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An NYU study using Fitbit data suggests that modest weekly physical activity may reduce atrial fibrillation risk by up to 65%, underscoring the heart health benefits of regular exercise. A new study reveals that adding an extra hour of physical activity each week can reduce the risk of developing the most common type of irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) by 11%. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the investigation focused on atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart’s upper two chambers beat rapidly and irregularly instead of at a consistent pace. If left untreated, this can lead to stroke, heart...

(NEXSTAR) — It may be hard to believe, but November is fast approaching. With it will come Election Day, Thanksgiving, and, for some 7 million Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries, an extra check. It’s all thanks to a quirk in the 2024 calendar. SSI recipients typically receive one payment a month from the Social Security Administration, which oversees the program. These checks are usually dispersed on the first day of the month, but when that day falls on a weekend or a holiday, the payments are sent out on the previous weekday. It’s only been a couple of months since such...

(NEXSTAR) – Residents of 32 states who rely on federal assistance to buy food are about to see their benefits shrink at the end of the month. An emergency increase to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called the Food Stamp Program) was approved at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For most recipients, that increase amounted to an extra $95 monthly over the past three years. Starting March 1, those emergency COVID-era benefits will end across all states. Seventeen states already saw those benefits expire as of January 2023. One state, South Carolina, ended the emergency allotment at the...

A return to normal after the end of restrictions appears unlikely after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that some “extra precautions” will be needed. Giving the clearest indication yet that he hoped for Stage 4 of unlocking from pandemic measures to be completed by July 19th, the prime minister said on Thursday that he would set out the terms of returning freedoms to Britons in the next few days. During a visit to a Nissan plant in Sunderland, after the Japanese car manufacturer announced it would be building its next-generation of electric vehicles and batteries in the English city, Mr...

In new study, UChicago astronomers find no evidence for extra spatial dimensions to the universe based on gravitational wave data. Credit: Courtesy of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center CI Lab While last year's discovery of gravitational waves from colliding neutron stars was earth-shaking, it won't add extra dimensions to our understanding of the universe—not literal ones, at least. University of Chicago astronomers found no evidence for extra spatial dimensions to the universe based on the gravitational wave data. Their research, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, is one of many papers in the wake of the extraordinary...

Israeli Military Industries Systems, or IMI Systems, in cooperation with Israel Aerospace Industries, abbreviated IAI, is close to finishing development of a new air-launched, precision-guided, high-speed weapon called Rampage that can hit targets more than 90 miles away. The announcement comes as Israel steps up its cross-border campaign against Iran and its interests in neighboring Syria, which has seen an increasing emphasis on stand-off capabilities given the complex air defense environment in that country, but the weapon could also be especially attractive to a number of foreign military forces. The two Israeli state-run companies officially unveiled the new weapon in...

IMI Systems is currently exhibiting at the Maritime Defense Exhibition & Conference in Singapore the Stingray—a rocket launcher for the naval arena that will be able to operate from battleships and drilling rigs, and is intended for offensive activities of the naval force alongside multi-arm operations. The launcher was sold to two foreign customers but has yet to be purchased by the IDF. The rocket launcher will allow hitting coastal targets as well as land-based targets at distances of dozens of kilometers without exposing the forces on land to the enemy and without bringing the ship into the range of...

Something doesn't look quite right A Redditor with a good eye caught this still from NBC's Sunday night pregame show Football Night in America, where if you look closely, the Golden Gate Bridge has an extra tower. Also in this redesign of the bridge, the suspension cables just drift into space from the three towers (No need for those! They're just decoration!). We're not sure who is photo shopping like mad over at NBC, but one would hope that the person in charge would know the Golden Gate only has two towers. And if they didn't know, maybe they could...

Last Thursday, the Brady Campaign released its annual "scorecards," ranking each state on how draconian its gun laws are (with, naturally, the more tyrannical those laws are, the better). Their press release, starting with the very first word, praises California's ultra-restrictive gun laws: California continues to blaze legislative trails in adopting lifesaving gun laws, rising to a high of 81 points (out of a possible 100) on the 2011 Brady State Scorecard rankings, while too many states remain in the Zero-Sum Club with the weakest gun laws, the Brady Campaign announced today. In comments at John Richardson's No Lawyers -...

The National Hurricane Center warned that wind hitting upper floors will be stronger than those in most storms during Irene. New York (CNN) -- The National Hurricane Center on Saturday warned residents of tall structures in the path of Hurricane Irene that the wind hitting upper floors will be stronger than those in most storms. "As Irene moves through areas with high-rise structures, these structures will experience winds significantly stronger than indicated by the advisory intensity," forecasters said. "Winds at the 30-story level will likely be 20% higher than at the surface. And winds 80-100 stories up could be about...

