Museum of Laziness opens in Colombia

A new museum entirely dedicated to laziness has opened in Colombia’s capital, Bogota. But, you have to hurry if you want to see the exhibits and find out about being lazy because the exhibition lasts for only one week. The unusual show has displays that include a whole range of sofas, beds, hammocks, futons and anything that lets you take the weight off your feet. There are also plenty of televisions for visiting couch potatoes to watch while they lounge around in the museum. The museum’s opening so soon after the holiday season is no coincidence. The idea is for people to think about laziness, and perhaps change their behaviour and lifestyle throughout the rest of the year. It is a hands on, or we should say bottoms on, way of making us think about laziness in our high-speed, fast-paced societies.

The museum’s curator Marcela Arrieta said she wanted people to have a rethink about laziness and decide whether it really is a bad thing. She told the Associated Press news agency: "We always think about laziness as an enemy of work.” Ms Arrieta may not be leading a revolution for a shorter working week, but she could have a point in that we might just be designed to need more down time than our jobs allow us. Avoiding the pressures and stresses of work and chilling out more may even make us healthier and live longer. Arrieta explained that the exhibition aims to “make people think about the social issues implied in taking a nap, in being jobless or in feeling that maybe we are wasting time.” Try out her advice for yourself; take the weight off your feet, put your feet up, and think about being lazy.

19. 10,000 Germ Species In/On Our Body

Did you know your body is teeming with an incredible variety of bacterial wildlife? A new study from the Washington University School of Medicine in the USA reports there to be around 10,000 different species of germs living on or in our body. Researcher Dr George Weinstock said: "Our bodies are part of a microbial world." He claims there is hardly a space or area that is not home to some form of bacteria – mostly good ones. However, the report says we all accommodate low levels of harmful microbes that can cause disease or infections. Scientists say these bugs generally do no harm and live together with their friendlier counterparts who help protect our body and keep us in good health. Dr Weinstock said our bodies were smaller versions of another world: "You can think of our ecosystems like you do rainforests and oceans - very different environments with communities of organisms that possess incredible, rich diversity." He believes that studying the germs within us offer many clues to our health and why we get ill. "It's not possible to understand human health and disease without exploring the massive community of microorganisms we carry around with us," he said. He added: "Knowing which microbes live in various ecological niches in healthy people allows us to better investigate what goes awry in diseases." Weinstock concludes that: "The future of microbiome research is very exciting."

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14