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A recent study by France’s National Institute of Demographic Studies indicates that children of divorced parents achieve less academically than children whose parents stay together, reports the French daily Le Monde. Children whose parents separate before the children reach adulthood leave school on average six months to a year earlier than those whose parents remain married, regardless of their social and cultural background. Even in well-to-do families, where the vast majority of children pass their final high school exams, those from broken homes are twice as likely not to obtain a high school diploma. In France, 40 percent of marriages end in divorce.

A doctoral student at the University of Maryland has discovered what had previously eluded the experts—pressure receptors on the snouts of alligators, which enable them to detect the movement of prey in the water. Lining the jaws of alligators and other reptiles of the crocodilian family are tiny bumps that look like pinprick-sized dots. Biologist Daphne Soares discovered that they are actually tiny pressure-detecting mounds that allow these reptiles to detect small disturbances on the water surface around them. “Crocodilians hunt at night, half-submerged in water, waiting for prey to disrupt the water surface. Their jaw rests right at the interface of air and water,” explains Soares. “When they’re hungry, they quickly attack anything that disturbs that interface.” The dome pressure receptors, as she has named them, are so sensitive that they can detect the impact of a single drop of water.

A nationwide survey in Australia found that some office workers believe that dressing casually for work leads to laziness, reports The Sunday Telegraph. Nearly 42 percent of those working at Australia’s information technology companies now dress casually all the time, and 40 percent of Australian companies have “casual Fridays,” when employees may dress casually for the day if they wish. Although the casual-dress approach to work is gaining popularity with workers, 17 percent of the bosses surveyed thought that casual dress affected the performance of employees. This figure closely matches the opinion of workers themselves, with 21 percent of the women and 18 percent of the men stating that casual dress has a negative impact on production.

“Many of the world’s resorts are struggling to cope with relentless waves of tourists, whose demands for ever more swimming pools and golf courses are sucking them dry,” reports The Guardian of London. “The issue is massive and global,” says Tricia Barnett of Tourism Concern. “Sometimes you’ll see a village [in Africa] with a single tap, when each hotel has taps and showers in every room.” A global conservation organization calculates that a tourist in Spain uses 230 gallons [880 l] of water a day, while a local resident uses only 70 gallons [250 l]. An 18-hole golf course in a dry country can take as much water as a town of 10,000 people. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that the water that 100 tourists use in 55 days would grow enough rice to feed 100 villagers for 15 years.

In a poll of 10,000 people in ten countries, Britain was found to be “among the most godless . . . , with the lowest levels of religious belief and activities,” claims The Times of London. While 46 percent of Britons said that they had always believed in God, only two countries, Russia and the Republic of South Korea, claimed fewer believers. More than 90 percent of people in Nigeria, Indonesia, and Lebanon believed that their god was the one true God, but only 3 out of 10 in Britain felt the same way. In most countries more than 80 percent said that belief in God makes one a better person, but only 56 percent of Britons agreed. Whereas 85 percent in the United States, 99 percent in Indonesia, and 83 percent in Mexico believed God created the universe, only 52 percent in Britain did. Asked whether the world would be more peaceful without religion, 6 percent in the United States, 9 percent in India, and 11 percent in Israel said yes, but in Britain the figure was 29 percent!

“Physical activity helps control weight, protects against health conditions like diabetes and osteoporosis, improves mood, and contributes to a better night’s sleep,” points out Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter. But besides all that, “your level of fitness is a powerful determinant of how long you will live.” In a 13-year study of more than 6,000 middle-aged men, researchers at Stanford University and the U.S. Veterans Affairs Health Care System found that the amount of exercise a person could engage in without reaching exhaustion was a strong predictor of survival. Though other research indicates that genetics play a role in exercise capacity, even daily “low-intensity” exercise—such as brisk walking—is helpful in staying fit.

