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You’ve probably heard at some point in your life – either from a well-meaning trivia fan or a malevolent self-esteem hunter – that our ears and noses are the only two body parts that never stop growing.To be fair‚ it kind of seems like it’s true‚ right? If you imagine an old person –perhaps the old guy from Up – they definitely have noticeable facial appendages. But is that just confirmation bias? Are we all doomed to eventually be absorbed by our noses and ears? Well‚ the truth depends on what you define as “growing.”Our ears DO get bigger as we ageLet’s face it: you’ve probably looked at an elderly person or two before and thought “Well‚ it certainly looks like your ears and nose carry on growing forever.” And before any oldies come at us for that‚ it’s actually borne out by the data‚ too: one 1995 study – admirably titled “Why do old men have big ears?” – found that past the age of 30‚ our ears get bigger by approximately 0.22 millimeters (0.009 inches) per year.Another study‚ this one from 1997 (evidently the ‘90s were something of a slow decade in science) found the same: that you can estimate a person’s age fairly accurately by measuring their ear circumference. The figures were very similar‚ too‚ with the later analysis putting the average annual ear growth at 1.96 mm (0.077 inches).Summing up the whole shebang‚ a 1999 study out of Italy that used electromagnetic digitizers to map facial characteristics in a few hundred people of various ages confirmed what we all suspected: the bigger the ears‚ the older the bearer. Oh – and despite what they had assumed back in ’95‚ that’s true for the ladies‚ too. Sorry‚ grammy.So do our nosesFinding similar data on nose length throughout life is a little more difficult – but by no means impossible. Again‚ the figures do seem to confirm the common idea that our mid-facial appendage continues to get larger throughout life: one 2002 study‚ which used data from 2‚500 individuals from central Europe aged between zero and 97‚ even managed to compile growth charts showing exactly where you fall on the nasal distribution for your age.It's not just nasal length and height that’s increasing‚ either (and yes‚ those are different measurements for a nose). A 2011 study from researchers at the University of Milan found that the total surface area of our noses increases throughout our lives‚ too – by the time we’re 65-80 years old‚ they concluded‚ there’s about 15 percent more nose on our face than when we’re 18-30.However…So‚ you may think‚ it seems pretty cut-and-dry: our noses and ears do get bigger with age; we have the data to show it. But all is not exactly as it seems.What do we mean? Well‚ the key is in the sneaky phrasing: our ears and noses do get bigger as we age… but the question is whether they continue growing. And to that‚ the answer is (probably) no.You see‚ by the age of about 20‚ we’re about as big as we’re going to get‚ skeletally speaking. Our bones don’t tend to grow past this point – not even those in our ears and noses (shout out to our pelvises and skulls which actually do continue to grow a little bit‚ but by such a small amount that it’s barely worth mentioning.)Our muscles‚ skin‚ and cartilage are a different story‚ however. They continue to change throughout our lives – getting worn down by time‚ stretched by weight gain or loss‚ thinned out by pregnancy hormones‚ or even just impacted by all the random injuries we accrue over the years.“So‚ while many complain their noses have gotten larger with age‚ this is not the case‚” explained Ali Sajjadian‚ a triple board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in rhinoplasty – that is‚ nose jobs – in a 2022 blog post.“The skin and structures of the nose lose strength with age‚ resulting in a nose that stretches out and sags downward‚” he wrote. “The glands within the nose skin‚ especially at the tip‚ may enlarge‚ causing a wider‚ heavier nose appearance. While there is debate if the cartilage itself grows‚ it can look that way.”The same is true of our ears. As the cartilage that makes up much of the structure of the external organ breaks down‚ it can no longer provide the support to our skin that it used to. It may look like our ears are continuing to grow‚ but what’s actually happening is more of a change in shape than size.Compound that with other age-related changes to the facial structure – a looser jawline‚ for example‚ or thinner lips – and it all adds up to a definite impression of ever-growing facial features.Can I stop my ears and nose getting bigger?So‚ perhaps the knowledge that this ear and nose technically-not-growth happens to us all isn’t all that comforting to you. Perhaps you want to avoid ending up looking like Dumbo when you’re 94. Is there anything you can do to stop the slow march of time?Unfortunately‚ outside of undergoing cosmetic surgery‚ the answer currently is “no‚ not really.” As depressing as you may find your drooping nose and ears‚ there’s no escaping the fundamental forces of nature.Oh – we don’t mean that figuratively‚ by the way. See‚ one of the biggest culprits in this otorhinological tragedy? Gravity. “Gravity will have the same effect on the nose as it does on facial skin around the eyes‚ cheeks‚ and jowls‚” wrote Sajjadian. So "the illusion of a more prominent nose results from drooping over time.”The same force does no favors for our ears‚ either – especially if we’re given to wearing heavy earrings. So stash the hoops for now – and if all else fails‚ take heart in this: if you’ve big ears‚ people are more likely to think you look smart and friendly. And if you have a big nose… well‚ there’s good news there‚ too.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current.  

