This News Will Change Your Life. Or Not

Everyone loves a free printer at work but what if printing off your boarding pass on the sly could be damaging to your health? According to a new study from West Virginia University, the microscopic toner nanoparticles from laser printers have the potential to change our genetic and metabolic profiles - so much so, it could make illness and disease more likely. All of which sounds bad - but still not quite as painful as getting the boarding pass to work on your phone.
Thanks to researchers at Warwick University, virtual reality could help physiotherapy patients safely and successfully complete their exercises at home. Participants wore VR headset - and followed the steps on an avatar who appeared three meters away. “Participants could view the avatar in three-dimensions, including the ability to move around relative to the avatar’s position.” Which promises a future of physio without the awkward small talk or guilt at having not done your exercises.

Struggling to get your eight hours? New research from the University of Colorado shows that rats on a prebiotic diet have better sleep and, as a result, are protected from some of the impacts of stress. What we can learn from chilled-out rodents is still TBC - but with such much gut hype out there, we’ll be separating some gut fact from fiction over the next couple of weeks.

When you’re first dating someone you can be oblivious to their faults - mainly ‘cos you’re doped up on the ‘love hormone’ oxytocin. But researchers at King’s College London have found that oxytocin might have uses beyond wasting your time with the wrong person. It could potentially be prescribed to those diagnosed with autism, anxiety and depression. Both injections and nasal spray were found to reduce activity in the part of the brain which processes emotion.

Brushing your teeth three times a day might seem overzealous - unless you’re Simon Cowell - but it does more than just work wonders for your pearly whites. A new study from South Korea has revealed that frequent teeth-brushing could potentially reduce the risk of diabetes, emphasising how gum disease or a number of teeth missing increases the chances of being diagnosed with diabetes.

Pet lovers, time for a sigh of relief, as experts are claiming your furry friends cannot catch coronavirus. No need to kit out your pooch with their very own mask just yet.