The Latest on the Mango Recall, How Coffee Protects Your Eyes, and Why Seeing Jesus Is Totally Normal
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It's been a busy news week! Where should we start? You might want to reconsider any mango recipes you were planning on making this weekend. Plus, get the latest on a strange food-based phenomenon, proof that coffee really is the best drink ever, and more healthy living headlines from around the world.
As always, we want to hear from you! What'd we get right? What'd we miss? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @Shape_Magazine!
1. Organic mangoes recalled. Be careful if you've purchased any organic mangoes from California, Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, or Texas in the past few weeks: San Francisco-based Pacific Organic Produce has recalled a number of cases of mangoes it shipped to those five states because the fruit may be contaminated with listeria. So far, no illnesses have actually been reported; instead, the company says it issued a precaution because of samples of the produce came back from the FDA positive for the bacteria.
2. Seeing Jesus at breakfast is totally normal. The next time your uncle tells you he sees Jesus (or the Virgin Mary or Elvis) in his morning toast, you may actually want to believe him: New research suggests that "face pareidolia," or the phenomenon of seeing faces in everyday objects such as food, clouds, or shrouds, is real and based on the fact that your brain automatically interprets certain features as faces.
3. Long-distance relationships could be healthy. Well, they're as healthy as any other relationship, at any rate. A new study from Queen's University recently found that there's virtually no difference in happiness and satisfaction between long-distance couples and those who are "geographically close." In fact, researchers found that confessions made via web cam or online were considered to be more intimate than the same confessions made in person. Who knew?
4. Your a.m. cup of java can prevent eye damage. Chalk one more up to the benefits of coffee! In addition to lowering your risk of diabetes, a new study has found that at least one cup of joe per day might prevent eyesight deterioration and glaucoma due to the amount of chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant that prevents retinal degeneration in mice, in it.
5. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. At least when it comes to the medieval plague, that is. Let me explain: New research published in PLOS ONE on the Black Death shows that, paradoxically, populations in the mid-13th century that survived the plague were actually left healthier and more robust than people who existed before the plague struck. The plague was a catalyst that lead to a better standard of living and "natural selection in action," write the researchers. Stranger things have happened, I guess!