Nikola Tesla‚ famed for his work on alternating current‚ was one hell of an inventor‚ mechanical engineer and physicist. His inventions have been found to work better than expected even 100 years after he noted them down. However‚ nobody can be right 100 percent of the time‚ and Nikola Tesla had his fair share of being wrong – often massively so.For instance‚ despite his work pioneering alternating current‚ Tesla didn't believe in electrons. Instead‚ he thought atoms were the smallest building blocks of the universe‚ arguing that if they existed they would only do so in a perfect vacuum. He believed in the 19th-century view that the "ether" or "aether" transmitted electrical currents.There's also the time he believed he had recorded a cosmic ray traveling at 50 times the speed of light – but today we're here to talk about the time he thought he'd picked up radio signals sent by intelligent aliens.In 1899‚ Tesla picked up a strange signal on his equipment."Even now‚ at times‚ I can vividly recall the incident‚ and see my apparatus as though it were actually before me‚" Tesla wrote of the incident. "My first observations positively terrified me‚ as there was present in them something mysterious‚ not to say supernatural‚ and I was alone in my laboratory at night." In short‚ he heard beeps. Specifically: Beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep."The changes I noted were taking place periodically‚ and with such a clear suggestion of number and order that they were not traceable to any cause then known to me‚" he continued‚ writing that he knew of possible sources of electrical disturbances such as those caused by the Sun‚ but dismissed these as the potential cause."It was sometime afterward when the thought flashed upon my mind that the disturbances I had observed might be due to an intelligent control. Although I could not decipher their meaning‚ it was impossible for me to think of them as having been entirely accidental. The feeling is constantly growing on me that I had been the first to hear the greeting of one planet to another."Tesla endeavored to do more to investigate the signal‚ and spoke of sending the reply "four"‚ playing a long-distance game of counting with supposed intelligent aliens.Tesla‚ of course‚ had not picked up signals from aliens. Early on‚ people suggested that the signal must have originated from Earth‚ as it came in a frequency that the ionosphere would not let through‚ and Tesla was mocked for this. However‚ over a century after Tesla found the signal‚ one team recreated Tesla's device and believed they found the source may have been of planetary origin‚ at least. "It is our opinion that it is entirely within reason to identify Tesla's signals as the detection of intense kilometric (VLF) emissions originating from Jupiter‚" the team wrote in 2003."Considerable work still needs to be done to convince the skeptical‚" they continued. "However‚ the bottom line is that when you listen to the kilometric signals from Jupiter with one of Tesla's Colorado Springs receivers you occasionally hear 'Beep... Beep-Beep... Beep-Beep-Beep'! Furthermore‚ extraterrestrial right circularly polarized kilometric signals penetrate the Earth's ionosphere during the time of sunspot minima. Tesla was at the right place‚ at the right time‚ doing the right thing‚ with the right equipment to be able to detect these unusual electrical signals of planetary origin. It was the scientific community that was unprepared."

