You might want to think twice before going to the movies on date night. A new study reveals why.

The UK-based Betway Casino conducted a scientific experiment to determine how much bacteria can be found at movie theaters. Betway swabbed (擦拭) five seats and five cup-holders in five theaters across the United Kingdom and sent these off for testing at a microbiology laboratory. Betway also swabbed and tested three toilet seats for comparison. The average number of bacteria colonies for movie theater seats, cup holders, and toilet seats was then calculated.

The research indicates a shocking presence of 1,864 bacteria colonies on an average movie theater seat, dwarfing (使渺小) the 135 colonies typically found on toilet seats by 14 times. This suggests that the nearly 7.3 billion tickets expected to be sold in movie theaters worldwide in 2024 could contribute to an environment ripe for bacteria growth. Meanwhile, the variation in cleanliness among different theaters and seat materials was noted, with the dirtiest seat harboring up to 3,000 colonies and the cleanest at just 80. Perhaps more shocking is the discovery that cinema cup holders contain an average of 2,396 bacteria colonies. This figure represents 18 times more bacteria than found on a standard toilet seat.

Betway offers practical advice to ensure movie enthusiasts can continue enjoying their outings without taking home unwanted microbial (微生物的) gifts kept as reminders of the outings. Recommendations include washing hands immediately after returning home, and changing clothes to avoid spreading bacteria to furniture. While the cinematic world offers a gateway to unique storytelling and entertainment, it also exposes moviegoers to a hidden microbial universe. By adopting simple practices, moviegoers can minimize their risk and focus on the magic of the movies, free from concern over the bacteria sharing their seats.

The Amazon rainforest, is as undisturbed a place as most people can imagine, but even there, the effects of a changing climate are playing out. Now, research suggests that many of the region's most sensitive bird species are starting to evolve in response to warming.

Birds are often considered sentinel (哨兵) species——meaning that they indicate the overall health of an ecosystem—so scientists are particularly interested in how they' re responding to climate change. In general, the news has not been good. For instance, a 2019 report by the National Audubon Society found that more than two-thirds of North America's bird species will be in danger of extinction by 2100 if warming trends continue on their current course.

For the new study, researchers collected the biggest dataset so far on the Amazon's resident birds, representing 77 non-migratory species and lasting the 40 years from 1979 to 2019. During the study period, the average temperature in the region rose, while the amount of rainfall declined, making for a hotter, dryer climate overall. According to the report on November 12 in the journal Science Advances, 36 species have lost substantial weight, as much as 2 percent of their body weight per decade since 1980. Meanwhile, all the species showed some decrease in average body mass, while a third grew longer wings.

Because of the study's long time series and large sample sizes, the authors were able to show the morphological (形态学的) effects of climate change on resident birds. However, the researchers themselves are unsure and wonder what advantage the wing length changes give the birds, but suppose smaller birds may have an easier time keeping cool. In general, smaller animals have a larger rate of surface area to body size, so they dissipate more heat faster than a bigger animal. Less available food, such as fruit or insects, in dryer weather might lead to smaller body size.

"One of the reasons I find this topic very interesting is because my mom was a smoker when I was younger." says Lindson-Hawley, who studies tobacco and health at the University of Oxford.

By studying about 700 adult smokers, she found out that her mom quit the right way—by stopping abruptly and completely.

In her study, participants were randomly assigned to two groups. One had to quit abruptly on a given day, going from about a pack a day to zero. The other cut down gradually over the course of two weeks. People in both groups used nicotine(尼古丁) patches before they quit, in addition to a second form of nicotine replacement, like gum or spray. They also had talk therapy with a nurse before and after quit day.

Six months out, more people who had quit abruptly had stuck with it—more than one-fifth of them, compared to about one-seventh in the other group. Although these numbers appear low, it is much higher than if people try without support.

And the quit rates were particularly convincing given that before the study started, most of the people had said they'd rather cut down gradually before quitting. "If you're training for a marathon. you wouldn't expect to turn up and just be able to run it. And I think people see that for smoking as well. They think, "Well, if I gradually reduce, it's like practice." "says Lindson-Hawley. But that wasn't the case. Instead of giving people practice, the gradual reduction likely gave them cravings(瘾) and withdrawal symptoms before they even reached quit day, which could be why fewer people in that group actually made it to that point. "Regardless of your stated preference, if you're ready to quit. quitting abruptly is more effective." says Dr. Gabriela Ferreira."When you can quote a specific number like a fifth of the patients were able to quit, that's convincing. It gives them the encouragement, I think, to really go for it."Ferreira says.

People rarely manage to quit the first time they try. But at least, she says, they can maximize the odds of success.