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According to new research, a person’s mere presence in a room can add 37 million bacteria to the air every hour, in the form of material left behind by previous occupants and stirred up from the floor.

Americans spend more than 90% of their time inside. Science Daily quotes environmental engineer Jordan Peccia as saying, "We live in this microbial soup, and a big ingredient is our own microorganisms. Mostly people are re-suspending what’s been deposited before. The floor dust turns out to be the major source of the bacteria that we breathe."
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New research suggests that global warming is causing the cycle of evaporation and rainfall over the oceans to intensify more than scientists had expected, meaning there will be more extreme weather in the coming years. It implies that the water cycle could quicken by as much as 20% later in this century as the planet warms, potentially leading to more droughts and floods.
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Will there be a pill (or vaccination?) that everyone could take that would guarantee moral behavior?

Some people are altruistic, while others are not. Why do some people risk their lives to help others, when some won’t even bother to dial 911? When researchers there took two rats who shared a cage and trapped one of them in a tube that could be opened only from the outside, the free rat usually tried to open the door, eventually succeeding. But only 23 of 30 did this, meaning that rat responses in emergencies–like human responses–vary.
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Engineers are working on a car that drives itself, but what may come first is a car that doesn’t let YOU drive when you’ve had too much to drink.

In 1982, about 49% of drivers killed in car wrecks had blood-alcohol levels of 0.08 or higher. By 1994, that percentage had dropped to about 33%, where it has stayed ever since.

The solution? Develop a car with a breathalyzer in the dashboard sot you have to breathe into it before the car will start (thus designated drivers will become "designated puffers," whose breath contains no alcohol. Alas, this may still allow the inebriated driver to actually drive).
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