The most promising route to ‘mental superpowers’

When people are given a way to see what’s happening inside their head in real-time, they can rapidly learn how to dampen pain, enhance self-control and boost mental ability. If more of us had access to this technique, it could be transformative.

Many of us have our special ways of dealing with our feelings and emotions. For instance, when we are feeling stressed we might calm our nerves by focusing attention on our breathing. If we have a throbbing toothache, we might try to ease the pain through a meditative technique. And when we are feeling down, we may cheer ourselves up by imagining ourselves in our ‘happy place’. Those who’ve tried similar strategies know they often work, but with varying degrees of success.
Now imagine if you could see what was happening inside your brain as you experienced emotions and sensations such as pain, anxiety, depression, fear, and pleasure – all in real-time. Suddenly, why you feel the way you feel might not be such a mystery, and the effectiveness of the little mental techniques you use to deal with daily life would be clearly visible.

Through practice, you can learn to strengthen control over the mind similar to how a weightlifter targets a specific muscle group  

That’s the idea behind a new technique known as “real-time fMRI”. By receiving specific visual feedback about brain activity while executing mental tricks and strategies, we can learn to consciously control our emotions, sensations and cravings as if they were being manipulated by a volume knob on a stereo. Through practice, you can learn to strengthen control over the mind similar to how a weightlifter targets a specific muscle group – and it raises the tantalising possibility of a future where we can train advanced mental abilities far beyond our own today.

By focusing on controlling a virtual flame, people were able to reduce the pain they felt (Credit: iStock)

The first demonstration that real-time fMRI could be a powerful tool came in 2005, with a study where researchers taught people how to control pain. Eight people lay in the scanner while subjected to a painful hot sensation on their skin. The researchers showed them a virtual flame to represent activation in the rostral ACC, a brain region involved in pain processing. Through various cognitive strategies, such as “attend toward or away from the painful stimulus” and “attempt to perceive the stimulus as high or low intensity”, participants quickly learned to control the size of the flame, thereby directly altering the level of electrical activation in the pain-responsive region.
Importantly, decreases or increases in this neural signal correlated with subjective feelings of pain, as measured by a questionnaire and a 10-point pain scale. Amazingly, in just a single 13-minute session participants learned to easily control the size of the flame and were able to reduce their pain by over 50%.
Since then, research using real-time fMRI has exploded, and new clinical and experimental uses seem to pop just about every month. The ways of displaying brain activity to people also now includes feedback such as audio sounds or a ‘thermometer display’ via virtual reality goggles.

The training can create changes in the brain that have long-lasting effects  

A 2017 study published in the journal Appetite showed that the training could fight obesity. Over the course of a four-day training period, overweight males learned to increase the interaction between the brain areas involved in executive functioning and reward processing, which improved self-control and led to healthier food choices.
Another study published this year found that by learning control over the right inferior prefrontal cortex, a brain region that is impaired in those with ADHD, adolescents could decrease ADHD symptoms and improve sustained attention. These benefits remained when the participants were tested 11 months later, demonstrating that the training can create changes in the brain that have long-lasting effects.
And a 2016 study found that elderly adults using the technique improved their cognition. It’s possible that younger individuals could boost brain function this way too. In fact, a 2015 study with healthy adults showed that neurofeedback training could improve focus and reduce lapses of attention.
Other recent studies have found that the training can be used to treat PTSD in war veterans, depression, anxiety, and even cigarette addiction. Another study by James Sulzer at the University of Texas, Austin and colleagues showed that participants could learn to regulate levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, an application that could be used to treat Parkinson’s disease.

What would be the ultimate potential of real-time fMRI training if one could practise control over the brain every day? (Credit: Getty Images)

The research clearly shows that the technology can be used in countless ways, but how effective it can be in the long term, and whether it is even practical, is yet to be seen. Since real-time fMRI requires expensive equipment, its immediate use should be for treating severe conditions that lack more affordable therapies. However, as with any new technology, over time fMRI scanners will become cheaper, smaller, and more accessible.

If a few 10-minute sessions can produce statistically significant results, what could 10,000 hours of practice do?  

And this opens up a whole new world of possibilities. To get a sense of the untapped potential, imagine what it would be like for an athlete or body builder to always be working out without ever getting a chance to see their body or the size of the weights. It would be impossibly hard to determine which exercises are working and which aren’t, and exactly to what degree. Effectively honing just about any skill requires visual feedback, and the same could be said for brain training.
What would be the ultimate potential of real-time fMRI training if one had easy access and could practise control over the brain weekly, or even daily, for many years? If a few 10-minute sessions can produce statistically significant results, what could 10,000 hours of practice do? There’s no true way to know, but something akin to “mental superpowers” may not be out of the question.
Neurofeedback training could provide a shortcut to the types of abilities displayed by monks, for example, who can completely block out excruciating pain and change their physiology to dry a soaking towel placed on their back in a chilly room.
So, while the ultimate potential of the technology remains to be seen, it is not unreasonable to believe that the awesome mind-over-matter abilities of expert meditators that take years to develop could one day be learned by everyone in a fraction of the time.

Fly-ship – The Future Of Travel Both On Air And Water

A new hybrid of boat and plane called “The FlyShip” is an £26m ($37m) vehicle that can carry 100 passengers at a top speed of 155mph(250km/h). The flyship hovers by creating a cushion of air under its wings. It can be used for various missions like cargo, commercial, military and anti-piracy transport.

Designed by German engineering team will surely revolutionize the way people travel. The flyship has a cabin space area of 1500 sq.ft, 121ft (37 metres) long and has a wingspan of 131ft (40 metres). On a hovercraft, it is supported by a huge fan in the middle. When compared to other flying planes, it is cheaper and the fuel consumption is also low with 270 litres every hour when compared to 3300 litres every hour in other let liners.
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10 Dangerous Reasons You Should Never Eat Junk Foods Again…No 9 Will Shake You

8 Electric Vehicles That Are Hitting The Road By 2020

With developments in clean tech, we are only a few years away from the widespread introduction of electric vehicles. But it won’t be long before there’s an influx of long-range electric cars hitting the market.
Major automakers, including General Motors and Volkswagen, have vowed to roll out more than one fully electric car by 2020. Here’s a look at some of the vehicles hitting the roads in the next few years.
Faraday Future

Faraday Future says it will have a car on the road within the next four years. The mysterious car startup Faraday Future is promising it will have a car on the road sometime during the next few years. Faraday told Tech Insider at CES that it’s working on having its first production car on the roads in the next few years.

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• Metallica are 'up for playing in space' and say they have 'a few feelers out'

• Huge otter fossil, millions of years old, discovered in China

• 'Why I stick pro-vegan stickers on meat in supermarkets'

Osinbajo reveals secret Buhari told him after release of Chibok girls Author: Wale Akinola Updated: 13 minutes ago - Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has revealed what Buhari told him after the release of Chibok girls - Osinbajo said Buhari made the comment when he received the girls in the presidential villa on Sunday night My 7 - He, however, stated that the present generation of leaders must resolve the humanitarian crises in the North East Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Monday May 8 said that President Muhammadu Buhari said that the release of the 82 Chibok girls boosted his health. NAIJ.com gathered that Osinbajo said that Buhari made the comment when he received the girls in the presidential villa, Sunday night May 7. Read more: https://www.naij.com/1103604-osinbajo-reveals-secret-buhari-told-release-chibok-girls.html

                101 ways not to get pregnant

Well OK, maybe 101 was a bit of an exaggeration but follow these suggestions and you will stand a good chance of not getting pregnant...

Don't have sex without a condom - If you do you will not only stand a good chance of getting pregnant you will also be at risk of catching a nasty sexually transmitted infection!

Don't miss a daily contraceptive pill - It is advisable to use condoms and the pill together. However, if you do just use the pill you will risk pregnancy if you forget to take one or more. If this happens, you must use condoms and the pill for the rest of the pill cycle.

Don't take your daily contraceptive pill at irregular times - This lowers the effectiveness of the pill so you should always take it at the same time each day.

Don't have unprotected sex during your period - A lot of people think that whilst you are on your period you can't get pregnant... that is totally wrong! So work on the assumption that there is never a "safe time" to have unprotected sex.

Don't think pulling out before ejaculation can prevent pregnancy - Treat a penis like a loaded gun... it's always dangerous, so protect it with a condom at all times!

Don't think that it's OK to rub an unprotected penis around the outside of a vagina - It's still possible for some sperm to get inside.

Don't allow either partner's fingers to touch his penis then enter her vagina - even before ejaculation some sperm can be present.

Don't let fingers that have touched a penis touch the outside of a condom - sperm could be transferred to the condom and then get inside the vagina.

Don't leave a penis inside a vagina too long after ejaculation - It is always best to withdraw straight after ejaculation as a common cause for condoms coming off inside is when the penis has gone down and the condom is no longer a tight fit.

Don't have sex if you think all this is too much to remember! - It's easy to make a mistake in the heat of the moment so make sure this knowledge is second nature so you don't have to think about it!

And finally...
Never underestimate the power of sperm... a small drop of semen on the end of a man's penis carries enough sperm to fertilize all the women in Colombia! In case your geography is not that hot, we are talking around 18 million babies!
shear if you like it click here to also like our facebook page.

Tips to last longer during sex

EX-TRA EXCITING

Thinking about sex with your ex? Here are the rules to follow…and how to make that one last romp epic

Broken up recently? Don’t be too sure it’ll last!

Getty Images

If you’re planning on hooking up with your ex, you need to read these tips

Research shows that 54 per cent of couples get back together for good. Guess they miss those arguments and the other’s annoying habits (joke).
Plus, a further 30 per cent make a half-hearted second go, but don’t stay together. Guess their ‘seconds’ were sloppy, not satisfying.
Either way, if you’re feeling all Take That and want them back for good – or for a few good times – why not make it fun?

Getty Images

Pam recommends changing it up and trying new things with your ex partner

Here are six must-know things for epic ex-sex:

Play-up the no-strings sex

You had broken up and who knows what the future holds? So agree that slipping between the sheets is for no strings sex.
One survey found that spelling out the terms – in this case ‘no strings’ – freed up people to relax and let go.Ex-periment
Was there something you always wanted to try but never did when together? Time to sex-periment.
Maybe you secretly wanted to get playful with anal.
Suggest a little pleasurable, gentle fingering.
But don’t forget bedroom manners – if you want to do it to them, you have to let them do it to you.
You don’t have to plan much. Simply slip your finger into a condom.
With lashings of lubricant gently circle their anal-zone with your fingertip. They may want your finger to go further!

You can teach new tricks to an old dog

Did second-rate sex contribute to breaking-up? But are their other good qualities drawing you back?
Go for it – tell them exactly what turns you on.
Show them moves you want – maybe more caressing of your breasts, gentle pinching of your nipples, a different oral sex technique, or squeezing of your bottom, etc.
You’ve nothing to lose. Hiding your real desires now is pointless.

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Try not to be shy when it comes to your body – confidence is sexy and will help you enjoy the romp more

Fan the flames of fantasy

You’ve got back together, maybe for a weekend “trial” or maybe moving back in.
Use your time apart to fuel frisky fantasy-chat.
Describe in dirty detail how you’d fantasise about them swanning into your office.
Locking the door and taking you on your desk. It was raunchy, you proclaimed how much you missed each other.
Or maybe you fantasise about discovering them in bed with someone else. When they saw you they realised you were far better in bed – chucking the other person out.
There are countless fantasy scenarios to describe.

A new twist on old territory

You already know what gets them tingling with excitement – touching them with latex gloves on (does it for some!) or tickling them with a feather duster, whatever.
So take them through this bedroom A-Z you once shared.
But then change it up. For instance, if your ex loved Doggy position, slip into the ‘Lazy Doggy’ for different sensations.
From her being on her hands and knees – with him behind – she slips down onto her elbows, tilting her hips up.
And he can slip a vibrator around her hips to stimulate her clitoral zone for extra kicks.

Getty Images

Pam recommends indulging in a little fantasy play if you’re hooking up with your ex

Dump the body shyness

Over 60 per cent of women say body shyness has held them back in a relationship.
Let’s be realistic: you two are exes who are getting jiggy, so flaunt some body confidence!
She can strut around in new knickers, bras, suspenders, or a sexy baby doll in high heels.
Confidence is mega-attractive.
Same goes for him, strut your stuff in some sexy briefs… maybe even black leather studded ones!
They’ll get a laugh even if they don’t turn her on.
Ultimately, your good-time get-together might just be a frolic where they’re concerned. If you’re hoping for a second chance, spell it out so you don’t get hurt. share if you like it. click here to like our page on facebook

Make Money Blogging

Last Updated Jan 31, 2017
On this page I want to walk you through the process of how to make money blogging. It’s perfect for those who already have a blog but if you don’t I recommend you check out our guide to starting a blog (it’s step 1).

My Story Of Making Money Blogging

In 2002 I began to blog one day on impulse after seeing another blog and being fascinated by the medium. I had no idea at the time that what I was doing would ultimately lead to a complete change in my career path and end up being something I’d make a full time income from in several years later.
I had no experience or profile in the online space, no technical ability and while I had done some public speaking had done very little in the way of communicating through the written word.
I did not make any money from my first blogs for almost 18 months (I didn’t even know you could so did not try) and when I did start to try to make money from them the first income was just a few dollars a week – but gradually in time my income grew from a part time income to a full time income and then beyond.

How to make money Blogging?

I’m often asked how to make money blogging so want in this article to lay out some basic steps that I see most bloggers who make a living from blogging go through.
Here is how to make money from a blog:

1. Set up your blog
2. Start creating useful content
3. Get off your blog and start finding readers
4. Build engagement with the readers that come
5. Start making money from the readership you have through one or more of a variety of income streams

Sounds easy doesn’t it! On some levels the process is simple – but you need to know up front that there’s a lot to each step and below I’m going to give you some pointers on each including some further reading.
Here’s how to make money from a blog.