MEXICO CITY — US giant General Motors will invest $540 million to produce two low-emission motors in central Mexico, the company announced here Thursday, accompanied by President Felipe Calderon. The latest project for GM in Mexico would create 500 direct and another 500 indirect jobs in its plant in Toluca, Calderon said. GM has four plants in Mexico, and has invested some $5 billion here since 2006, Calderon said.

Waves of Canadian women are getting extra ultrasounds during pregnancy, often three or more -- a rate that appears to be climbing for no apparent medical reasons. A new study based on nearly 1.4 million deliveries in Ontario shows more than a third of women -- 37% -- now receive three or more ultrasounds in their second and third trimesters.

Official guidance on how much we can eat each day has been underestimated for the last two decades, scientists have revealed. The daily intake of calories - currently 2,000 for woman and 2,500 for men - could be increased by up to 16 per cent, the equivalent of cheeseburger or two packets of crisps. An average adult could happily squeeze in an extra 400 calories a day and not pile on the pounds, Britain's leading nutritionists have admitted. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1227743/Its-official--eat-stay-healthy.html#ixzz0WuC35zPn

KANDAHAR MILITARY BASE, Afghanistan (AFP) – Extra troops called for by the head of foreign forces in Afghanistan would be sent mainly to the north and west of the country, the US military said on Saturday. "It is where we have the fewest troops," a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity. US General Stanley McChrystal, who commands 100,000 US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, has reportedly asked for up to 40,000 extra troops and warned that without reinforcements in the next 12 months, the mission could end in failure. North and west Afghanistan were calm until the start...

Source: University of California - Santa Cruz Date: September 14, 2007 Extra Gene Copies Were Enough To Make Early Humans' Mouths Water Science Daily — To think that world domination could have begun in the cheeks. That's one interpretation of a discovery, published online September 9 in Nature Genetics, which indicates that humans carry extra copies of the salivary amylase gene. A member of the Hadza tribe of Tanzania roasts basketball-sized tubers, the type of starchy food thought to have been a crucial addition to the diet of early humans. (Credit: Photo by N. Dominy) Humans have many more copies...

Nato plea for extra troops to fight Taliban will be ignored By Patrick Bishop, in Kabul (Filed: 13/09/2006) The chances of complete success in Nato's campaign against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan were jeopardised yesterday after it appeared that some key European allies will turn a deaf ear to an appeal for more troops. At the alliance HQ today, the 26 member nations will respond to a plea by Gen James Jones, Nato's top commander, for 2,000 extra men. But a senior Nato official admitted: "At the moment there's no indication of any substantive offers. The signs are that the...

DAMASCUS, Syria - Hamas' leaders in Syria insist they have nothing to do with the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier and hold no influence over his captors. Still, they have been changing homes and stopped using cell phones because of Israeli threats to target them. Israel has accused the Islamic militant group's top leader, Khaled Mashaal, of being the brains behind the June 25 kidnapping and indicated he was a possible target for assassination. "We take the Israeli threats seriously, and we know the occupation will not pass up the opportunity to get the movement's leadership," Osama Hamdan, Hamas' representative...

A state audit found University of California administrators skirted their own pay rules, giving senior managers millions more in bonuses, relocation packages and other perks than their publicly reported salaries. The report, released Tuesday, is the latest in a series of probes highlighting irregularities in how the 10-campus system rewards its leaders. The revelations, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, have been an embarrassment for the prestigious system, particularly since they cover a period when UC officials raised student fees substantially in response to state funding cuts. The audit drew sharp responses from legislators, with state Sen. Jackie Speier,...

A growing number of schools and community colleges in California are refinancing voter-approved bonds to raise extra cash, a practice many financial experts say puts an additional burden on taxpayers and may violate state law. The process, known as cash-out refunding, is similar to refinancing a home mortgage to lower monthly payments and take out equity in cash. It's popular because the school districts get extra money - frequently millions of dollars - without going back to the voters. Most use the money to cover construction cost overruns, but critics say California law limits the use of refunded bonds for...

Australia to let in extra 20,000 immigrants By Nick Squires in Sydney (Filed: 15/04/2005) Australia will accept an extra 20,000 skilled immigrants next year, it announced yesterday, which is good news for Britons planning to make a new life there. Changes to the highly popular working holiday visa scheme will also make it easier for backpackers to double their stay to two years. The moves are part of a campaign to tackle a chronic shortage of skilled workers such as plumbers, lorry drivers, doctors and hairdressers. Mechanics, boilermakers, pharmacists, accountants and pastry chefs are also needed. John Howard, the prime...