WEIRD STUFF

Long hugs suggests romantic interest

Hugging somebody for seven seconds indicates a romantic interest.

A new study in Germany got 60 people - some of whom were friends while others were lovers - to repeatedly embrace one another.

Advanced AI software examined the duration of the hugs and the positioning of body parts such as knees and feet during each embrace.

The researchers revealed: "For hugging duration, a significant main effect of relationship status emerged, indicating that platonic friends hugged for a shorter average duration (2.88 seconds) than romantic couples (7.02 seconds)."

Sebastian Ocklenburg, lead author of the study at the MSH Medical School Hamburg, told Psychology Today: "The next time you want to know if someone likes you as a friend or maybe a little bit more, pay attention to how long they hug you when saying goodbye.

"Less than three seconds? You are clearly in the friend zone. Seven seconds or more? They may have more feelings for you than you may have thought."

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Side-sleeping fights Alzheimer's, says expert

A sleep expert claims that resting to the side is a better way of flushing out toxins from the brain that can cause memory decline and Alzheimer's disease - regardless of whether a person is facing left or right.

Lev Fomchenkov, the CEO of online supplement reseller Cosmic Nootropic, said: "Most people think about sleep in terms of duration, i.e, getting those recommended eight hours.

"However, position may also play an important role in brain health."

The expert explained that side-sleeping allows the glymphatic system - the brain's waste clearance pathway that is at its most active when a person is asleep - to operate more efficiently and flush out toxic proteins.

Fomchenkov said: "When you sleep on your side, gravity actually helps the cerebrospinal fluid circulate more effectively through your brain tissue.

"This improved flow means better clearance of those harmful proteins that can accumulate and contribute to cognitive decline.

"This includes proteins like beta-amyloid and tau, which are linked to Alzheimer's disease when they build up over time."

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Senator makes alien food claim

A US Senator has claimed that eating radioactive shrimp could turn people into aliens.

Shrimp sold at stores such as Walmart were recalled recently due to possible contamination with the radioactive isotope Cesium-137 and Republican Louisiana Senator John Kennedy has made the extraordinary suggestion that those who have consumed the affected seafood are at risk of transforming into the extraterrestrial featured in Ridley Scott's 1979 film.

Standing in front of an image of the alien that famously bursts from Kane's (John Hurt) chest in the movie, Kennedy said: "This is what you could end up looking like if you eat some of the raw frozen shrimp being sent to the United States by other countries. How could you end up looking like the alien in Alien? Because the shrimp was radioactive."

The senator added: "It'll kill you, even if it doesn't turn you into the alien - if you eat this stuff, I guarantee you'll grow an extra ear."