Video games for dogs, pilates for sexual wellness, Crocs fit for a king, and more fun news from the week

The first Friday in December. The first Friday where it's all sleigh bells and Mariah Carey and big green trees and stuff. Nice, cosy vibes. For more good vibes, check out this lovely news from the week you've just gotten through!

Hero image in post
photo: DENIS CHARLET / Staff / Getty
Hero image in post
photo: DENIS CHARLET / Staff / Getty

The first Friday in December. The first Friday where it's all sleigh bells and Mariah Carey and big green trees and stuff. Nice, cosy vibes. For more good vibes, check out this lovely news from the week you've just gotten through!

By Rhys Thomas02 Dec 2022
5 mins read time
5 mins read time

Wellness

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) has decided to ban headers across football matches, following new evidence they have obtained with the help of Dr Katy Stewart of Hampden Sport Clinic. The guidance includes limiting header training exercises to once a week and not the day before a match, among many other protocols.

A study published in the National Library of Medicine has found that pilates could improve sexual functions, and also help with treatment around sexual pain for women. The study had women between 20 and 50 years old to do a 12-week pilates programme, and saw a reduction in issues that were being experienced.

Christmas movies are good for us. Whether you’re home alone, single actually, not falling for Christmas just yet or an Elf. It doesn’t matter, science says festive films make us smile.

And if you’re more in da club than rocking around the Christmas tree, that’s fine too. Clubbing has been shown to improve mental health, at least it has been in a survey conducted at Motion, the iconic Bristol club.

Culture

Bambi is going to be adapted into a horror film. Yeah, bet that wasn’t on your bingo card. Scott Jeffrey will be taking Bambi (which has now entered the public domain) and turning the little lovely deer into a “vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness”. There’s already a Whinne The Pooh horror film, and the producer of that, Rhys Frake-Waterfield, will be producing Bambi: The Reckoning, for Jeffrey also.

It’s that time of year again! Colour creators Pantone has revealed its colour of the year. Any guesses? Go on… the answer is. Drum roll. Viva Magenta a striking vivid reddish pink.

Super Mario Bros. THE MOVIE has a trailer and it is here and it is fun and you can watch it. Chris Pratt voices pur joint-favourite cartoon Italian plumber (Mario, the other fave is Luigi ofc).

Camper’s FW22 collection has dropped and it is beautiful. It takes inspiration from their first collection almost 150 years ago, and is loaded with stunning visuals, colour theory and more. Good inspo.

Science

Scientists have developed a ‘Wormhole simulation’ which might let us study quantum gravity. It’s a breakthrough that will allow theory of relativity and the mysterious world of quantum physics to be spoken about together a little more easily.

Turns out keeping away from blue light before bed is genuinely good for improving sleep, as is a consistent going to bed time. It could help you get as much as five extra hours a week, that’s more that half a night’s worth. Mum truly does know best, it seems.

There’s been a huge breakthrough in treating Alzheimer’s. A new drug has been shown to remove clumps of a protein called beta amyloid which builds up in the brain for Alzheimer’s patients. Removing the proteins has been shown to slow down cognitive decline in patients.

People

David Hockney met King Charles recently, and his outfit is a work of art. Not literally, even though he definitely could. What we mean is, the man behind the ‘splash’ painting, turned up in a suit and BRIGHT YELLOW CROCS. The images are just lovely. David Crocney, we stan.

Frank Bruno is a former world boxing heavyweight champion, and he has now made a huge swing in the mental health world, by opening a 'mental health hub' in Oxford, through the Frank Bruno Foundation. It will include talking referrals, a non-contact boxing course, and more. Bruno himself has bipolar disorder.

ASAP Rocky has launched a home decor line called Homme Made. Apparently it’s been in the works since 2018, and seems to feature a lot of cool looking furniture inspired by fungi and other natural features.

Justin Bieber and Micah Cravalho have decided to try and make drinking water more sustainable by installing alkaline water fountains across the world. There’s 150 of them being showcased at the World Cup in Qatar. The sustainability is in part due to water fountains requiring less plastic than single use bottles.

Animal

The biggest animal on planet earth is the African Elephant, they are much bigger than capybaras and chihuahuas. But there used to be bigger animals, like dinosaurs. They were massive. The titanosaur were the biggest, and you can go see one at the Natural History Museum from March 31 2023. They’re longer than a blue whale, and plant-based!

Ever tried to ID a seal? Not for elf bars, but like to know which one is which? It isn’t easy. They usually chill on rocks in their thousands, and they all look kinda similar, and they move about a lot. Seals are hard to photograph and keep track of, science agrees. However, it seems Face ID is having a lot more success than we first thought. And we need to keep track of them to monitor health and habits, so yeah. Face ID for seals might soon be a thing.

Bats have really large vocal ranges, almost the same as a piano. Sounds cool, for sure. But there’s more! Among their social calls, is one that involves using their ‘ventricular folds’, which is what humans do when they growl like in death metal songs, or Tuvan throat singing. Little goth bats. We love you.

A company called Joipaw (like joy, paw. Paws that are joyful) is developing a video console and games for dogs that might actually be beneficial for the dog’s brain. The console is a saliva-resistant touch-screen which the dog pokes with its snout. Games include whack-a-mole, and treats are dispensed from the console if the dog wins.