You’ve most likely heard of the placebo effect. In a nutshell‚ it’s the idea that a treatment with no active ingredients or proven medical benefit can still help your symptoms if you believe it will work. Placebos are probably best known for their use in clinical trial design – something to compare a new drug against – but you may not be aware that doctors really do prescribe “dummy drugs” or unnecessary procedures from time to time. Is this really a good thing?What placebo treatments are doctors using?The formal use of placebos in medicine dates back to the 18th century‚ though the concept itself is far more ancient.Research in 2013 found that a staggering 97 percent of UK doctors had prescribed a placebo treatment at least once during their career. We’re not just talking sugar pills‚ though; it’s important to break down exactly what a placebo can mean in different contexts.According to the survey results‚ published in PLOS ONE at the time‚ the majority of the respondents had used what is called an “impure placebo”. These are treatments or tests that are known to have some benefits‚ just not for the condition that’s actually being treated.On the more benign end of the spectrum‚ this could mean prescribing a vitamin supplement when there’s no evidence it will specifically help the patient’s symptoms‚ or performing a physical examination to reassure them when one is not clinically indicated. The darker side would be something like prescribing an antibiotic for a suspected viral infection – not only will it not help the patient‚ but irresponsible use of these drugs is a major contributor to antibiotic resistance.  More recent research in Australia found that 77 percent of responding GPs had used an impure placebo‚ the majority of which were antibiotics. A “pure placebo”‚ in contrast‚ is what most people probably think of when they hear the term: a pill or injection containing only inert‚ non-pharmacological ingredients‚ like sugar or saline.In both cases‚ the aim of treatment is to provide the patient with something‚ in the hope that the act of taking a medicine or undergoing an examination will be enough to help them feel better. And‚ at least sometimes‚ it seems to work.What are some of the benefits of placebos?In an article for the Montreal Gazette‚ cardiologist Dr Christopher Labos used the example of over-the-counter cold medicines to show how many of us already apply the placebo effect to ourselves.“We all fall into this trap routinely. Many over-the-counter cold medications are clinically useless and yet we all regularly take them when we get sick‚” Labos argues. “When we are sick‚ we all feel better when we do ‘something’ because doing ‘nothing’ is generally intolerable.” This is particularly acute when it comes to parents taking care of a sick kid.We know that mental and physical health are intertwined‚ and scientists are learning more all the time about the effect that treating conditions like anxiety can have on overall wellbeing. If undergoing an unnecessary examination at the doctor’s office or taking a useless pill can help relieve a patient’s anxiety‚ it makes sense that their physical health might start to improve too.There are studies covering the gamut of medical specialties that have found a positive role for the placebo effect in many conditions‚ from using colored overlays to improve reading‚ to treating Parkinson's disease.Can you consent to a placebo?One of the central principles in Western medicine is the idea of informed consent. It holds that patients should be given access to as much information as possible about a medical intervention‚ both the risks and the benefits‚ before making the decision to proceed with the treatment or not.On the face of it‚ it’s tricky to see how giving someone a treatment that the doctor knows is ineffective could fit within this ethical framework. However‚ one curious thing about the placebo effect is that it seems to work even when patients know they’re getting a placebo. There’s no need for deception‚ and the patient can still give informed consent. A small study in 2017 demonstrated this in patients given a placebo topical anesthetic before a heating plate was applied to their skin. There were three groups: some were told the cream was an anesthetic‚ even though it wasn’t; some were told that it was a placebo‚ and had the placebo effect explained to them; and some were given the placebo but with no explanation either way.The group who thought they were getting an anesthetic reported a decrease in pain‚ as you might expect. However‚ the same was also true for the group who fully understood they were getting a placebo. The senior author on the study commented‚ “Openly administering a placebo offers new possibilities for using the placebo effect in an ethically justifiable way.”An American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Medical Ethics Opinion addressing the use of placebos in the clinic stresses the need for patients to be informed about and consent to this type of treatment. It also states that the use of placebos should not be solely to “mollify a difficult patient”.In other words‚ placebos may be used if the physician really believes they could benefit the patient‚ but not just for their own convenience and not in a way that undermines patient trust.