Iwish that by plucking a single hair you would get more to grow back,” says Desmond Tobin, professor of dermatological science at University College Dublin. “It would be a great solution for people who are thinning and unhappy about it.”

Unfortunately, it’s a myth. Our scalp is covered in follicles – essentially tiny hair factories – and each one produces just a single hair shaft. Plucking a hair won’t cause multiple hairs to grow from the same follicle.

In fact, repeatedly pulling hairs out can have the opposite effect. Over time, the damage may mean the hair never grows back at all. Tobin points to the ultra-thin eyebrow trend of the 1990s and early 2000s, when many people overplucked and found their follicles simply stopped producing hair. “They weren’t getting two for every one,” he says. “They were actually getting none.”

Damage is the key issue. “You may fracture the hair as you pluck it, or pull it out by the root,” Tobin explains. “Sometimes when you see tiny blood droplets on the skin, you know you’ve removed the entire follicle and it will not recover.”

Is there anything you can do to discourage grey hairs from appearing? It is largely genetic, says Tobin. Looking at close relatives can give you a sense of what to expect. That said, chronic stress, poor sleep and nutritional deficiencies may accelerate aspects of biological ageing, including changes in the hair.

Still, grey hair isn’t necessarily a negative development. It often grows just as well as – and sometimes better than – pigmented hair. Men with salt-and-pepper beards, for example, frequently notice that white hairs grow longer between shaves. “There seems to be a preferential growth-rate advantage to white and grey hair,” says Tobin.

The Guardian

For decades, humans know about the five traditional senses famously described by Aristotle. However, a new research study has challenged the long-held notion, claiming that humans could have 22-33 senses.

According to the study, humans experience multisensory input even during the daily routines, thereby revealing a much more complex and interconnected sensory world.

As per researchers’ observations, senses do not work separately, in fact they blend into a unified perception of the world.

How senses interact

Senses are known to influence one other, like what humans see, feel, hear, and smell changes overall perception. For instance, through smell and texture, humans can imagine or perceive different characteristics of products.

Senses beyond traditional five

According to professor Charles Spence from the Crossmodal Laboratory in Oxford, other senses include proprioception, interoception, vestibular system, and agency & ownership.

Proprioception: It gives the awareness of body position

Interoception: Sensing internal bodily changes, such as hunger or heart rate.

Vestibular system: The sense of balance, managed by the ear canals. It can affect visual perception, such as how airplane cabins appear during takeoff.

Agency & Ownership: The feeling that your body parts belong to you and that you are the one moving them.

The study also states that flavor comes from taste, touch, and smell, not taste alone. Similarly, gustation detects basic tastes, including sweet, salty, umami, bitter and sour. Smell contributes the largest share of flavor perception, especially through odors traveling from mouth to nose during eating.

Sound, such as aircraft noise, can change taste perception, thereby making umami-rich foods like tomato juice taste better on planes.

 The News Digital

At the edges of the valley rocks and mountain folds in Tabuk, a natural phenomenon known locally as “alqultat” stands out—rock cavities formed by erosion that collect and trap water, creating natural reservoirs during rainy seasons.
Scattered across rocky areas, alqultat vary in size and depth based on the region’s geology, serving as vital water sources in dry and semi-arid environments.
These formations have ecological and historical significance. Throughout history, they’ve provided water for human seasonal movements, migrating birds, and local wildlife, especially during dry periods. Alqultat are a testament to how the rocky environment in Tabuk adapts to the climate, with the rock’s composition reducing evaporation and keeping water longer than open streams.
Today, alqultat remain an important natural resource, reflecting the region’s rich landscape and the need to preserve it for future generations.
— SPA