Results tagged “britain” from 60 Second Science

Last month when American Airlines flew its pampered pentad of passengers from Chicago to London, the carbon footprint left by burning 22,000 gallons of fuel during a virtually empty flight more resembled a carbon foot in Mother Nature's ass.

Environmentalists flew, presumably fossil fuel-free, through the roof. Defenders of the industry loudly countered by pointing out the harsh pragmatics of airline scheduling. Others, sensing opportunity, derided the likes of Al Gore and similar activists for hypocritically jet-setting across the globe to deliver messages of environmental responsibility.

American Airlines, which lost about $60,000 on the much-maligned voyage, won’t have to worry about such fiascos starting at the end of this month. On March 30, the Open Skies agreement takes effect, allowing any US and EU airline to make transatlantic flights between all destinations on both sides of the pond. London’s Heathrow airport will be opened for full competition from foreign carriers with an expected monthly increase of 524 flights to the States as well as 5,853 new trips throughout Europe. Until mankind builds the first trans-oceanic bike path, we’re going to have untold millions more tons of CO2 floating around the friendly skies.

Continue reading 'The high cost of cheap air travel' >

Gentlemen, get your passports updated and brush up on your Cockney Rhyming Slang: We're moving to England. A new study shows that average breast size in the UK has grown from a 34B to 36C. British department store Marks & Spence alone has doubled th amount of D-cup bras sold in the last three years.

I know what you're thinking, but cosmetic surgery isn't the reason. British nutritionists and gynecologists blame the increase on a range of factors, including obesity, hormones, alcohol consumption and environmental factors. In fact, a large amount of cup-size increases in British females might be explained by the high rates of hormone replacement therapy undertaken by menopausal women. The unusually high levels of estrogen might encourage breast tissue to grow, along with possibly increasing the risk of breast cancer.

Some British experts disagree with the hormone-replacement theory, and instead blame a cocktail of xeno-estrogens that could come from a wide variety of products, including lipstick and tampons.

Continue reading 'British breasts getting bigger; Note to self: Move to England' >