“First do no harm?”Pure placebos‚ like sugar pills‚ are unlikely to actually cause any harm to a patient. The same cannot be said‚ though‚ for impure placebos. Like with any medical intervention‚ the risks associated with the treatment or procedure must be weighed up against the potential benefits.We’ve already touched on this when it comes to antibiotic resistance‚ but there are lots of other examples where these kinds of questions come into play. Even something as seemingly simple as a vitamin tablet can carry a risk – one case report in 2022 described a man who was hospitalized due to excessive vitamin D‚ and some herbal supplements have been linked to liver injury.Some doctors will order unnecessary tests to try and put their patients’ minds at ease‚ but interventions like X-rays – while broadly considered very safe – arguably shouldn’t be used with impunity. Even the simplest of blood tests carries a risk of bruising‚ clotting‚ and infection‚ however small.Labos pointed to the fact that placebos are “not necessarily benign” as an argument against their use and highlighted that even if they don’t physically harm you‚ taking a lot of unnecessary medications imposes a financial burden on patients.Some doctors just can’t get on board with embedding placebos in their clinical practice."Some patients may think anything that makes them better is a good thing‚ but the placebo effect is unpredictable and unsustainable. It’s not a practical treatment strategy‚" said Dr David Eidelberg‚ director of the Center for Neurosciences at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research‚ in an interview with the Michael J. Fox Foundation.“The idea that we can use placebos as a panacea for a range of health conditions is really problematic. It is bad for science and bad for patients‚” Dr Chris Maher of the University of Sydney School of Public Health told the New York Times.Maher is first author on a Perspective published in the Medical Journal of Australia arguing that the evidence supporting placebos is flawed and does not support their widespread clinical use: “It may be better to dismiss placebos and instead manage patients with evidencebased treatments.”It’s not the first time that the evidence basis for the placebo effect has been questioned. But while the practice has its detractors‚ it’s clear that many physicians have and do use placebos in certain circumstances.As to whether they’re inherently good or bad‚ this is a question you’d be hard-pressed to answer for any medical intervention. If used in a different way‚ a drug that cures one person’s disease could easily kill another. Doctors always have to look at each patient’s unique‚ individual circumstances when recommending a course of treatment. And it would seem that for many of them‚ a placebo is an option that remains on the table. All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current. The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice‚ diagnosis‚ or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions. 

You’ve probably heard the 5-a-day rule intended to help us reach our nutritional needs with fruit and veg – but when diets fall short‚ vitamin supplements have long been used as a way to make up for the shortfall. But do they really work? Or‚ as some have suggested‚ do vitamins just give us expensive urine?What’s this “expensive urine” you speak of?Anyone who’s ever consumed a supplement with B vitamins will tell you it does vibrant things to your urine‚ a side effect so common that the fizzing experts at Berocca even address it on their website.“All Berocca products contain B vitamins‚ as these are water-soluble so your body takes what it needs and discards the rest. The presence of B vitamins in your urine can result in a more intense color. This is harmless and not a cause for any concern.”It’s a glowing demonstration that not everything we consume in supplement form ends up doing much other than coming straight out the other end. However‚ it’s not an "a-ha!" moment for vitamin efficacy‚ as how much we absorb and discard comes down to our unique physiologies. Our vitamin needs can be met by a balanced diet if we're otherwise healthy‚ but not everybody has access to one.Image credit: Marilyn Barbone / Shutterstock.com“Vitamins are always absorbed but the bioavailability (amount taken up by the body) can differ depending on certain factors‚” Dr Carrie Ruxton‚ a dietitian at the Health and Food Supplements Information Service (HSIS) told IFLScience."These include age (older people absorb less B vitamins and make less vitamin D in the body in response to sunlight)‚ dietary inhibitors (high-fiber plant foods can reduce mineral absorption while calcium-rich foods can inhibit iron absorption)‚ dietary promoters (protein enhances mineral absorption‚ vitamin C enhances iron absorption while dietary fat enhances vitamin A‚ D‚ E and K absorption‚ so add some oil or butter to your vegetables).”Back in 1992‚ then-professor of medicine at New York City's Mount Sinai medical school Dr Victor Herbert told Time magazine that popping vitamins “doesn’t do you any good […] We get all the vitamins we need in our diets. Taking supplements just gives you expensive urine."The catchphrase caught on‚ but we’ve learned a lot more about vitamins in the three decades since.Why do we need vitamins?The word "supplement" means to add something in order to complete or enhance it‚ and in the context of vitamins‚ that means plussing up our diet.