vital signs
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Internet addiction
Some people are just as addicted to the Internet as compulsive gamblers are to roulette or poker, say researchers from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Their study of more than 400 World Wide Web surfers, reported in New Scientist, shows that the Net plays havoc with some people's lives: 46 per cent admitted they had sometimes had less than four hours' sleep because they were surfing on the Internet.
Danger in the bathroom tap
Rinsing contact lenses in cold water from the bathroom tap is dangerous, warn specialists from Moorfield's Eye Hospital, London. Their study of Acanthamoeba keratitis, a micro-organism that can cause severe eye damage, found two out of 19 cases of infection were linked to cold tank-fed tap water, according to a report in Disability Now. Previous alerts have already been issued to contact lens wearers using no cleaning solutions, or chlorine- based solutions that do not kill the microbe.
How to save a knocked-out tooth
Swift action can save a knocked out front tooth, yet even casualty doctors are unsure about what to do, says a report in the British Medical Journal. The tooth should if possible be immediately pushed back into its socket (the right way round) by someone at the scene of the accident, which will allow it to bind back into the jaw. If this is not possible, the tooth should be kept moist, preferably in milk, and a dentist found as quickly as possible. Since peridontal cells on the root die out quickly, any delay in treatment reduces the chance of a successful outcome.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments