Scientists have taken a huge step in answering one of the fundamental questions about life on earth – what came first: oxygen or life?

Researchers have made the discovery that oxygen in the atmosphere reached much higher levels, much sooner by studying the composition of rock salt in ancient rocks dating back 815 million years, over 100 million years before the earliest evidence of life on earth.

The salt was crushed in a vacuum, and each piece would release between five and 12 puffs of gas. By crushing the rock salt carefully, they were able to analyze the chemical makeup of the air pockets in the salt. The oxygen that was released could then be measured, and it was discovered to have an oxygen composition of 10.9% – over five times the amount that was predicted.

Through this technique, they were able to show that oxygen made up 10.9% of the earth’s atmosphere 815 million years ago.

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In ancient legends, gemstones and the months have been connected. According to the Bible, the high-priest Aaron wore a breastplate with twelve stones, each correlating to a different personality. This concept stands through time. Its accuracy may frighten you.

January: Garnet

The garnet in old text is referred to as ‘the guiding light.’ Similarly, they were worn by many explorers to protect themselves from danger.

If you were born in January, your birthstone says you are an ambitious and compassionate leader.

You value your relationships with others and know your self-worth. Remember not to overthink things, and use your stubbornness to achieve your goals.

February: Amethyst

Legend says that whoever wears this stone is protected from darkness and seduction. Continue reading →

Do you shop around for the most affordable honey? Don’t make this mistake, the sad truth about “cheap” honey is that you really get what you pay for, most of the cheaper supermarket varieties are not pure honey at all!

Honey is oftentimes subjected to many alterations, this is to lower the price. The Food Safety News conducted a study which showed up pretty shocking results, up to 76% of Supermarket honey has been “Ultra Filtered”. What is Ultra filtration you may ask? It’s a process used to remove impurities, such as traces of wax, but it also filters out the pollen.

Honey manufactures claim that this is a necessary process to stop the honey from crystallizing and to prolong shelf life – but the pollen that is being removed is very important and good for our bodies!

Avoiding honey that has been Ultra Filtered is also important because once treated, the origin of the honey cannot be traced without the pollen. In case of pollen contamination this is important as it needs to be traced and analysed. Continue reading →

It is widely believed that humans only use 10% of their brains. While some have debunked this myth, one man has proven the notion to be very possible.

When a 44-year-old French man walked into a doctor’s office back in 2007 complaining about a weakness in his left leg, he was stunned to learn that he had been living without the majority of his brain for most of his life.

Brain scans revealed that a build-up of fluid had caused most of the inner part of his brain to erode away. This condition is called: hydrocephalus also known as “water in the brain“.

Here is an image of his brain scan:

The Center of the Chain

It goes without saying that the brain is an integral part of the body. It is responsible for many of the inner and outer workings of the body, such as: Continue reading →

“We shall never know all the good a simple smile can do”

~ Mother Teresa

What’s in a smile? The general idea is that our emotions affect our behavior, but what if simple changes in our behaviors or body movements could affect how we actually feel? It turns out, our body works in more interesting ways than we previously knew, and the simple act of consciously choosing to smile can in itself make us feel happier.

I’m not one to tout happiness down anyone’s throat, though I genuinely do wish for everyone to live a fulfilling life. It’s what I want for myself too, but I admit it’s not always easy.

In life, matters aren’t always clear-cut, we may often not find the answers we’re looking for, and constant change is central to the nature of life. We go through hardships, through challenges, struggles, loss, and our sense of reality as well as self can, and often does, change. Continue reading →

How can we tell the difference between intuition speaking and fear speaking?  As I try to navigate major transitions in my life and make decisions, I find this question constantly at the back of my head. In a time when rationality and logic are seen as the ultimate criteria to judge anything and everything, how can we get back in touch with, and make sense of, our intuitive abilities in a way that serves us and our world?

You may have already come across this intriguing article on the three types of intuition by Emily Price.  She tells us about the three main types of intuition, and how to identify our strongest type. This is a helpful starting point in thinking about intuition and how to identify its presence.  

What if you don’t feel so in tune with your intuition? How do you identify the voice of your intuition? What is intuition?

According to Merriam-Webster, one definition of intuition is “the power or faculty of attaining direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and interference”.  Cool. So how do we really identify it? Continue reading →