazy, bad, ugly, etc. in reference to a person struggling with being overweight or obese is likely to build a negative attitude toward that people of that body shape over time,” Ryder said by e-mail. “Parents likely do not realize their own implicit bias towards persons who are overweight or obese, making this a challenge.”

Catching up on lost sleep over weekends may help people keep their weight down, according to a study in South Korea.

Not getting enough sleep can disrupt hormones and metabolism and is known to increase the risk of obesity, researchers write in the journal Sleep.

“Short sleep, usually causing sleep debt, is common and inevitable in many cases and is a risk factor for obesity, hypertension, coronary heart disease, as well as mortality,” lead author Dr Chang-Ho Yun of the Seoul National University Budang Hospital told Reuters Health by e-mail.

Sleeping in may be better than napping, as the sleep may be deeper and follows the body’s sleep-wake rhythms more closely, Yun said.

To determine how weekend sleep is related to body weight, the researchers used data from a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 people who ranged in age from 19 to 82 years old. 

In face-to-face interviews, researchers asked participants about their height and weight, weekday and weekend sleep habits, mood and medical conditions.

The study team used this information to determine body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight relative to height, and whether participants engaged in catch-up sleep on weekends.

Weekend catch-up sleep was defined as sleeping more hours on weekend nights compared to weekday nights.

On average, the participants slept 7.3 hours per night and had BMIs of 23, which falls in the healthy range.

About 43 per cent of people slept longer on weekends by nearly two hours than they did on weekdays.

People who slept-in on weekends tended to sleep shorter hours during weekdays, but slept more hours overall across the week.

The researchers’ analysis found that those who slept-in on weekends had average BMIs of 22.8 while those who didn’t engage in catch-up sleep averaged 23.1, which was a small but statistically meaningful difference.

In addition, the more catch up sleep a person got, the lower their BMI tended to be, with each additional hour linked to a 0.12 decrease in BMI.

“Short sleepers tend to eat more meals per day, snack more, engage in more screen time and may be less likely to move due to increased sensations of fatigue when not rested,” said Jean-Philippe Chaput of the University of Ottawa in Canada, who wasn’t involved in the study.

Chaput noted that getting 30 minutes of heart-pumping exercise per day can help improve sleep. 

“Sleep experts say that if people need an alarm clock to wake up it is a sign that they don’t sleep enough,” Chaput said by e-mail.

“The more good behaviours we can have every day [and sustain for the rest of our lives] the better it is for the prevention of chronic diseases and optimising health. Sleep should be one of these priorities,” he said.

“If you cannot sleep sufficiently on workdays because of work or social obligations, try to sleep as much as possible on the weekend. It might alleviate the risk for obesity.”