1. Start a Blog

In order to make money blogging you’re going to need to have a blog. While this is pretty obvious it is also a stumbling block for many PreBloggers who come to the idea of blogging with little or no technical background.
If that’s you – don’t worry! It was my story too and most bloggers start out feeling a little overwhelmed by the process of starting their blog.
If you need a little help I would highly recommend you check out my article How to Start a Blog in which I run through the steps you need to take to get up and running. It’s really not as hard as you might think!
Further Reading on starting a blog:
How to Start a Blog

2. Start Creating Useful Content

A blog is not a blog without content so once you’ve set your blog up you need to focus your attention upon creating useful content. What you choose to create will depend a little on the topic that you choose to write about (on that note, most successful bloggers have some focus to their blogging whether that be a niche or a demographic that they write for).
The key with creating content is to make it as useful as possible. Focus upon creating content that changes people’s lives in some way will be the type of content that people will value the most and it will help people to feel like they know, like and trust you – which is really important if you later want to make money from your blog.

3. Get off your blog and start finding readers

As you create the most useful content that you possibly can it is easy to get very insular with your focus and spend most of your time looking at building your blog. Many bloggers have a ‘build it and they will come mentality’ with their blogging but this is a bit of a trap.
If you want to make money from your blog you need to not only focus upon building a great blog but it is also necessary to get off your blog and to start promoting it.
There are many ways to experiment with growing your blog’s audience that I’ve written in previous blog posts and talked about in pod-casts (I’ll share some further reading and listening below) but it is important to enter into all these strategies remembering that you should not just be looking for ‘traffic’ but ‘readers’.
Start by thinking carefully about the type of reader you’d like to have read your blog. You might like to create an avatar of that reader (sometimes called a reader persona or profile) to help you work out who you’re trying to attract.
Once you know who you’re hoping to have read your blog ask yourself where that type of person might already be gathering online. Begin to list where they might be gathering:

• Are they reading certain blogs? List the top 3
• Are they participating in certain forums? List the top 3
• Are they listening to podcasts? List the top 3
• Are they engaging on certain social networks? List the top 3
• Which accounts are they following on each of these social networks? List the top 3

Each of these places that you reader might already be gathering has opportunities to develop a presence whether that be by leaving good comments, offering to create guest posts or simply by being helpful and answering questions.
With this list of blogs, focus, podcasts, social media accounts in hand you will have some good spots to begin to hang out and create value.
The key is to build a presence, to add value, to foster relationships – not to engage in spammy practices.

4. Build engagement with the readers that come

With sustained focus upon creating great content and finding readers for your blog you’ll begin to notice people visiting your blog and engaging with your content.
At this point you need to switch your focus to engaging with those readers and building community.
Respond to comments, reach out to those readers personally and do everything that you can to keep them coming back again and again by building a ‘sticky blog’.
Look after the readers you already have well and you’ll find they spread the word of your blog for you and help make your blog even more widely read.
Having an engaged reader is also much easier to make money from.
Further Reading on deepening reader engagement on your blog:

5. Start making money from the readership you have through one or more of a variety of income streams

OK – the first four steps of starting a blog, creating content, finding readers and building engagement with those readers are important foundations that you really do need to get in place before you’ll be able to build long term income for your blog.
There’s no avoiding that what we’ve covered is a lot of work but if you do it well you’ll be setting yourself up well and giving yourself every chance of being able to make money from your blog.
With these foundations in place you’re now ready to start attempting to make money from your blog but you do need to be aware that just because you have set up your blog, have content and have engaged readers that the money won’t just automatically flow.
It takes continued work and experimentation to make money from your blog.
I’ve written many articles here on ProBlogger on the topic of making money blogging and will link to some suggested further reading on the topic below but let me share a few introductory words on the topic first.

There are Many Ways to Make Money Blogging

One of the biggest misconceptions that I see bloggers having about monetising blogs is that they have to do it in one of a handful of ways. The reality is that there are many ways to make money from blogs.
A few years ago I decided to sit down and list all the ways that I saw bloggers making money from their blogs and created this ‘money map’ (click to enlarge).

Note: this money map was updated in September 2016.
As you’ll see there are quite a few options that bloggers have to derive income from their blogs.
Don’t worry though – while this map is quite overwhelming at a first glance there are a few main ‘clusters’ of income streams that you might want to focus upon rather than all the specific ones.

1. Advertising Income

This is where many bloggers start. In many ways this model of making money from blogs is not dissimilar to how a magazine or newspaper sells ads. As your traffic and brand grows you’ll find advertisers will be willing to pay to get exposure to your audience.
While you need decent traffic to do a direct deal with an advertisers there are ad networks (like Google AdSense) that act as a middleman and enable smaller publishers to run ads on their blogs. This is where many bloggers start (I did too).

2. Affiliate Income

A recent survey of ProBlogger readers found that affiliate promotions was the most common type of income that our readers have.
To put it most simply – affiliate income is when you link to a product that is for sale on another site (take Amazon for example) and if someone follows your link and ends up buying that product you earn a commission on that sale.
There’s more to it than that but this is another great place to start with monetising your blog as affiliate programs are easy to sign up for and if you have an engaged audience you will find they follow the recommendations that you make on products.

3. Events

While not something most bloggers do I have noticed an increase in the number of bloggers making money by running events.
These range from big conferences and events like our ProBlogger Conference which hosts hundreds of bloggers every year right down to smaller meet-ups for a blogger’s readers where money is made either through charging readers to attend or by finding a sponsor for the event.
Alternatively online events or summits are getting more popular.

4. Recurring Income

Another growing category of income that I’m seeing more and more bloggers are experimenting is recurring income streams (sometimes called continuity programs or membership programs).
This is where readers pay a regular recurring amount (usually on a monthly or annual basis) for access to either premium content, a community area, some kind of service, tools, coaching (or some combination of these things).

6. Promoting a Business

Many brick and mortar businesses indirectly make money from their blogs by using their blogs to grow their profile and direct readers to their business.

7. Services

A common way that many bloggers make money is through offering services to their readers. These might be anything from coaching and consulting, to writing or copywriting, to design, training or other freelance services.

8. Products

While I started out making money from my blogs through advertising and affiliate promotions today my #1 source of income is through selling eBooks and courses on my blogs. These ‘virtual products’ take work to create but have been lucrative for me and many other bloggers.
Products can of course take many forms and income virtual information products like eBooks or courses but also other virtual products like software, reports etc.
The other type of product some bloggers sell is physical products. This is most common when the blogger has a business but sometimes bloggers also create merchandise (T-shirts etc) or other physical products to sell.

Other Income Streams

There are of course other forms of income that bloggers experiment with. Some include asking for donations, syndicating content to other sites and lastly selling their blogs.

Multiple Income Streams

Most full time bloggers make money more than one way and end up with multiple income streams.
Diversifying your income in this way not only is smart and helps you spread the risk from having all your eggs in one basket but it also speeds up the journey to going full time.
I learned this lesson the hard way after having most of my income coming from one source in the early days but after a bit of a bad experience began to diversify my income streams (read about that here – it was one of the best things I ever did!
Today I make money from around 12 different streams.

Direct or Indirect Income?

One last little distinction in terms of income streams…. Some bloggers make money directly ‘from’ their blog while others make money indirectly ‘because’ of their blog.
Direct Income – when I started making money from my blogs it was through ‘direct’ income streams. I put AdSense ads on my blog and promoted some products on Amazon as an affiliate and the more readers I had the more income began to trickle in (it really was a trickle at first). In time as my traffic grew this income grew and I was also able to experiment with other direct forms of income such as selling advertising directly to advertisers.
Indirect Income – later on in my blogging journey opportunity has come for ‘indirect’ income streams. As my blogs and profile grew as a result of my blogging I was able to sell my services as a speaker and consultant and was offered the opportunity to author a book with the publisher Wiley. Later I was able to start an event for bloggers which also made money. None of this income came directly from the blog – but rather it came ‘because’ of my blog.
While the way that I make money blogging is a combination of direct and indirect income many bloggers focus upon one or the other.

Let’s Share the Journey to Make Money from Your Blog

I hope that this article has helped you on your journey to make money from a blog.
I’m constantly publishing new tutorials on this topic of monetizing blogs so please subscribe to our ProBloggerPLUS newsletter for all our latest information (it’s completely free).
Just click the button below and add your details and you’ll get the next newsletter (as well as a special gift to help you come up with blog post ideas to write about).

1-5 Interesting Facts on Radiation

White Flag- Interesting Facts on Radiation

1. All the American flags placed on the moon are now white due to radiation from the sun. – Source

2. After Radium was discovered by Marie Curie (who died from radiation), people used it in things like condoms, candy, toothpaste, and health tonics. One man drank 1400 bottles of it before his jaw fell off. – Source

3. The Manhattan Project secretly tested the effects of radiation on its own citizens, including injecting pregnant women radioactive mixtures and feeding children radioactive oatmeal. – Source

4. Bananas are slightly radioactive and eating a banana exposes a person to radiation. Recent post-earthquake radiation spikes in Japan measured in bananas have seen levels up to 30 bananas but have dropped down to 1-2 bananas per day. – Source

5. Because of the amount of granite used in its construction, Grand Central Station of the New York City produces more radiation than what is allowable at a nuclear power plant. – Source
6-10 Interesting Facts on Radiation

Television Static- Interesting Facts on Radiation

6. 1% of static on an unturned analog TV is from cosmic background radiation from the Big Bang – Source

7. People in America living near coal-fired power stations are exposed to higher radiation doses than those living near nuclear power plants. – Source

8. During the Manhattan Project, a man was injected with Plutonium without his knowledge or consent and he survived it for 20 years, eventually surviving the highest radiation dose known for any human – Source

9. Astronauts on the Apollo missions reported seeing flashes and streaks of light when they closed their eyes. This was later confirmed to be caused by cosmic radiation bombarding their retinas while outside of the Earth’s magnetosphere. – Source

10. There is a type fungi inside the Chernobyl reactors that thrives on radiation – Source


11-15 Interesting Facts on Radiation

Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory- Interesting Facts on Radiation

11. In the 1950s, there was a toy called the Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Laboratory that came equipped with low-level radiation sources and four Uranium-bearing ore samples. It sold for $49.50. – Source

12. A fireman’s eyes at the Chernobyl disaster are said to have turned from brown to blue because of the intensity of the radiation he received. – Source

13. Flight crews (pilots, flight attendants, etc.) are classified as radiation workers and some are exposed to more radiation annually than nuclear plant workers. – Source

14. Smokers receive a radiation dose equivalent to about 300 chest x-rays annually due to the radioactive isotope Polonium-210 contained in tobacco smoke that comes from the ingredients of the fertilizers that are used in farming tobacco. – Source

15. Crew in an underway nuclear submarine are actually exposed to less radiation than the average person on land, due to reduced background radiation and the shielding effect of the water while being submerged. – Source
16-20 Interesting Facts on Radiation

WR 104- Interesting Facts on Radiation

16. When the binary star system WR 104 goes supernova, within a couple thousand years, it could possibly hit Earth with a gamma ray burst, causing a mass extinction – Source

17. The USA originally denied that atomic bombs caused lingering radioactivity, calling such claims Japanese propaganda. The New York Times ran an article with the headline “No Radioactivity In Hiroshima Ruin,” citing only military sources and ignoring eyewitness accounts of radiation sickness. – Source

18. A handful of raw uranium ore actually only has about as much radiation as 10 bananas. – Source

19. On December 27, 2004, Earth was hit by the largest blast of radiation in recorded history. It came from a “giant flare” on a magnetar 50,000 light-years away. – Source

20. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is still giving off radiation, and that there is a high chance of the containment structure collapsing, causing huge amounts of radiation to spread out. – Source, if you lick it comment now,
click here to lick our page

40 easy ways to make money quickly
Updated 05 May 2017

Money bag On this page you'll find all the best ways to make money in your spare time whilst at university based on our own experience. We'll keep adding new ways to this page so go ahead and bookmark it. And please do share your own ideas in the comments!
Top ways to make money on-line and off-line

No-risk matched betting

free bets from matched betting Hands down the quickest way to make a lot of money (well, without breaking the law). Lots of students have genuinely made £100s from this technique. It's completely legal, risk free, tax free, and anyone can do it.

It works by taking advantage of free bets regularly offered by betting sites through ‘matching' them at a betting exchange. Matched betting eliminates the risk (you are betting both for and against a certain outcome).

This leaves you being able to squeeze out the free bet, which can be as much as £200! Multiply this by how many betting sites there are and you can quite easily come away with a profit of a few hundred pounds.

Owen walks you through how to make your first £15 profit (using a real life example) in this gem of a guide to matched betting. If you know of any better way to make £30/hr sitting at home, please let us know!
On-line surveys

cat typing Credit: Julio Marquez – Flickr.com
An increasingly popular way for students to make money is to fill out online surveys in their spare time. Research companies are always recruiting new members to answer surveys and test new products.

For a few minutes of form filling, you can make a couple of quid which is paid as cash or rewards. You can bag up to £3 ($5) for some surveys!

A few good ones to try are: Toluna, YouGov, Vivatic, MySurvey, Crowdology, SurveyBods, Valued Opinions, IPSOS, Global Test Market, The Opinion Panel, Pinecone, OnePoll, PopulusLive, Hiving, PanelBase, MintVine, Opinion Outpost, Harris Poll, Mind Mover, New Vista, iPoll.

Also sign up for Swagbucks which rewards you for surveys as well as simply surfing the web, watching videos and playing games.

Update: See our new full guide to the best paid online surveys!
Paid for searching the web

Interested in earning cash for doing what you already do online? This has to be one of the easiest methods of making money online without really any effort or change in your behavior.

This innovative idea by Qmee.com rewards you for searching in Google, Bing or Yahoo. You just install a simple add-on to your browser and when you conduct a search there may be a few sponsored results alongside your normal search.

qmee paid searchEach Qmee result has a cash reward attached – if you are interested in it simply click on it and collect your reward.

The best thing is there is no minimum to cash-out – our first one was just 72p wired to our Pay-pal account. You also have the option to donate it to charity.

Sign up now for free and start earning from your own searches! Click here to start.
On-line market trading

The historically hard-to-break world of investing in stock markets and currencies has been cracked wide open. Today there is no need to be a fat cat or fund the yachts of Wolf of Wall Street style stock brokers. You can do it all yourself with the help of online market trading platforms.

Having spent many hours researching this new opportunity, I've been experimenting with the two biggest platforms: Plus500 and eToro.com.

Both offer free practice accounts, and Plus500 also give you a free £20 (without depositing, terms apply) for their CFD service which is worth taking up. Overall I prefer eToro with over 4.5 million users worldwide. It was recently featured in the BBC 2 documentary “Traders: Millions by the Minute” and the Financial Times.

etoro tradingOne of the best things on eToro is the CopyTrader feature. This lets you literally see, follow and copy the investments of other top performing traders.

Follow George's complete guide to trading on eToro to learn more. I think $200 is a good amount to get the most out of the learning curve by trying out a few different markets. If nothing else you'll learn a great deal about various investments and industries.

Disclaimer: CFD trading can be volatile and you can lose your entire capital, so don't throw your life savings into it! Trading CFDs may not be suitable for you. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved.
Start your own website

mark zuckerberg facebookInterested in generating passive income? You need a website. It's THE way to make money while you sleep.

Starting a website with Bluehost takes less than 20 minutes, costs hardly anything and can be done by an 82 year-old. It only takes a bit of plugging on social media to get your first visitors, and there are plenty of ways to monetise your site.

Save the Student is just one example of a successful website, started at university by Owen Burek in his first year, which has since grown into a full-time and sizable enterprise.

Read Owen's step-by-step guide on how to start a website in 20 minutes. It's really one of the best assets you can have.
Review websites & apps for cash

usertesting.comWell it seems like you're pretty nifty with a web browser, so perhaps it's time to turn pro and browse websites as a paid and fun job!

Introducing UserTesting.com – a new platform that pays everyday people to review all kinds of websites. Each review takes around 20 minutes and bags you $10 (£6.50) via Paypal.

Simply sign up here, complete a test review and look forward to receiving websites in your inbox.
The ‘Disney Vault' secret

disney vaultTo keep demand high across generations, Disney Studios carefully restrict the supply of some home release classics. They are locked away in the ‘vault' for 8-10 years before being released for a short unspecified time.

Buy them in this window at normal retail price and you can turn a nice profit when they go off sale for another decade or so.

For example, in 2011 you could buy Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray 3D for just £24.99. In just a couple of years it was on Amazon for a staggering £74.99!Disney vaultImportantly, not all Disney releases are subject to the vault and only the true classics will maintain such demand.

Right now there are just 2 titles out of the vault which I would recommend snapping up. They are Bambi Diamond Edition Blu-ray and The Lion King Diamond Edition Blu-ray.
‘Get Paid To' sites

50 poundsSimilar to making money from online surveys, GPT sites reward you in cash and vouchers for completing various offers or activities online.

The most popular sites today are Toluna, Swagbucks and InboxPounds.

Exciting update! We'll soon be launching our own GPT service for our readers. Invites will be limited, please join our mailing list if you're interested in hearing once it's live:

Become a delivery rider or driver

Deliveroo riderGot a bicycle, motorbike or car? What about a Smartphone? That's all you need to make some extra money by delivering food or people whenever you've got some spare time.

Sign up as an Uber Driver and you can also apply to deliver with Uber Eats who are always on the hunt for new riders. They allow you total flexibility to work when you want, delivering food from restaurants to the customers' door. You can make around £15 an hour.

Double-up your opportunities by directly contacting local takeaways and bigger chains like Dominos to see if they have any delivery jobs going.
Write and publish a Kindle eBook

If students are good at anything, it's researching and writing. With the Amazon Kindle store, anyone can publish an eBook and make money.

And the Kindle app is now available on almost any device (laptops, iPads, smartphones and yes, Kindles) so your global market is huge!

List your book for £1.49 – £6.99 and you earn 70% of the sale. Considering Amazon is the ultimate selling machine (and remember people are looking to spend), that is a fantastic deal.

kindle ebooksThe key to success with eBooks is to create value, and write non-fiction. Simply bundling information you have researched and complied on a common problem (eg. ‘secrets' to finding a job) and then presenting it in an easy to digest format (an eBook) justifies someone spending a few quid on it.

Another big tip is to have a great cover designed so it stands out, and once your book is live on the Kindle store it's really important to get some reviews so it shows up higher in results. Encourage readers to leave an honest review at the end of your book.

The best thing about this lucrative idea is that once you've invested the time (say 20 hours), you'll earn a passive income for years to come! For a step-by-step guide to publishing and earning with eBooks, see “How to write a nonfiction eBook in 21 days“.
Affiliate marketing

If you've got a good presence on social media or perhaps you even have a blog or website, you can start bringing in money immediately by promoting all sorts of companies, products, services and offers online.

Affiliate Window logoSign up as a publisher on the Awin network, check their offers blog or browse the merchant listings to find something you think your friends would be interested in, grab your affiliate link and share it. If someone buys (can be within up to 90 days) using your link you'll make a nice commission.

To take it a step further, set up a website (read our guide) or a topical Facebook page and invite all your friends to join it and post your affiliate offers on there.
Mobile phone recycling

mobile recycleCredit: CannedTuna – Flickr.com

See how much you can get for your old mobile phone using our in-house mobile phone price comparison tool! Maybe ask your parents if they have any lying around too.

You can get some good money and help the environment by recycling mobile phones with certain companies listed on the comparison tool. But be aware: you won't always get the quoted cash since it depends on ‘condition'. We recommend Mobile Cash Mate for the fairest and highest payouts in most cases (they sent us a £203 cheque for an iPhone 5).
Become a ‘Clickworker'

clickworker

The Clickworker.com concept is based on ‘internet crowd-sourcing' where businesses advertise specific, scalable tasks they need completing quickly. And for us, it's an easy way to make fast cash from our couch.

There are a variety of tasks, but most commonly they involve mindless data entry, web research or form filling. You are rewarded and paid in cash (via Paypal) for the work you do, and you can choose for what and when you work. Give it a go. [If you're US based, also try Amazon's ‘Mechanical Turk‘].
Claim tax back

Many students work part-time or during the summer months, and others will be on placements or paid internships. More often than not, if you are a student working during the year, you will be overpaying income tax.

Why? Simply because few students reach the personal tax-free income allowance each year but are put on an emergency basic tax-code by their employers meaning tax is being paid when it shouldn't be.

Click to use the Tax refund calculatorTo learn more and calculate how much tax back you might be due, see our guide on student tax refunds.
Get cashback when shopping
Our Quidco Cashback

I earned this much in 2 years

This is not only a way to make money but also to save money as a student. If you look at it in a different way then you are making money with every purchase you would have made anyway, whether it be 10% or 0.5% cashback.

There are a number of cashback sites out there which pay you the commission they otherwise would have earned.

We recommend signing up with Top Cashback, Quidco.com & Swagbucks which are free and offer the best selection of retailers and exclusives.
A part-time job

bar jobsA part-time job is the obvious first choice, opted for by most students looking to supplement their student loan. It provides a pretty steady flow of income and can enable you to gain valuable work experience.

However, depending on where you live, jobs are not always easy to find. Check local classifieds, our student job search, student job websites and your university careers service for vacancies.

It's also worth signing up with the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, a free service which will match you with both part-time jobs or graduate opportunities.

Read our guide to finding a part-time job whilst studying for more tips.
Gigs on Fiverr

Fiverr pranksFiverr is now the world's largest marketplace for people to make money selling small services (known as ‘gigs').

What you offer could be absolutely anything, from writing and translating, social media posting, playing pranks and teaching to creating music, voiceovers and short video clips for people all around the world!

The default price is $5 (hence Fiverr..), but you can attach extra services to gigs for more money. Whilst it might not seem like much, it can quickly add up and there are plenty of examples of people making a really good living from the site. The key is to get a system in place which minimises the time spent on each gig.

But there is another way to profit even more from Fiverr for potentially far less work. How? By simply reselling gigs elsewhere. For example, find a decent logo designer then reply to jobs on Upwork or even local classifieds. A $5 spend can easily become $50+, and it's repeatable!

If you're not interested in selling at all there's SO much good stuff you can get done for yourself. Have a browse and get inspired!
Review music for money

If you love music, make it your business by reviewing unsigned bands and artists online for cash with Slicethepie.

It can take a while to build up your reputation but some users of the site have said that they earn £40 a month. This may not sound like much, but if it's something you enjoy then it shouldn't be hard work and is another thing for your CV. Money you earn will be in $US but anyone can sign up and review.

slicethepieTo get started, head over to Slicethepie now or read our quick guide for more info.
Sell your notes

sell your notesIf you don’t mind sharing your notes with other students it’s a great way to generate a little extra cash. There are sites out there that you can upload your notes to, along with your price, and then when another student downloads them you get paid.

Most of these sites like Stuvia & Notesale are free for you to list your notes but tend to take a cut of your profit in order to handle the marketing etc so that you don’t have to go out there and promote your notes yourself.

You will most likely have to upload PDFs but it’s worth it for the return and you can submit handwritten notes but you’re likely to make more money if they’re typed up.
Sell second-hand course books

One great way to make money is to buy other students' text books at the end of the year, and then sell them just after freshers' week – when the new intake of students know that they need them!

You can either advertise on campus or list them online very easily on Amazon.co.uk Marketplace (just bear in mind they take a commission on books sold).

For more tips on selling items online click here.
Competitions

Entering competitions of course comes with no guarantees, but there is a growing community of so-called ‘compers' in the UK consistently making up to £50,000 a year through all sorts of competitions.

Types of competitions available to enter range from simple registration forms and Facebook page liking to answering questions correctly over the phone to being a TV game show contestant. Imagine you made it onto Deal or No Deal instead of just watching it!

Start by entering our very own monthly student competition (Like our Facebook page to see when our next one is)!

competitionsThen head to our active competitions page to enter other free competitions that we have found. Just note that some of these sites may send you spam so use an alias email address and opt-out of as many of the offers as possible.

For loads more tips on achieving success and making money from competitions, read our guide to entering competitions.
Buy and sell domain names

domain-for-saleA domain name is just a website address (eg. ‘savethestudent.org' or ‘mysite.co.uk') and there are lots of extensions (.com, .net, .co.uk etc).

They cost as little as £1.99 to register with 123-reg.co.uk or GoDaddy.com yet premium domain names can fetch £1,000s if not millions when sold on. In 2007 VacationRentals.com went for a cool $35m!

Now you're probably not going to come across anything like that, but you can still turn a quick profit with a bit of searching. The trick is to find available domain names which have some commercial value, snap them up and then list them for sale on a site like Sedo.com.
Mystery shopping

Be A Mystery Shopper, Its Easy!Today becoming a mystery shopper is easier than you think and you can get rewarded handsomely.

We've recently come across a really fun smartphone app called Roamler that pays you in cash for completing various tasks in your local area. So definitely check that out first!

More traditionally, there are plenty of agencies that pay you to visit all sorts of shops to feedback on how they are performing. For more info on where to apply see our guide to becoming a mystery shopper.
Be an extra

Do you fancy yourself as a budding young actor or just that person that walks past in the background shot of an episode of Eastenders? It could be you if you apply to be an extra.

The pay isn't bad either – £60-80 a day on average, and you hardly have to do anything!

You can apply at Be On Screen for a number of opportunities or 2020 casting is another agency (just know they take a cut from your earnings).
Sell all your old CDs, games and movies

cds and dvdsIf you are looking to make a very quick buck, then selling your old bits and bobs that are cluttering up your room is a good idea.

The best thing about it is that you can rip all the songs and films onto your laptop or external hard drive before selling them. This means that you are only really selling the plastic and artwork!

You can earn anything from 10p to £20 per item, and the earnings can really add up if you have a large collection. Whilst you're at it, see if your parents have any ‘clutter' they'd be happy to see the back of.

You can also sell almost anything for free on Amazon Marketplace or Preloved and sites like MusicMagpie will pay you instantly for sending in unwanted items.

For more tips and places to sell check out our guide on selling DVDs, CDs and games.
Sell on your education!

Becoming a tutor to other students is easier than ever. Until recently your market was limited to local face-to-face sessions, but thanks to online tutoring sites you can go global!

Udemy allows anyone to create an online course (on literally anything!) and get paid forever after as users take it up.

graduate_studentFor one-to-one tutoring, list yourself on Superprof, SchoolsTrader and UK Tutors.

You can expect to earn upwards of £10 an hour, and you don't have to be highly qualified to tutor younger GCSE or even A Level students. Get started with our guide to making money as a private tutor.
Sell your photos

If you think you've got a good shot and a little creativity, try uploading your photographs for free to stock websites. A good starting point is Fotolia or istockphoto.

Make more money selling photo subjects that people are demanding, and there's a great resource to find this out here. It might be a good idea to test them out in print first yourself (get free photo prints here).
Rent out your car parking space

saving petrol and saving moneySome student accommodation comes with a drive or garage. If you aren't using your parking space and you live in a busy area then you might be in luck. There are plenty of people that may work in the city centre and are fed up of paying through the roof for daily parking.

Advertise your space on Gumtree, Parklet or Just Park.

Or, check out our full guide to renting out your parking space.
Become your own bank

be your own bank‘Peer-to-peer' lending is the future of banking. It cuts out the middle-man, passing on higher interest rates to you and cheaper loans to borrowers. And it's all managed online from the comfort of your sofa.

Founded in 2005, Zopa.com is the most established site lending around £1m every day. Right now you can expect to achieve up to 5% fixed return (before tax), depending on how long you choose to lend for.

As with any traditional bank, there is some risk attached with peer-to-peer lending. Zopa have gone a long way to mitigating this with their Safeguard feature, which effectively spreads your money across a wide range of borrowers (who are also credit checked).
Work as a charity collector

Ok so this job takes a certain kind of person, as you'll have to take a lot of rejection and be persistent.

But if you are bubbly, personable and reckon you could sell ice to an Eskimo then this could actually be a great student money making idea. You get paid commission on new sign ups (typically around £20).

Have a look at Wesser as well as charity websites like Oxfam.
Babysitting

messy kidIt's a classic money-maker, and for good reason. You get paid (well) to watch TV and not very much else!

Be warned that you will need a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check to look after small children, even though some parents may not ask for one. If you are wondering what to charge, look at local Gumtree ads, but you can expect to be paid over £8ph even if you aren't trained in child care.

Aside from advertising yourself, you might want to try creating a profile on Findababysitter.com. It really is easy money (unless you get stuck with the child from hell!).
Dog walking & sitting

If babies ain't your thing, then maybe canines are… looking after other people's dogs is big business. Just think that as a student you're likely to have free time during the day when others are out at work and worried about their pets at home.

You could bag around £7 per dog for an hour walk, and it's also a great way to keep fit. Join Tailster who will match you up with dog owners. Alternatively advertise your services locally with fliers or on classified websites such as Gumtree.
Rent out your house for filming

filmreelDirectors for TV and film are always on the hunt for houses to film in. For instance, a scene for Coronation Street was recently filmed in the student house one of the Save the Student editors used to live in!

