Royal Malady: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

Including troubling news for consumers of pot and sparkling water
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 6, 2016 5:10 AM CST
Royal Malady: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week
At left is a portrait of Henry VIII.   (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

A John Doe IDed after more than 15 years and China's astounding moon photos make the list:

  • What Daily Pot Use Does to Your Memory: Smoking pot daily for years might take a toll on your memory. Swiss researchers found that those who smoked for five years couldn't recall as many words in a memory test. The longer the habit, the worse the score, and the culprit may be THC affecting a particular part of the brain.
  • Behind Henry VIII's Bad Behavior: Brain Injury?: Henry VIII may be best known for having had six wives, killing two of them, and establishing the Church of England in the process. Now a behavioral neurologist at Yale is posing an explanation for the English monarch's famously erratic behavior: traumatic brain injury. The king can blame his horse.
  • After 16 Years, Hospital IDs Mystery Patient: Since 1999, a man known only as "Garage 66" lay in a California hospital bed, unable to speak after suffering brain damage after an automobile accident. Now authorities say they've finally discovered the name of the man, and some renewed publicity helped lead to the answer.

  • Deodorant Changes More Than Your Smell: Applying deodorant or antiperspirant alters your body’s smell, but it may also alter something else: your body's bacteria. A study finds the organisms that live in and on your skin are drastically changed by what you put under your arms—with a big difference seen between deodorant and antiperspirant.
  • Dentists Have Some Bad News About Fizzy Water: Sparkling water sales have doubled in the past five years, so a journalist took to Twitter to find out from dentists whether fizzy water is bad for your teeth. The answer isn't great for fizzy-water lovers. Sparkling water contains carbonic acid, which makes the water sparkle—but it can also wear down tooth enamel. How bad it really is depends on a bunch of other factors.
Click to read about more discoveries, including why men may be less likely to catch a yawn. (More discoveries stories.)

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