Health

Helping our bodies beat the heat

Periods of extreme heat—even a single day when the thermometer hits 35°C—are associated with increased risk of injury, hospitalization and death. When the body gets too hot, the heart and kidneys don't function properly. ...

Alzheimer's disease & dementia

Many dementia cases could be prevented, but far from all: Study

Millions of cases of dementia could be prevented or delayed by reducing a range of risk factors such as smoking or air pollution, according to a major new study, though outside experts warn that such measures can only go ...

Atmospheric pressure

Atmospheric pressure is sometimes defined as the force per unit area exerted against a surface by the weight of air above that surface at any given point in the Earth's atmosphere. In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point. Low pressure areas have less atmospheric mass above their location, whereas high pressure areas have more atmospheric mass above their location. Similarly, as elevation increases there is less overlying atmospheric mass, so that pressure decreases with increasing elevation. A column of air one square inch in cross-section, measured from sea level to the top of the atmosphere, would weigh approximately 65.5 newtons (14.7 lbf). The weight of a 1 m2 (11 sq ft) column of air would be about 101 kN (10.3 tf).

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