Not only can you make good money but it's crazy seeing your own place on TV. Start out by looking at this site.
Rent out your body

student thinkingAccording to our recent survey, 7% of students use their body in some way to make a buck.

If you are comfortable taking off your kit then why not try life modelling. Sit there in the buff while budding artists capture your every curve (or pokey bits) in frightening detail! Try RAM, a website especially designed for these kind of jobs.

You could also get involved in clinical drug trials, but be sure you fully appreciate any risks attached.

Warning: Do not do anything you are not comfortable with, no matter how desperate you are for money! There has been an unhealthy rise in student prostitution in recent years – do not fall victim to it!
Freelance work

Perhaps you enjoy writing, managing Facebook pages or doing a little bit of graphic design in your spare time. There are so many freelance jobs out there that require simple skills or just time that someone else might not have.

And the best thing about freelancing is that you can work for clients in the UK and around the world with just an internet connection from home, to your own hours whilst developing valuable skills.

A great place to start is with the leading freelance site Upwork.com. Or try using our student job search to find freelance jobs closer to home.
Sell clothes on eBay

ebay-logoEveryone's best friend when it comes to getting rid of junk is eBay. Online auctions are a sure-fire way to turn that sleeveless jacket (which came in and out of fashion in a week) into hard cash.

Some eBay sellers look at trends and try to predict what will be big ahead of the market. If you are good and don't mind taking a risk then you can buy early in bulk and sell on when the craze hits.

For lots more tips on selling on eBay read this guide.
Sell your stories and videos

If you have an interesting story then you could try selling it to the papers. It could be anything from sleeping with a professional footballer to getting caught in a clothes horse!

One of the Save the Student team was unfortunate enough to have a pigeon fly through and smash their window at university and sold the story to The Sun for a tidy £50.

You could also film your mates at all times and send it into You've Been Framed to net yourself £250 and a few seconds of fame.
YouTube videos

According to recent stats we now watch more videos on YouTube than searches on Google. And with the recently introduced YouTube Partner Program you can now profit from making and uploading videos. You will receive a percentage of the advertising revenue collected per 1,000 views.

Depending on how successful you are (virality, subscriber base and topic) you can make a lot of money, and there are plenty of stories every week of more and more YouTubers making it their career.

For more tips read our guide to making money from YouTube.
Network marketing

the business of the 21st centuryAlso known as Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), this is a business model that allows you to generate ongoing income in two ways: by making a commission selling products and by recruiting other members who go on to sell. The later allows you to make money from the sales made by those you have recruited.

Importantly, this is not a pyramid scheme (they are illegal) because there is an end goal which involves a customer buying a product or service of value.

It's also not a ‘get rich quick' scheme. You will have to work I'm afraid! However with the growth of social media, network marketing is becoming easier and lots of people are now making a decent living from it.

This is a serious way of making good money on your own terms and it's well worth reading up on it. I recommend getting “The Business of the 21st Century” by Robert Kiyosaki.
Source property for wealthy investors

contents insuranceWe all know how much money there is in property, but on the surface (with house prices as high as they are) you might be thinking this market is off-limits.

Truth is, lots of people make a great deal of cash simply sourcing suitable properties for wealthy investors who simply have no time.

The trick is to find properties below market value (BMV) by avoiding estate agents and instead flyering your area with your contact details offering to buy houses. Then approach investors with a no-brainer offer to pass on the details of cut-price property in exchange for a % of the sale value.

Most cities will have monthly networking events for landlords and property investors. Track these down, sign up, put on your best suit and go along with lots of business cards. Or you could start on LinkedIn or even Twitter to build some initial contacts.

As you might imagine, this isn't necessarily a quick way to make money but once you've got a few investors in your phone book it can prove to be very lucrative in the long run. If you're interested, I recommend reading this book.

There are many other creative ways to make money as a student, such as our 50 business ideas. With any luck you'll be on the road to making millions! Please feel free to share your own ideas by leaving a comment below. and also click here like our face-book page

6 Reasons You Should Be Having More Sex, According to Science

Reason #8: Sex makes you look younger.

Guys, here’s a little secret: Sex is good for more than your relationship. In fact, according to science, getting busy on the regular can benefit your overall health—and your guy’s, too—in some pretty major ways.
In the spirit of empowering ladies everywhere to get it on as much as they can, we’ve compiled a list of 16 medially-proven reasons you should be having more sex.

1. Moderate sex can cure a cold
Not only does sex make you more content in your relationship, but it also keeps you healthier. In 1999, researchers at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania found that college students who had sex once or twice a week had higher levels of a certain antibody that provided a boost to their immune systems, compared to students who had sex less—or more—often.

2. Sex lowers your blood pressure.
One study shows that sexual intercourse specifically—as opposed to masturbation or other forms of sex play—has a significant impact on lowering systolic blood pressure (the first number on your blood pressure reading, or the force with which your heart is squeezing to release blood outward.)
3. It counts as exercise. 
While sex does burn calories, it doesn’t burn as many as you think. In fact, according to WebMD, a 30-minute romp can burn around of 85 to 100 calories. There are ways to burn more though, beyond making sex last longer.
“If you’re on top, try moving your hips like a belly dancer; this feels great and will give you a workout,” Jaiya Kinzbach, a Los Angeles–based sexologist and the author told Women’s Day. “Also try a position where you squat on top of him and then bounce up and down. This is a great workout for your thighs and butt, and it can burn up to 207 calories in 30 minutes.”
4. Sex reduces your man’s risk of dying of a heart attack.
One study found that men who had sex at least twice a week were half as likely to die from heart disease than men who had sex less often. That’s a huge decrease in risk, and considering that most men are big fans of sex to begin with, it’s just one more reason for your guy to get involved.
5. Orgasm has the power to reduce pain.
Next time you have a headache, try an orgasm instead of that Advil. “Orgasm can block pain,” Barry R. Komisaruk, PhD, and distinguished service professor at Rutgers, told WebMD. ” It releases a hormone that helps raise your pain threshold.” Additionally, for ladies, masturbation can reduce mind-numbing menstrual cramps.
6. It helps you sleep better.
There’s a reason everyone in movies shows swiftly nods off after sex. “It all has to do with hormone production during intercourse, Saralyn Mark, M.D., associate professor of medicine and OB/GYN at the Yale School of Medicine, told Women’s Health, which also points out that sex boosts the production of euphoric oxytocin and decreases the production of stress hormone cortisol. This shift leave your body in a relaxed state, making it easier for you to fall asleep. Plus, estrogen levels also increase, which can enhance a woman’s REM cycle for a deeper sleep, according to a study published in the Journal of Women’s Health.

7. It brings you closer.
For folks in committed relationships, having sex with your partner will help bring you closer together, again thanks to the boost in oxytocin. Even if you’re not in a relationship, a spike in oxytocin could explain why we tend to get attached to people we sleep with.
8. It makes you look younger.
One study done by researchers at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland found that older people who were enjoying lots of sex with a steady partner—four times a week, on average—were perceived to be seven to 12 years younger than their actual age. Researchers looked at participants through one-way mirrors and guessed their ages; they found that the hormones released during regular sex, like testosterone and estrogen, keep the body looking young. For us ladies, estrogen has also been shown to give us soft skin and shiny hair.
9. It can help ease depression.
“When a person has an orgasm alone or with a partner, it gives a boost to serotonin and raises endorphins and opioids, the brain’s so-called happy chemicals,” writes sex therapist Dr. Stephanie Buehler in Sex, Love, and Mental Illness. “Sex also boosts self-esteem.” Win-win!
10. It trumps money in the happiness factor.
According to one recent U.S. study, sex makes people happier for a longer period of time than money.
11. It will give you a literal energy boost.
According to some sources, men can transfer energy to their female partners via the testosterone in their semen. This means unprotected sex—with a partner you trust and whose medical history you know, of course—is a literal shot of energy, ladies.
12. Sex can regulate your menstrual cycle. 
Endocrinologists at both Columbia and Stanford found that women who have sex at least once a week have more regular menstrual cycles than those who have sex less frequently.
13. It heightens your senses.
Studies have shown that sex increases the acuteness of senses like taste and smell—which just means that when you’ve finished your romp, you can enjoy that slice of pizza, piece of chocolate, or glass of red wine that much more.
14. It can reduce your man’s risk of prostate cancer.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the more a man ejaculates, the lower his risk of getting prostate cancer.
15. Sex can help keep your man focused on you.
One 2012 study found that oxytocin, the hormone responsible for creating feelings of love, is elevated in men after sex, and that oxytocin drives men in committed relationships to stay away from other women.
16. It can actually give you swagger.
How’s this for awesome: one study showed that vaginal orgasms gave women “a gait that comprises fluidity, energy, sensuality, freedom, and absence of both flaccid and locked muscles.” Translation: It boosted your swagger.
if you like it commnt now and add yours if you have more idea. LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE BARNK science CLASS

82 Chibok schoolgirls freed in exchange for five Boko Haram leaders

Young women, who were among 276 captured in April 2014, flown to Nigerian capital to meet president while charities call for them to be reunited with families

Some of the freed schoolgirls board a helicopter. Photograph: ICRC/EPA

Sunday 7 May 2017 22.10 BST First published on Sunday 7 May 2017 14.02 BST

Months of negotiations involving participants across two continents has resulted in a deal in which 82 Chibok schoolgirls – who were seized from their dormitories in April 2014 and held captive for more than three years by the Islamist group Boko Haram – have been released in exchange for five militant leaders.
But joy at their freedom was quickly followed by concern for their privacy and fears that the thousands of other less high-profile prisoners still held captive by the extremists would be forgotten.
The deal was negotiated by Mustapha Zanna, a barrister who is currently the proprietor of an orphanage in Maiduguri, but who was once the lawyer of the late founder of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf. It also involved the Swiss government and the Red Cross.
Picked up in Red Cross vehicles and given the agency’s branded T-shirts to wear, the young women boarded military helicopters and were flown to the capital, Abuja, to meet the country’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, as anxious families awaited an official list of the names of those released. Information was given out gradually: by mid-afternoon, only 20 names had been published.
Buhari, who has not been seen in public for several weeks because of illness, later flew to London for medical checkups. His departure had been delayed so he could meet the Chibok women, according to his office.

It is unclear what will happen to the 82 young women. 21 others who were released after previous negotiations last year are being kept in Abuja, ostensibly for counselling and have not been allowed to go back and live with their families, who live 500 miles away in Chibok.
Over 100 of the former schoolgirls, who are now around 20 years old, remain in Boko Haram’s hands, along with many others, male and female, including very young children. In recent years, many of these have been forced by the militant group to carry bombs to busy areas and explode them, killing themselves and hundreds of other civilians.
The young women released on Sunday were among 276 mostly Christian schoolgirls whose abduction by Boko Haram caused an international outcry in April 2014.

Dressed for death: the women Boko Haram sent to blow themselves up

Read more

Thousands of other women and girls have also been seized by Boko Haram, but the Chibok girls gained international attention when the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls took off on social media, where it was was promoted by Michelle Obama and other celebrities. The unintended consequence of the girls’ sudden fame was that their value to the militants who held them was multiplied.
Amnesty International said that the former prisoners did not “deserve to be put through a publicity stunt … The government should respect their privacy and ensure that the released girls are reunited with their families and not kept in lengthy detention and security screening which can only add to their suffering and plight,” said Amnesty’s Nigeria director, Osai Ojigho.
“Boko Haram members have executed and tortured thousands of civilians and raped and forced into marriage girls and women. They have been indoctrinated and even forced to fight for Boko Haram. The Nigerian authorities must now do more to ensure the safe return of the thousands of women and girls, as well as men and boys abducted by Boko Haram.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told the Guardian that it had acted as a neutral intermediary and organised the transportation of the girls and young women to freedom. “We were not involved in the negotiations for their release, as negotiations often imply a political process which is contrary to the apolitical-neutral nature of the ICRC’s work,” said a spokeswoman. “Therefore we cannot make comments on the conditions agreed by the parties for their release [or] whether there are more so-called Chibok girls in the hands of the armed opposition.”
The freed captives were expected to be reunited with their families on Sunday, she added.
Lengthy negotiations took place in Switzerland and Sudan, according to Shehu Sani, a Nigerian senator, though he added that the Boko Haram representatives did not attend those in Bern. Sani told the Guardian that it was he who introduced Zanna, the chief negotiator, to the government and came up with a road map for the talks.
Two of the 82 girls were physically injured, Sani said. One had a wrist injury and the other was on crutches.

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The office of Buhari initially said the Chibok schoolgirls were freed in exchange for “some Boko Haram suspects held by the authorities”. Later Sani confirmed that they were five commanders, raising questions about why the group would exchange so many high-profile prisoners for a handful of members.
Asked whether the five commanders could strengthen Boko Haram, analyst Ryan Cummings thought not. “I doubt it very much. Boko Haram is massively decentralised and is more an umbrella movement than a monolithic movement. Commanders could have a localised impact in areas that they return to but it will have no wider impact,” he said.
Since the Chibok abduction, Boko Haram has splintered into different factions, one of which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
Many captives are forced to “marry” militants and initially Abubakar Shekau, the feared leader of one faction, vowed to sell the chibok girls in the market.
An unnamed Nigerian military official with direct knowledge of the rescue operation told Associated Press (AP) the women were found near Banki, a town close to the border with Cameroon. Boko Haram remains active in the area, despite claims by Buhari that the militant group has been crushed and forced from its last forest hideout.
An international taskforce, including specialists from the British and US military, began a hunt for the students but this faced significant obstacles, including a huge search area, difficult terrain and the fact the girls were likely to have been split up shortly after their capture. A retired diplomat told the Sunday Times last year a large group had been spotted months after the abduction but no action was taken, partly because of the difficulty of military action without putting the captives at risk.
But there were signs of their survival, including several of the captives who escaped shortly after their abduction, a girl who was found pregnant, wandering inn the forest and videos released by Boko Haram. In one video, released in August 2016, a girl told the camera some of her fellow captives had been killed in airstrikes and relayed a message demanding the release of Boko Haram prisoners in exchange for their freedom.
Boko Haram released 21 girls and young women in October 2016 in a similar deal. The Red Cross was also involved in the transfer of those released captives. At the time, it was announced 83 more would be released soon. According to a tally by AP 113 of the Chibok girls remain unaccounted for.
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