“The main reason is that people have moved away from the recommended healthy diet of fruit‚ vegetables‚ wholegrains‚ fish‚ lean fresh meat‚ dairy foods‚ tea‚ and tap water towards diets that are high in sugary sodas‚ crisps‚ confectionery‚ biscuits‚ ready meals‚ and takeaways‚” explained Ruxton. “These popular options are high in calories but low in vitamins‚ minerals‚ polyphenols‚ and healthy fats‚ like omega-3s. The Global Burden of Disease study estimated that poor diet is now the primary modifiable cause of chronic diseases‚ responsible for around a fifth of deaths worldwide.”In an ideal world‚ we’d all be able to get everything we needed‚ nutritionally speaking‚ from our diets – but that isn't always attainable. Vitamins have therefore been suggested for use in numerous settings beyond the supplements you see in drug stores.A Lucky Iron Fish that can help manage iron-deficient anemia.Image credit: LIFEintern - Own work‚ CC BY-SA 4.0‚ via Wikimedia CommonsVitamin A deficiency is a killer among young children‚ known to cause blindness in those who survive. Golden rice set out to save millions of children’s lives each year by supplementing their diets with beta carotene‚ which can be converted to vitamin A in the body‚ but the rice was never rolled out due to “overly restrictive regulatory conditions‚” as described by Ed Regis‚ author of Golden Rice: The Imperiled Birth Of A GMO Superfood.Lucky Iron Fish saw more luck‚ rolling out a product intended to tackle iron deficiencies. A fish-shaped cast iron ingot‚ it can be boiled in water or used in cooking to provide a boost among communities with widespread iron-deficiency anemia. The role of supplementation is clearer in contexts where deficiencies are widespread and significant‚ but what about the daily doses for those who should have access to balanced nutrition?Do vitamins work?To understand if vitamin supplements work‚ we first have to consider what their role is.“I wish people knew that the role of dietary supplements is to help us to reach the optimal intakes for vitamins‚ minerals‚ and omega-3 fats‚” continued Ruxton. “Dietary supplements are not medicines and don’t prevent or treat illnesses‚ but they are still an important tool in our armory for keeping ourselves healthier from infanthood to old age.”A study in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition dove into whether or not daily vitamin supplementation could contribute to better brain health into old age‚ improving memory and slowing cognitive aging in older adults. By giving one group a multivitamin supplement while the other received a placebo‚ they saw a small improvement in the supplementation group. The daily multivitamin supplement seemed to benefit memory and overall brain function‚ being roughly equivalent to slowing down the aging of the brain by about two years.As Ruxton suggests‚ vitamins are unlikely to be a silver bullet for any pressing medical concerns‚ but they may help us make marginal gains toward living a healthier life for longer. Other lifestyle factors‚ such as how much sun we're getting‚ can affect vitamin deficiencies.Image credit: FotoHelin / Shutterstock.comA second study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the role of specific vitamins in stroke prevention. It gathered data on 14 studies in which participants were taking vitamin B supplements‚ and discovered that they had around a 34 percent reduction effect on stroke risk in areas where there was either no (or barely any) folic acid being added to foods. When they looked at places where folic acid was commonplace‚ they saw little in the way of benefits.It adds weight to the idea that vitamin supplements may act as a stepping stone to better health outcomes when our diets are lacking in some way‚ but simply plugging the gap won’t work for everything – especially without factoring in other lifestyle changes. Furthermore‚ vitamins are often branded as a fast track to recovering from illness‚ but a study published in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN failed to find a strong link between vitamin consumption and markers that might indicate a super-charged immune system.So‚ not a silver bullet‚ but expensive urine? It’s a little more complicated than that.The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice‚ diagnosis‚ or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.  All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current.