“Men prone to angry tantrums or sulky hostility are more likely to develop an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation,” reports the Daily News of New York. Researchers found that men who say they are hotheaded or quick-tempered or who lash out at others when frustrated or become furious when criticized are 30 percent more likely to develop an irregular heart rhythm. The director of the study, Elaine Eaker, says: “There has been a perception that you can dissipate the negative health effects of anger by letting it out instead of bottling it up. . . . But that is definitely not the case in the men in this study—they were at higher risk not only of atrial fibrillation, but of death from all causes.”

Illegal dumping on municipal land is a headache in Japan. Daytime security patrols are unable to prevent it. People simply bring their junk at night. Now, by erecting torii, red wooden gates designed to look like entrances to Shinto shrines, local governments are using superstition as a deterrent. “The concept is pretty simple,” explains the newspaper IHT Asahi Shimbun. “People generally regard torii as sacred, so dumping litter near one would bring bad luck.” Sure enough, people no longer leave waste close to them. “A bit further away,” says the newspaper, “it’s a different story.”

“Rudeness in the workplace can cost an organization time, effort and talent,” says The Wall Street Journal. A survey of nearly 3,000 people found that more than 90 percent “experienced incivility at work.” Half of these said they “lost work time worrying about the incident,” “25 per cent cut back their efforts on the job,” and 1 in 8 quit. According to Christine Porath, a management professor at the University of Southern California, “holding back on work efforts, absenteeism, and even stealing can all be signs of an organization that is struggling with rudeness,” says the Journal.

“Loud phone conversations, [use of] speakerphones and constant complaints about workload top the list of our co-workers’ most annoying work habits,” reports the Washington Post. Among other habits that anger fellow workers are “cliques among co-workers, arriving late to work, talking to oneself, talking to co-workers over cubicle walls, bad hygiene and loud eating.” Such bad habits also damage worker productivity. Most of those who responded to researchers’ questions admitted, however, that they had never confronted those who irritate them. “And for good reason,” says the newspaper. “They can be just as guilty themselves.”

Researchers studying boredom call it “one of the major diseases of our era,” reports The Vancouver Sun. One survey found that “almost three out of four North Americans say they crave more novelty in their lives.” Among the newspaper’s suggestions to combat boredom are: “Make changes to break out of your rut,” “learn something new,” do “meaningful volunteer work,” “engage in motor activities, like . . . taking a walk,” and “practice gratitude.”

In the United States, “teenagers who reported that at least half of their friends were sexually active were 31 times likelier to get drunk, 5 1/2 times likelier to smoke and 22 1/2 times likelier to have tried marijuana,” reports The New York Times. The survey, conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, involved 500 parents and 1,000 youths between 12 and 17 years of age. Joseph A. Califano, Jr., the chairman and president of the center, said: “There is a clear message for parents of 12- to 17-year olds: make sure you are aware of the dating practices of your child and get to know your child’s friends.” He added: “Parents who open up dinner conversation to topics such as dating and substance use are likelier to help their kids grow up drug free.”

In a study of 527 teens, those who ate dinner with their families at least five times a week were “less likely to do drugs or be depressed, more motivated at school and had better peer relationships,” says Canada’s Toronto Star newspaper. “Teens labelled as ‘not well-adjusted’ ate with their families three or fewer days a week.” Psychologist Bruce Brian asserts that the family dinner hour is “a trait of a healthy family.” Dining together fosters family bonds, communication skills, and a sense of belonging, notes the report, and provides an opportunity to learn table manners and to share in conversation, humor, and prayer. One grown daughter of a family who regularly ate together says that if they had not always done so, “I don’t think I’d be as close to them as I am now.” a little thought for the group! by the way, i like the spirit of this group! thanks for the invite dhey

Commuters who drive the same route each day often do so without using the part of their brain where conscious thinking takes place, says traffic scientist Michael Schreckenberg of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. On familiar routes, instead of concentrating on traffic, drivers become occupied with other things. As a result, it takes longer to recognize dangers. Schreckenberg encourages commuter drivers to keep reminding themselves to stay alert and not let themselves be distracted from the road.